Greensburg Central Catholic
Encyclopedia
Greensburg Central Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic high school
located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania
and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg
.
and as far west as Trafford
.
Bishop Hugh L. Lamb
dedicated the building November 29, 1959, before an audience of 2,000 which included Governor David L. Lawrence
as the featured speaker. This large audience was somewhat surprising given the extremely cold and snowy weather on the day of the dedication. In fact, according to the Greensburg Tribune-Review
:
At the time of Greensburg Central Catholic’s founding, six religious orders provided most of the faculty. The Sisters of St. Benedict were responsible for teaching languages; the Sisters of Charity
, science and music; the Felician Sisters
, mathematics; the Sisters of Mercy
, English; the Sisters of St. Joseph
, social studies; and the Vincentian Sisters of Charity
, business. Lay teachers handled physical education.
In 1962, Bishop William G. Connare proposed the building of a faculty house for all six religious groups, featuring a wing for each community with a common chapel (the Chapel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary), dining room, and community room. The first Mass
was offered in this chapel on August 31, 1963.
These religious communities served Greensburg Central Catholic for years, and many alumni remember them fondly. The Sisters of Charity are the only remaining order at Central.
The original curriculum of the school was primarily academic, but a general course and a business course were soon added. Father Shuda, the school's third principal, urged the construction of an addition to the school, also designed by Francis O’Connor Church. The Fathers’ Club and Mothers’ Club (now replaced by one group, the Parents’ Club) helped with furnishings and installation.
Over the years, Greensburg Central Catholic has constantly updated and improved its curriculum and facilities to better serve its students and the community. It currently offers a diverse curriculum including Advanced Placement and college credit courses as well as business and general study courses. A stadium was built in 1989 and lights were installed in 1998 for night football and soccer games.
Today there are students who, drawn by the school's well known academic and athletic programs, come from as far West as Charleroi
.
The athletics program at Greensburg Central Catholic is one of the most successful in the state of Pennsylvania. The school has won three state championships and countless WPIAL titles. The most successful sports program at Central is the ice hockey team, which won three state championships in the 90s and has been a state power for the past twenty years. The football program has received widespread notoriety as a result of back to back WPIAL championship game appearances in 2005 and 2006, before winning the WPIAL championship and appearing in the PIAA championship game. The girls' basketball program has been dominant for the past few decades winning the section title consecutively as well as WPIAL titles and PIAA contests.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War...
and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg
Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg
The Diocese of Greensburg is a Roman Catholic diocese centered in Greensburg, Pennsylvania that has 85 parishes in Armstrong, Fayette, Indiana, and Westmoreland counties in Western Pennsylvania. The diocese was founded on March 10, 1951, and is currently in the process of reorganization...
.
History
Construction of Greensburg Central Catholic High School began in the summer of 1958, only seven years after the founding of the Diocese of Greensburg. The first class of freshmen entered in September 1959, including students from as far east as LigonierLigonier, Pennsylvania
Ligonier is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2000 census. Ligonier was settled in the 1760s. The borough is well known for nearby Idlewild Park, one of the oldest amusement parks in the country, and nearby Seven Springs Mountain Resort...
and as far west as Trafford
Trafford, Pennsylvania
Trafford is a borough in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania, the borough lies primarily in Westmoreland County; only a small portion extends into Allegheny County...
.
Bishop Hugh L. Lamb
Hugh L. Lamb
Hugh Louis Lamb was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Greensburg from 1952 until his death in 1959.-Biography:...
dedicated the building November 29, 1959, before an audience of 2,000 which included Governor David L. Lawrence
David L. Lawrence
David Leo Lawrence was an American politician who served as the 37th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1959 to 1963. He is to date the only mayor of Pittsburgh to be elected Governor of Pennsylvania. Previously, he had been the mayor of Pittsburgh from 1946 through 1959...
as the featured speaker. This large audience was somewhat surprising given the extremely cold and snowy weather on the day of the dedication. In fact, according to the Greensburg Tribune-Review
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
:
- The former PittsburghPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
mayor (Governor Lawrence) not only had to abandon his automobile on a steep grade near the school but was forced to give his address in near darkness and without the use of a public address system. The latter inconveniences came about when an automobile went out of control, struck a utility pole... and wrecked the power system.
At the time of Greensburg Central Catholic’s founding, six religious orders provided most of the faculty. The Sisters of St. Benedict were responsible for teaching languages; the Sisters of Charity
Sisters of Charity
Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity as part of their name. The rule of Saint Vincent for the Daughters of Charity has been adopted and adapted by at least sixty founders of religious orders around the world in the subsequent centuries....
, science and music; the Felician Sisters
Felician Sisters
The Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice, or Felician Sisters, are one branch of the Third Order of St. Francis. The active-contemplative order was founded in Warsaw, Poland, in 1855, by Sophia Truszkowska, and named for a shrine of St. Felix, a 16th century Franciscan saint especially devoted to...
, mathematics; the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
, English; the Sisters of St. Joseph
Sisters of St. Joseph
The title Sisters of St. Joseph applies to several Roman Catholic religious congregations of women. The largest and oldest of these was founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France...
, social studies; and the Vincentian Sisters of Charity
Vincentian Sisters of Charity
-External links:*...
, business. Lay teachers handled physical education.
In 1962, Bishop William G. Connare proposed the building of a faculty house for all six religious groups, featuring a wing for each community with a common chapel (the Chapel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary), dining room, and community room. The first Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
was offered in this chapel on August 31, 1963.
These religious communities served Greensburg Central Catholic for years, and many alumni remember them fondly. The Sisters of Charity are the only remaining order at Central.
The original curriculum of the school was primarily academic, but a general course and a business course were soon added. Father Shuda, the school's third principal, urged the construction of an addition to the school, also designed by Francis O’Connor Church. The Fathers’ Club and Mothers’ Club (now replaced by one group, the Parents’ Club) helped with furnishings and installation.
Over the years, Greensburg Central Catholic has constantly updated and improved its curriculum and facilities to better serve its students and the community. It currently offers a diverse curriculum including Advanced Placement and college credit courses as well as business and general study courses. A stadium was built in 1989 and lights were installed in 1998 for night football and soccer games.
Today there are students who, drawn by the school's well known academic and athletic programs, come from as far West as Charleroi
Charleroi, Pennsylvania
Charleroi is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, along the Monongahela River, 25 miles south of Pittsburgh. Charleroi was settled in 1890 and incorporated in 1891. The population in 1900 stood at 5,930; in 1910, 9,615; in 1920, 11,516, and in 1940, 10,784...
.
The athletics program at Greensburg Central Catholic is one of the most successful in the state of Pennsylvania. The school has won three state championships and countless WPIAL titles. The most successful sports program at Central is the ice hockey team, which won three state championships in the 90s and has been a state power for the past twenty years. The football program has received widespread notoriety as a result of back to back WPIAL championship game appearances in 2005 and 2006, before winning the WPIAL championship and appearing in the PIAA championship game. The girls' basketball program has been dominant for the past few decades winning the section title consecutively as well as WPIAL titles and PIAA contests.
Principals
- Father Harry Hynes (1959-1960
- Father William Sheridan (1960-1963)
- Father Robert Shuda (1963-1964)
- Father Lawrence Hoppe (1964-1969)
- Mr. Frank Reno (1969-1979)
- Sister Patrice Hughes, S.C. (1979-1982)
- Sister Donna Marie Leiden, S.C. (1982-1988)
- James Farrell (1988-1992)
- Sister Kay Palas, S.C. (1991-1992)
- Brother Lawrence Monroe, F.S.C. (1992-1994)
- Sister Brigid Marie Grandey, S.C. (1994-2002)
- Terence Meehan (2002-2006)
- Fr. Dan Blout (2006-2007)
- Donald Favero (2007-2011)