Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School (formerly Mercy High School) was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Riverhead, New York Riverhead is a town within Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the north shore of Long Island. Since 1727, Riverhead has been the county seat of Suffolk County, though most county offices are in Hauppauge. As of the 2020 census, the po ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. It was operated by the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre ( la, Dioecesis Petropolitana in Insula Longa) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that comprises the territory of Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island ...

. The Diocese closed the school in 2018.

History

Founded by the

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...

in 1956, five sisters were sent from their

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

convent to create and staff a co-educational high school on the East End of

to be named Mercy High School. In the first year of operation, there were 47 students, using excess classrooms of the nearby St. John the Evangelist parish. In October 1962, a new building was dedicated by Bishop Walter Kellenberg of the newly formed

Diocese of Rockville Centre The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre ( la, Dioecesis Petropolitana in Insula Longa) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that comprises the territory of Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Isla ...

which still serves as the present building. In 1992, it was decided that a

junior high school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...

was to be added to the already ninth through twelfth grades. In 2002, the Diocese of Rockville Centre and the Sisters of Mercy created a partnership to better enhance the needs of the school. In September 2003, the school's name officially changed to Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School, after

Bishop John McGann John Raymond McGann (December 2, 1924 – January 29, 2002) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, in New York from 1976 to 2000. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the s ...

, the Diocese's longtime leader, and the Sisters of Mercy signifying the partnership. The school's numbers swelled over the course of the next five years, following a time when some thought the school might close. The Diocese takeover saved the school from debt. Mr. Carl Semmler was the school's principal at that time. However, the school went on to close at the end of the 2018 school year. Deacon John Hogan served as the school's last principal during the 2017–2018 school year. Mr. Charles Bender continued on as the Dean of Students until the school's closure. Lisa Navarra served as the school's Assistant Principal until the school's closure, and was a former teacher at St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School. On March 12, 2018, the Diocese of Rockville Centre announced the school would close at the end of the 2017–2018 school year.

Performing arts

Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School's theatre department was recognized by the Teeny Awards on an annual basis in recent years, both for performances by student actors and the innovation of the director, Bob Kelly.

External links

Official siteShopForMercy.comSectionXI.org
(Athletics)

Notes and references

{{authority control Catholic secondary schools in New York (state) Riverhead (town), New York Educational institutions established in 1956 Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre Schools in Suffolk County, New York Private middle schools in New York (state) 1956 establishments in New York (state) Sisters of Mercy schools