Celebrate Northeast Catholic’s Centennial
Northeast Catholic Alumni Invited to Return to School Steps for Centennial “Class Photo” - September 8 gathering will recreate the spirit of Opening Day as part of North Catholic’s yearlong 100th anniversary celebration
PHILADELPHIA, PA — One hundred years after Northeast Catholic High School first opened its doors in 1926, alumni from every generation are invited back to where their North Catholic experience began.
On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., alumni will gather on the steps of their beloved school at 1842 Torresdale Avenue for a special Opening Day of School “Class Photo” and gathering. Alumni are encouraged to wear Falcon Red and fill the steps with the spirit, pride, and brotherhood that have defined North Catholic for a century. Alumni planning to attend are asked to RSVP in advance.
The gathering is one of the signature events in a yearlong celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the opening of Northeast Catholic High School. Throughout 2026, alumni have come together to remember the teachers, Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, coaches, classmates, traditions, and experiences that shaped their years at North Catholic and continued to influence their lives long after graduation.
“The Falcon spirit is very much alive,” said Rev. Jack Kolodziej, OSFS, ‘87, Provincial of Wilmington-Philadelphia Province. “We look forward to welcoming back the Salesian gentlemen of Northeast Catholic to the steps that were the start of many relationships that lasted throughout their lives.”
North Catholic closed in 2010, but alumni pride remains strong! Today, the building hosts Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School. The centennial class photo will bring together graduates from across the decades. The bonds created within these school walls have endured.The school’s legacy continues through the faith, service, professional accomplishments, family lives, and lifelong friendships of its alumni. Alumni associations have helped preserve those connections, host events, remember deceased classmates and faculty members, and pass the Falcon tradition to future generations. They also raise funds for young men and women to attend Catholic schools throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Additional Centennial Events
September 22 — Alumni Association Golf Outing Register online
October 3 — Homecoming & All-Year Reunion: Canstatter’s
November 1 — Sunday Mass & Coffee at the North Catholic Building
November 8 — Centennial Finale: at FOP Lodge 5
November 11 - Veterans Day Mass at St. Dominic’s Church
Additional details about the centennial events at: North Catholic Alumni Association website and Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.
About Northeast Catholic High School: Northeast Catholic High School opened in Philadelphia in 1926 and educated generations of young men in the Catholic and Salesian traditions. Guided for decades by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales and dedicated lay educators, the school emphasized faith, character, service, academic achievement, and brotherhood. While the school closed in 2010, its mission and traditions continue through the lives of its alumni and the work of the North Catholic Alumni Association and the Norphans.
About the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales are a religious community of Catholic priests and brothers dedicated to spreading the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales. For a century, the Oblates helped shape the faith, character, traditions, and enduring brotherhood of Northeast Catholic High School. Through their service as administrators, teachers, counselors, coaches, and spiritual mentors, they encouraged generations of Falcons to live with faith, humility, perseverance, and a commitment to serving others. Today, the Oblates remain committed to Catholic secondary education by their presence at Father Judge High School. The Oblates minister in schools, parishes, chaplaincies, and missions in the United States and around the world. Learn more at www.oblates.org.
Media Contact:
North Catholic Alumni Association
Jim Kelly: jimkelly5@verizon.net
215-808-4227