This week marked the start of a new school year for students at both Cristo Rey Birmingham and Holy Family Catholic Academy Birmingham, Alabama.
The connection between these two schools stretches back more than 80 years.
A Shared History in Ensley
When the Passionists came to Ensley in the 1940s, they didn’t just build a high school. They built an elementary school too, laying the foundation for an educational mission that continues in both schools today.
For generations, Holy Family Elementary School was the beginning of an educational journey that many students continued at Holy Family High School: the same mission, the same community and the same belief that every child deserves an excellent, faith-filled education.
Today, Holy Family Catholic Academy serves students in Pre-K through 3rd grade, with plans to expand to additional grade levels in the coming years. As the only parochial, accredited elementary school in Birmingham, HFCA continues to play a unique and vital role in the Ensley community.
A New Chapter Together
This school year also brings a new chapter in the relationship between the two schools. Through Cristo Rey Birmingham‘s Corporate Work Study Program, Cristo Rey students will serve as teachers’ aides at Holy Family Catholic Academy, giving them the opportunity to invest in the next generation of learners in the same Ensley community where we began this educational mission more than 80 years ago.
Dr. Anjel Edwards, Principal, Fr. Phil Paxton, CP
There is even more to celebrate at HFCA. State Senator Linda Coleman-Madison recently presented the school with a $20,000 District 20 Community Service Grant to support its PreK-4 program, a wonderful recognition of the vital role Holy Family Catholic Academy continues to play in the Ensley community.
Two schools. One shared history. One enduring mission.
The Passionists founded both schools. Both are still here. Both are still serving Birmingham’s families. That is not a coincidence. It is a mission that continues with every new school year and every new generation of students who walks through their doors.
Wishing the students, families, faculty and staff of Cristo Rey Birmingham and Holy Family Catholic Academy a wonderful school year!
