Notre Dame Catholic High School is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

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 ...

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan area ...

, United States. It is located in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport The Diocese of Bridgeport is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church located in the southwestern part of the state of Connecticut, and its boundaries are the same as that of Fairfield County, Connecticut. Ther ...

. Notre Dame Catholic High School was founded in 1955 by the Most Reverend

Lawrence Shehan Lawrence Joseph Shehan (March 18, 1898 – August 26, 1984) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Baltimore from 1961 to 1974 and was made a cardinal in 1965. Shehan was an advocate for civil rights an ...

, who believed "The future of our country depends on our youth. To provide them with sound religious and moral training is a major concern of all of us."

History

The school, built on Park Avenue in Bridgeport, Connecticut, was a co-institution staffed by the

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (Congregationis Sororum a Domina Nostra Namurcensi) are a Catholic institute of religious sisters, founded to provide education to the poor. The institute was founded in Amiens, France, in 1804, but the opposi ...

, the Holy Cross Fathers, Diocesan clergy and several lay men and women. In 1956, the first classes of Notre Dame were held at Our Lady of Assumption school in Fairfield while the building was being completed. It opened in September 1957 with a freshman and sophomore class of 1000 students. In 1964, the school and property of Notre Dame became

Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private, Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholic un ...

. Two new high schools were established: Notre Dame Girls' in Bridgeport and Notre Dame Boys' in Fairfield. The schools continued to be staffed by the

Sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

of Notre Dame de Namur at the girls' school, the Holy Cross Fathers at the boys school, and an increasing number of

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

. In 1973, the two schools were merged into the present Notre Dame Catholic High School, a co-educational institution open to all levels of academic ability and religious background.

References

External links

*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport
{{authority control Catholic secondary schools in Connecticut Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport Schools in Fairfield County, Connecticut Educational institutions established in 1955 Holy Cross secondary schools Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur schools Buildings and structures in Fairfield, Connecticut 1955 establishments in Connecticut