Newton's Trinity Catholic to Merge with Mount St. Joseph Academy

Newton's will be closing its doors at the end of this school year as it merges with Mount St. Joseph Academy in Brighton.

In a press release issued Wednesday morning, the two schools announced they will be forming Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, which will open on the Mount St. Joseph Academy campus in fall 2012. 

“I am delighted that the religious and educational mission of Trinity Catholic High School will live on in a new school formed in partnership with the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, which has a long and proud tradition at both schools,” said Rev. John Sassani, pastor of , in the press release. “Saint Joseph Preparatory High School will continue to promote the intellectual and spiritual development and the well-being of our students.”

According to the press release, the two schools merged in order to "maintain a vibrant, academically rigorous and operationally efficient Catholic secondary school option for families in Allston-Brighton, Newton and surrounding communities"

Ed Hayward, a Boston College spokesperson who helped release the merger information for the schools, said Trinity Catholic will not open in fall 2012, but could not confirm what future plans are for the campus. 

Hayward clarified Wednesday morning that the Boston College is not sponsoring the new school, but just helping out with the public relations of the merger. The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Boston will be sponsoring the new school. 

Mount St. Joseph currently enrolls 200 girls while Trinity Catholic currently serves 200 boys and girls.

The new school of roughly 400 students will "focus on academic excellence" and include core courses as well as fine arts and theology. 

Athletics and service programs will also be offered "in an environment that instills Catholic values and respect for all people," the press release said. 

Hayward said Wednesday morning that the tuition will be "comparable" to the current tuition at the schools. 

Trinity Catholic first opened its doors in 1893 and is affiliated with Our Lady Help of Christians Parish. Mount St. Joseph was first opened in 1885 under the sponsorship of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Boston.

“We are pleased to announce the creation of Saint Joseph Preparatory High School and are excited to join the strengths of two schools that have served this area for more than a century,” Sister Mary L. Murphy, CSJ, President of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Boston, said in a press release. “The Sisters of Saint Joseph have a long history of involvement in both schools and we look forward to fulfilling our mission to provide an outstanding education, instill Catholic values and foster respect for all people.”

For more information on admissions and tuition to the school, visit the Saint Joseph Preparatory High School website.