Josephinum Academy of the Sacred Heart, a 134-year-old high school for girls, is hoping to take control of its future with an agreement to buy the property on which its facilities stand and launching a capital campaign with a goal of $23 million. The agreement to form a separate non-profit to buy the Wicker Park property and lease it back to the school for a nominal fee came months before the school’s previous lease, from its founding congregation, the Sisters of Christian Charity, expires, said Josephinum’s president, Rich McMenamin. The Sisters of Christian Charity founded the school in 1890; 95 years later, the community ceded control of the institution while leasing the property to the then-independent school at what McMenamin called a “very advantageous” rate, for which, he said, the school is extremely grateful. Josephinum, at 1501 N. Oakley Blvd., became part of the network of Sacred Heart Schools in 2011. Three years ago, the Sisters of Christian Charity informed the school that they did not intend to renew the lease in 2025, and two years ago, they notified the school that they intended to sell the property. “This means a huge number of things for us,” McMenamin said. “We control our destiny if we control the real estate. We didn’t have an alternative place to move to. We are extending our mission well into the future. … It secures our future right here in Wicker Park.” That should help support enrollment, with the announcement coming before students register for classes next year, he said. The school will also extend its THRIVE scholarship, which provides full tuition to incoming freshmen, to the class entering high school this fall. The scholarship was announced in early 2024, and helped increase the size of the incoming freshman class this year by about 50 percent, from 20 students in the fall of 2022 and 2023 to 31 students this year. It hopes to enroll 40-45 students in its next freshman class. Josephinum’s enrollment includes students from 45 ZIP codes from all over Chicago and surrounding suburbs, with the vast majority being students of color and coming from low-income families, McMenamin said. It was particularly hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, as it became more challenging for students to use public transit to get to school and some had to stay home to supervise younger siblings whose schools were closed, he said. Now, with the question of its site settled, a plan to raise enough money to start its first ever endowment and an extension of the THRIVE scholarship, Josephinum is poised to continue to grow, he said. Doing so will preserve the availability of all-girls secondary education close to the heart of the city. “This offers the chance for the girls to develop a higher degree of confidence,” he said. “They get to focus on their studies, they get to focus on themselves, they get to find their voice.”
Cardinal Cupich visits school that held mock conclave On the morning of June 2, Cardinal Cupich, dressed in a red cassock and wearing a red zucchetto, joined the student “cardinals” at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy to see a reenactment of their now-viral mock conclave and to answer their questions about the real conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.
Local school’s mock conclave goes viral around the globe Two days before Pope Leo XIV, a native Chicagoan who is a member of the Augustinian religious community, was elected the 267th pope by the College of Cardinals, students at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy elected their own native Chicagoan in a mock conclave, and the student elected took the name “Augustine” when he accepted his election.
St. Ann School receives $97,000 from Big Shoulders Fund St. Ann School Principal Kathleen Fox credits a school culture that emphasizes ongoing learning and making sure each students feels that they are known and valued for its growth in test scores and other academic measures.