New Names Announced for Newly Merged Catholic Schools

The Diocese of Pittsburgh is pleased to announce new names for two new Catholic elementary schools resulting from the mergers of four schools in South Hills region. 

The new school formed from the merger of Saint Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin (Whitehall) and Saint Elizabeth of Hungary schools (Pleasant Hills) will be named Mother of Mercy Academy.

The new school created through the merger of Saint Margaret of Scotland (Green Tree) and Saint Philip schools (Crafton) will be named Guardian Angel Academy. 

Religion teachers guided students in grades 5-8 through research needed for the development of name suggestions.  An Implementation Committee made up of parents from each of the four schools submitted final recommendations to Bishop Zubik, who selected the new names.

“I wish to express my deep appreciation for our students, parents, principals, and all involved for their efforts to assure the success of Mother of Mercy Academy, Guardian Angel Academy, and the future of Catholic education in the South Hills,” Bishop Zubik said. “I was happy to hear about the collaboration that went into the name suggestions.  We celebrate this milestone in the journey of our schools.”

“It has been wonderful to see so many involved in this process,” said Sharon Loughran Brown, Regional Administrator, South Regional Catholic Elementary Schools (SRCES).  “I’d like to thank the principals, parents, students, and the entire Implementation Team for their work on this project.  The addition of a new name for each new school will provide even more of a sense of unity as we continue to work to build a strong base from which our students will be able to thrive.”