Pope Pius XII High School

Pope Pius XII High School was a Roman Catholic high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades located in Passaic, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, that had been operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson from 1939 until it closed in 1983.

The school opened to students in September 1939.^[1] A 1957 expansion project brought the school's capacity up to 1,100 students.^[2] In the facing of declining enrollment that had fallen under 300 and rising financial deficits that could not be covered by fundraising, the Paterson diocese announced in February 1983 that the school would be closed at the end of the 1982-83 school year. Existing students would be shifted to Paterson Catholic High School and Paul VI High School.^[3]

Athletics[edit]

The boys' bowling team won the overall state championship in 1962.^[4]

Notable alumni[edit]

Joe Biscaha (born 1937), American football offensive end who played in the National Football League for the New York Giants and in the American Football League for the Boston Patriots.^[5]
Henry McNamara (1934–2018), politician who represented the 40th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate from 1985 to 2008.^[6]

References[edit]

^ "Diocesan Schools To Open During The Ensuing Week", The Morning Call, September 2, 1939. Accessed December 20, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The Pope Pius XII Diocesan High school in Passaic will open with a registration that is most gratifying for the first year of high school."
^ "New Addition To Pope Pius High To Be Blessed", The Catholic Advocate, Volume 6, Number 44, November 2, 1957. Accessed December 20,2022, via Newspapers.com. "Pope Pius XII High School was opened in September 1939, by the late Bishop Thomas H. McLaughlin, first Bishop of Paterson. With the new expansion 1,100 students can be accommodated."
^ McKillop, Peter D. "School closing meets with fears and anger", The News, February 18, 1983. Accessed December 20, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Many tears were shed Wednesday when students and faculty at Pope Pius XII High School received the startling news that their school would close permanently at the end of the semester.... With the school's student body dropping below 300 students and faced with an increasing deficit, the diocese decided to close the school and transfer its students to the two remaining area Catholic High Schools, Paterson Catholic and Paul VI. However Velicky said only another $50,000 had to be raised through contributions to keep the school open."
^ History of NJSIAA Boys Bowling Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 20, 2022.
^ Joe Biscaha NFL Stats, Pro Football Archives. Accessed December 20, 2022."Born: June 1, 1937 Clifton, NJ High School: Pope Pius XII (Passaic, NJ)"
^ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey: 2004 Edition, p. 245. Lawyers Diary and Manual, LLC,, 2004. Accessed December 20, 2022. "Senator McNamara was born in Passaic Dec. 9, 1934. He attended St. Nicholas School, Pope Pius XII High School, and Seton Hall University, where he studied classical languages and received his degree in 1956."

[1] "Diocesan Schools To Open During The Ensuing Week", The Morning Call, September 2, 1939. Accessed December 20, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The Pope Pius XII Diocesan High school in Passaic will open with a registration that is most gratifying for the first year of high school."

[2] "New Addition To Pope Pius High To Be Blessed", The Catholic Advocate, Volume 6, Number 44, November 2, 1957. Accessed December 20,2022, via Newspapers.com. "Pope Pius XII High School was opened in September 1939, by the late Bishop Thomas H. McLaughlin, first Bishop of Paterson. With the new expansion 1,100 students can be accommodated."

[3] McKillop, Peter D. "School closing meets with fears and anger", The News, February 18, 1983. Accessed December 20, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Many tears were shed Wednesday when students and faculty at Pope Pius XII High School received the startling news that their school would close permanently at the end of the semester.... With the school's student body dropping below 300 students and faced with an increasing deficit, the diocese decided to close the school and transfer its students to the two remaining area Catholic High Schools, Paterson Catholic and Paul VI. However Velicky said only another $50,000 had to be raised through contributions to keep the school open."

[4] History of NJSIAA Boys Bowling Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 20, 2022.

[5] Joe Biscaha NFL Stats, Pro Football Archives. Accessed December 20, 2022."Born: June 1, 1937 Clifton, NJ High School: Pope Pius XII (Passaic, NJ)"

[6] Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey: 2004 Edition, p. 245. Lawyers Diary and Manual, LLC,, 2004. Accessed December 20, 2022. "Senator McNamara was born in Passaic Dec. 9, 1934. He attended St. Nicholas School, Pope Pius XII High School, and Seton Hall University, where he studied classical languages and received his degree in 1956."

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v t e Public and private high schools of Passaic County, New Jersey
Public	Clifton Eastside Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Tourism Government and Public Administration Information Technology Garrett Morgan Academy HARP Academy Hawthorne International Kennedy Architecture and Construction Trades Business, Technology, Marketing and Finance Education and Training Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Lakeland Regional Manchester Regional Panther Academy Passaic Academy for Science and Engineering Passaic Passaic Tech Passaic Preparatory Academy Passaic Valley Regional Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology Pompton Lakes Rosa L. Parks Wayne Hills Wayne Valley West Milford
Private	Al-Ghazaly Al-Huda Collegiate DePaul Catholic Eastern Christian Hawthorne Christian Academy Mary Help of Christians Mesivta Zichron Baruch Paterson Catholic Pioneer Academy
Defunct	Don Bosco Technical High School (closed 2002) Neumann Preparatory School (closed 1990) Paterson Catholic High School (closed 2010) Paul VI High School (closed 1970) Pope Pius XII High School (closed 1983)
by county Atlantic Bergen Burlington Camden Cape May Cumberland Essex Gloucester Hudson Hunterdon Mercer Middlesex Monmouth Morris Ocean Passaic Salem Somerset Sussex Union Warren

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson
Ordinaries	Bishops Thomas Henry McLaughlin Thomas Aloysius Boland James A. McNulty James Johnston Navagh Lawrence B. Casey Frank Joseph Rodimer Arthur J. Serratelli Kevin J. Sweeney
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson Parishes Our Lady of Mercy Chapel, Whippany St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church, Paterson St. Nicholas Catholic Church, Passaic St. Mary's Church, Wharton/Dover
Education	Colleges Assumption College for Sisters, Mendham Saint Elizabeth University, Convent Station High schools, diocesan DePaul Catholic High School, Wayne Morris Catholic High School, Denville Pope John XXIII Regional High School, Sparta High schools, other Academy of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station Delbarton School, Morristown Mary Help of Christians Academy, North Haledon Saint Vincent Martyr School, Madison Villa Walsh Academy, Morristown High schools, defunct Don Bosco Tech, Paterson (closed 2002) Neumann Prep, Wayne (closed 1990) Paterson Catholic, Paterson (closed 2010) Paul VI, Clifton (closed 1970) Pope Pius XII, Passaic (closed 1983)
Other	Hospitals St. Clare's Hospital, Boonton Township St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center, Paterson St. Mary's Hospital, Passaic
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