NORTH WILDWOOD – Wildwood Catholic Academy received an approximately $5 million bequest from a North Wildwood woman who wished to promote Catholic education.
Regina “Jeanne” Williams, born in Philadelphia, apparently graduated from the John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School in 1943. A North Wildwood resident for many years, Williams was essentially following in the footsteps of Mary Hallahan McMichan, who donated sufficient funds to start a high school for Catholic girls in 1908.
The construction of the Catholic Girls High School in Philadelphia began in 1911. The school’s name was changed in 1925 at the request of Mary McMichan, to honor her brother.
The school was started as the first Diocesan all-girls Catholic high school in the U.S., with the goal of teaching “the daughters of the working-class families.”
Williams, who was described by the school administration as a long-time supporter of Catholic education and Wildwood Catholic Academy in particular, made her bequest with the stipulation that it be used solely for need-based and academic scholarship awards.
“We are so thankful for her generosity to the school and its students during her lifetime and now in her passing. This gift helps to ensure the school’s financial and academic strength for years to come,” the administration said in a social media post provided by high school Principal Joseph Cray.
Cray said the school was notified of the bequest shortly after Williams’ passing May 18. Cray could not speak specifically but said he assumed that given the amount, there would be an elected board to manage the scholarship fund.
He said the gift provides the school with “an additional leg of stability.”
Wildwood Catholic Academy, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary when the next school year begins in the fall, was originally known as St. Ann’s High School, so a name change is something Williams’ school had in common with Wildwood Catholic.
Wildwood Catholic Academy’s current enrollment is over 350, with about 140 in the high school. Cray said Wildwood Catholic draws students from all over Cape May County, as well as from surrounding counties, with some coming from as far away as Vineland and Millville. The former Sacred Heart High School in Vineland closed in 2013.
Cray said the Wildwood Catholic population is strong, with some class levels reaching their limits.
“We have a really excellent retention rate. It seems when students come here, they are here for good,” Cray said.
He said Wildwood Catholic is an option for students from other counties, or even those in the area who might desire a private, Catholic education. However, he said the school still needs to get the word out about Wildwood Catholic.
“Once in a while, I run into a conversation where folks don’t know we are here and operating,” he said.
The school has had to resist efforts to close it down, the last as recently as 2020.
Wildwood Catholic Academy receives some state aid, which Cray called “a drop in the bucket,” which all nonpublic schools receive, such as for security efforts.
Cray said in the fall, the school will participate in a dedication ceremony for the plaque memorializing the opening of the school in 1948.
“We will have a whole year of events,” Cray said.
Contact the author, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
