Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School is now Cristo Rey Birmingham. The new name, approved by the school’s board of directors, reflects the school’s growth across the Birmingham metropolitan area and its nearly two decades of membership in the national Cristo Rey Network. The school’s mission, academic program, Corporate Work Study Program and Catholic identity remain unchanged.
The change comes at a moment of measurable strength. For three consecutive years, 100% of the school’s seniors have been accepted to college. Students now travel to campus from 31 ZIP codes across multiple counties, a footprint that extends well beyond the Ensley neighborhood where the school was founded in the 1940s.
“This is not a change in who we are. It is a declaration of who we have become,” said Bo Garrett, president of Cristo Rey Birmingham. “Holy Family built something irreplaceable in Ensley, and that legacy lives in every student who walks through our doors. Our new name reflects the families we serve across Birmingham today and the national network of schools we are proud to stand beside. The name is changing. The mission is not.”
History of Cristo Rey Birmingham
The school’s story begins in the 1940s, when the Congregation of the Passion founded Holy Family Church, Hospital and School in Ensley to serve Black Catholic families. In 2006, the school joined the Cristo Rey Network and adopted its corporate work-study model, becoming Holy Family Cristo Rey in 2007. It remains one of only three Cristo Rey conversion schools in the country to survive and thrive. In 2019, the school moved to Titusville, opening its doors to students across the metro area.
The Cristo Rey Experience
Through the Corporate Work Study Program, every student attends class four days a week and spends the fifth working in a professional role with one of more than 50 leading Birmingham employers. The program provides students with real-world work experience while covering one-third of their tuition.
The Cristo Rey name makes the school immediately recognizable to families, colleges and employers nationwide, while “Birmingham” names the community it now serves. “A board doesn’t change a name like Holy Family lightly,” said Joseph Bulgarella, board chair of Cristo Rey Birmingham. “We weighed it carefully, because we owe that to everyone who built this school. What we kept coming back to is that this name opens more doors for our students, and that is the responsibility we were entrusted with.”
A Continuing Legacy
As part of the school’s upcoming renovations, Cristo Rey Birmingham is creating a Holy Family Chapel — a permanent, central space inside the school that honors where we came from and ensure that the Holy Family mission and legacy remain at the heart of everything we do.
The chapel will be open to students, families, alumni, and friends as a place of prayer, reflection, and remembrance of the community that made this school what it is.
The Passionists of Holy Cross Province continue to serve as spiritual endorsers of Cristo Rey Birmingham and remain active at Holy Family Parish and Holy Family Catholic Academy in Ensley.
About Cristo Rey Birmingham
Cristo Rey Birmingham, formerly Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School, is a Catholic, college-preparatory high school serving students across the Birmingham metropolitan area. Founded in Ensley in the 1940s and a member of the national Cristo Rey Network since 2006, the school pairs rigorous academics with its Corporate Work Study Program, placing every student in a professional role with a leading Birmingham employer.
Welcoming students of all faith backgrounds, the school has seen 100% of its seniors accepted to college for three consecutive years and is one of more than 40 Cristo Rey schools nationwide.
Read more about the Passionists’ history with Cristo Rey Birmingham.
