New regional Catholic school opens

7Ke firVW GDy RI VFKRRO FDn Ee Dn e[citing time for students as it offers an opportunity to make new friends, begin new lessons and look forward to the upcoming year. For the Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School community, WKe firVW GDy RI VFKRRO PeDnV MuVW D OLWWOe bit more.

In ganuary, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that St. Alphonsus, St. Anthony-St. goseph and St. Catherine of Siena elementary schools would merge to form Our Lady of Mercy at the site of St. Alphonsus in Maple Glen. Since that time, the new community has come together to prepare for the monumental undertaking by holding various events, like pizza parties and scavenger hunts, over the past few months in order for students to meet one another and become friends.

FRr WKe RIfiFLDO firVW GDy RI VFKRRO Wednesday, Sept. 5, parents were invited for a “mini-open house” beginning at 7:45 a.m. before moving into the gymnasium to join students for a prayer service.

HROGLnJ D PLFrRSKRne, 2ur /DGy RI Mercy Principal Kathleen Dilts addressed the large crowd and led the service.

“, NnRw we’re DOO Yery e[FLWeG,” VKe said. “I couldn’t sleep. I was up very ear- ly before 5 o’clock to get ready for today because I could not wait to see your smiling faces.”

She said that teachers had been preparing for students for several weeks, getting ready to provide an education that is “rigorous and challenging but also steeped in our faith.”

The opportunity would allow students WR “e[SDnG Rur KRrL]RnV,” VKe VDLG, e[plaining that students would meet new friends to add to their current friends. She also asked students to tell her their names so that she could slowly begin to remember them, allowing her to call students by name, which is “so important to me.”

In addition to thanking parents for their time and effort into merging the three schools, Dilts also thanked sice Principal DDYLG HDyGen IRr KLV KeOS Ln JeWWLnJ “DOO of the little pieces that we needed to do to get this together.”

HDyGen enGeG WKe FerePRny Ey reFRJnizing the work done by Dilts.

“I know she thanked everybody, but it would be a real crime for us to not take a minute to thank Mrs. Dilts for all of her hard work, her dedication [and] her commitment,” he said.

Following the prayer ceremony, stuGenWV fiOeG RuW Ey FODVVeV WR EeJLn WKe new year, as parents watched with smiling, proud faces.