Tom Glover:
The story of Trenton Catholic Academy dates back to 1961

Fifty two years ago, in September 1962, the first students entered the new St. Anthony High School, the forerunner of McCorristin Catholic High School and today’s Trenton Catholic Academy. The story actually begins back in 1961, when the Franciscan fathers of Trenton Catholic High School notified Bishop George W. Ahr that the Chambersburg school would close its doors at the end of the 1962 school year.

For years, the legendary Trenton Catholic Boys’ High School had filled a vital role in the education of thousands of area students. For a brief period of time, it seemed likely that many area high school students would be deprived of a Catholic education. Students in the Hamilton Township and Chambersburg areas would be particularly affected by the closing of the school. The two remaining Catholic high schools, Cathedral and Notre Dame, were in no position to accommodate any additional students. When the news of the closing reached Monsignor Michael P. McCorristin, pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Hamilton, wheels immediately began to spin. Almost immediately, he made an appointment with Bishop Ahr. Time was of the essence. A new school could and would be built. The bishop was delighted when Monsignor McCorristin suggested that St. Anthony Parish could handle the construction of a high school. Bishop Ahr requested that plans for the new school and convent be drawn — also reminding Monsignor McCorristin that he had less than a year to provide the facility. Monsignor McCorristin, who was the man responsible in a large part for the construction of St. Ann’s Church in Lawrence, the school and convent at Holy Angels in Trenton, and countless other labors aimed at propagating the faith, set about the Herculean task of establishing a new high school building and convent.

A large parcel of land was purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Kuser. The property, bounded by Kuser Road, Kuser Avenue (now Leonard Avenue) and Newkirk Avenue was chosen as the site. Ground was broken, and the foundation of the new school was laid in the fall of 1961. The architect was Mr. Thomas Moran. He drew plans for an L-shaped building, with a cafeteria-gymnasium extension. As soon as the winter weather broke in early March 1962, the trucks and building equipment of contractor William C. Ehret rolled onto the bumpy, muddy field, and the construction commenced. At the same time, dedicated St. Anthony parishioners and friends added to the volunteers who worked on the construction of the new St. Anthony Convent. Two of Monsignor McCorristin’s brothers, Alex and Joe, were carpenters. Each day during the spring and summer of 1962, they journeyed north to the site from their South Jersey homes, worked all day. Jim Roche, a longtime member of St. Anthony Parish, took the job of plastering the interior walls and halls of the new convent. Working as a corrections officer at the Trenton State Prison each day until 2 p.m., Jim would rush home, change into his work clothes, and head over to the construction site for another afternoon of plastering. Throughout the summer of 1962, anyone passing by the area during those days would quite likely see Monsignor McCorristin behind a wheelbarrow, the stump of an unlit cigar clenched in his teeth, the soil of honest labor all over his shirt, hat, trousers and boots. 

Construction was not complete at the opening of the school year on Sept. 5,1962, but 468 students from the parishes of St. Anthony, St. Raphael, Holy Angels and Immaculate Conception entered the halls of Hamilton Township’s first Catholic high school were there for the first day of school. They were greeted by Sister M. Georgiana, seven Glen Riddle Sisters of St. Francis, three priests and eight lay teachers. Though that first year was fraught with inconveniences, lessons were taught and the students were learning. Formal dedication ceremonies were held on Sept. 9, 1962 but the construction work continued on a daily basis throughout the 1962-63 school years. The neighbors in the Kuser Farm area adjusted to the daily visits of the big yellow school buses and the presence of the big buildings occupying the field that had been vacant for so many years. In September, 1963, an additional 300 freshmen entered the school, bringing the total enrollment to 750 students. St. Anthony High School celebrated the commencement of its first graduating class in June 1965. The new wing was completed, and not a day too soon. The predicted enrollment soared over the 1,000 mark, with the faculty now numbering 44. Sister M. Georgiana, the principal, left St. Anthony High at the close of the 1966 school year, to be replaced by Sister M. John Joseph. Throughout the balance of the 1960s, the new school flourished. A chapel was built, and the faculty increased to 60 teachers who were now serving 1,300 students. But the growing and building were far from over. 

In 1971, the announcement was made that Cathedral High School would close at the end of the 1972 school year. Once again, Monsignor McCorristin and his loyal volunteers picked up their shovels, trowels, saws and hammers and built still another wing to accommodate 400 additional students. St. Anthony High School as enrollment approached the 1,600 mark. At the commencement exercises in June 1979, Bishop Ahr took the podium and bestowed a distinct honor upon the man who had done so much, over so many years, for so many people. Effective immediately, St. Anthony High School would be known as “McCorristin Catholic High School.” As the announcement was made, the deafening applause and cheers of approval rang to the rafters and beyond. Today it is known as Trenton Catholic Academy, McCorristin Campus. The genesis of this now-thriving high school is interesting local Hamilton history, and as it says on the TCA website, “In 2005, following a study of area parochial schools, the Diocese of Trenton consolidated four elementary schools with McCorristin High to create Trenton Catholic Academy. The name reflects TCA’s status as the regional PreK-12 school for the diocese.” Greatness is humble. Nowhere were greatness and humility more in evidence than in the heart and soul of Monsignor Michael P. McCorristin, a man who dedicated his whole life to implementing the will of God.