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

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

Notable alumni

• 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

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."