Catholic education expands in Martinsburg with the restoration of high school grade levels
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — The Martinsburg area Catholic community and the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston are expanding Catholic education in the Eastern Panhandle.
High school grade levels will be restored at St. Joseph School in Martinsburg, beginning with the 2025-26 school year.
The high school levels are an extension of St. Joseph School, which currently serving infants through eighth graders, and will be managed as one school system.
“It is a true joy to be able to announce that we are opening a Catholic school rather than closing one,” said Most Rev. Mark E. Brennan, Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. “With the growth of the Catholic population in the Eastern Panhandle, there is a need to expand Catholic education at St. Joseph's School. To that end, our Diocesan Finance Council and I are providing seed money to establish a Catholic high school in Martinsburg and we will work with local Catholics to make it a reality. I am truly grateful to the parents and friends of Catholic education in the Eastern Panhandle for their commitment to this project."
The enrollment plan for the school is a progressive enrollment model, meaning that beginning with the 2025 academic year (Fall 2025) ninth and 10th-grade levels will be offered and based on the current school campus.
From there, the high school will mature with additional grade levels being added each year.
The first graduating class will be the class of 2029.
Currently there are 430 students enrolled at St. Joseph School. The new high school levels will accommodate 40 to 50 students per grade for the first year.
Staff hiring is already underway for the high school.
Bishop Brennan added, “Our Catholic schools do more for students than just fill their heads with facts or numbers, they fill their hearts with the love of God — they form the whole person in Christ. Students learn to be better disciples of Christ, to serve their communities in body and mind, and to live the Gospel. This is why parents choose a Catholic education for their children. We are thankful for those parents and are excited to support the growth of Catholic education in Martinsburg.”
“From the time that I arrived at St. Joseph Parish, I cannot tell you how many people have been asking about when we would start a high school," said Father Thomas R. Gallagher, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Martinsburg. "Not only that, parishioners and alumni who attended when St. Joseph School had a high school always spoke fondly of their experience. When I heard the news that St. Maria Goretti High School in Hagerstown, Md., was shuttering, I felt it was morally imperative to do something to provide Catholic education for those of our alumni who are in high school and those who will be coming up in future years.
"This is one way we can evangelize like St. Paul, to put our faith into practice — helping high school students who need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the truth the Catholic church preaches. I want to thank Bishop Brennan and Ms. Jennifer Hornyak for being so supportive of our school and the idea to re-establish the high school after all these years. It is my hope that Catholic education will continue to grow and flourish in the Eastern Panhandle for many years to come.”
With this expansion, St. Joseph School will better serve all parish communities in the Eastern Panhandle. The school will be open to all members of the community, regardless of faith, race or sex.
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This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Catholic education expands in Martinsburg
