History
of Wildwood Catholic
On August 7, 1947, Most Reverend Bartholomew Eustace, Bishop of the Diocese
of Camden, announced the awarding of a contract for the erection of a new Catholic
coeducational high school to be located at Fifteenth and Central Avenues in North
Wildwood, New Jersey. It was the first Catholic high school in Cape May County,
and it was built under the stewardship of Right Reverend Monsignor Aloysius S.
Quinlan, pastor of Saint Ann's parish in Wildwood. Bishop Eustace broke ground
for construction on August 18 th of that year. He presided with Judge Clare Gerald
Fenerty of Philadelphia at the laying of the cornerstone on July 11, 1948. The
school opened to an enrollment of 80 students with a capacity for 225 in September
1948.
By 1957, enrollment grew to 266 and Saint Ann's pastor Monsignor Augustine
Crine secured permission from Bishop Justin McCarthy for an addition according
to the expansion provisions in the original building plans. Construction of an
extension began in February 1959 and concluded in time for opening in February
1960. As enrollment continued to grow into the 1990's, the school celebrated
its 50 th anniversary in 1998-99 with the construction of a modern, well-equipped
four-room addition dedicated by Bishop James McHugh and Monsignor William Quinn
on February 11, 1999. Now nearing completion of its sixth decade of service to
Cape May County, Wildwood Catholic continues to offer students a unique opportunity
for broad academic success and civic engagement in a privileged environment where
Jesus Christ is made known and present every day. Students and parents join administration,
faculty, and staff in a network of relationships of faith-filled people to create
a community where achievement is the norm.
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