Alumni of Closed Catholic Schools in Philadelphia Give Back Through Scholarships

Alumni associations from two closed Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are providing scholarships to help younger generations attend Catholic schools.

The North Catholic High School alumni association has distributed more than $6.7 million to the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of its former students since the Northeast Philadelphia school closed in 2010. A non-profit organization formed by these alumni in 2014, called the Norphans, has provided more than $600,000 in scholarships. Father Neil Kilty, an Oblate priest, provided the name for the organization.

The St. James Alumni Association has surpassed $2 million in scholarship funds since the Chester school closed in 1993. Mike Ritz, president of the association, stated that the group decided to continue supporting Catholic education after the school closed.