Golden Anniversary

MORRISTOWN  The 70-foot-high stone tower topped by a red roof in front of Villa Walsh Academy has long stood as a prominent and enduring landmark of the distinguished Catholic preparatory school for young women to passersby on Western Avenue here. Maybe the iconic structure, which predates the school, also symbolizes the prominence that its students take on in the classroom and around campus as well-rounded and confident young women, growing in faith, intellect and social skills, during their years of study.

Yet in a broader sense, the 100-year-old tower also might represent the prominence that the graduates of Villa Walsh, which has been celebrating its golden anniversary, take on once they leave for college and later for their involvement in their careers, families, parishes and communities. The 50-year-old Villa Walsh has been offering its young women, seventh to 12th grade, a rigorous and challenging curriculum and enriching extracurricular and faith activities to prepare them for college, as demonstrated by the fact that all attend four-year colleges and that the Class of 2017 received $6.8 million in scholarships and grants. Graduates have attended prestigious institutions and have pursued careers such as law, medicine, business, the culinary arts and fashion, said Filippini Sister Patricia Pompa, Villa Walsh’s principal.

“Villa Walsh super-prepared us for academics in college. It’s such as loving environment,” said Jennifer Allerot, class of 1990, who works in the finance office with Sister Doris Lavinthal, director, and is a parishioner at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel, Cedar Knolls. “My fellow graduates share about their children being enrolled in Catholic school or their baptisms, First Holy Communions or Confirmations. Some of them sent their daughters to Villa Walsh. We are rooted in religion. It’s a big part of our conversations —Jesus’ theology that is kind, compassionate and strong,” she said.

This year, Villa Walsh — which sits on 120 acres of a picturesque countryside and rugged mountain terrain — has been marking its 50th anniversary with activities that include current students and staff, alumnae and parents. On June 4, Bishop Serratelli celebrated an anniversary Mass in its chapel, following its commencement that graduated 55 young women in the Class of 2017. Also, the private Catholic school, operated by the Religious Teachers Filippini, held gala on June 23 with personal reflections and a musical performance by alumnae and current students, sisters and faculty and the display of historical memorabilia, Sister Patricia said.

The Middle States-accredited Villa Walsh, which opens for the 2017-18 academic year on Wednesday, Sept. 6, offers its students courses in theology, mathematics, the sciences, including computer science, humanities, social sciences and the fine arts. It also offers advanced-placement courses, honors sections, independent study and academic accommodation for gifted and musically talented students. The beautiful campus, with its 19th century administration building and sisters’ residence, along with a chapel, academic buildings, auditorium, assembly hall, music rooms and gym, mix old world charm with state-of-the-art facilities. They include science laboratories, computer rooms, resource centers and a wireless network. The academy also offers extracurricular activities and varied sports programs, Sister Patricia said.

“The young women grow academically in small classes with teachers, who are invested in working with them. From that, the girls become empowered, enabling them to work in a variety of careers,” said Sister Patricia, noting that students also develop longtime friendships. “The girls also grow spiritually. We, the Religious Teachers Filippini, follow the charism of our founder, St. Lucy Filippini, who championed Catholic education. We help form these girls — the future of the Church,” she said.

The Catholic faith influences the school day at Villa Walsh, starting with school-wide prayer before each class. The school holds retreats, Masses, prayer services, Eucharistic Adoration, Marian devotions, a May crowing and celebrations for St. Lucy’s birthday. All students participate in liturgies and other spiritual activities, Sister Patricia said.

“Faith keeps them rooted when times are challenging,” said Sister Patricia, who noted that many graduates seek to attend Catholic colleges, join Catholic Campus Ministry at their schools, serve their home parishes in a variety of ministries and return to the familiar campus to get married in Villa Walsh’s chapel.

The young women of Villa Walsh “are faithful and have a desire for God,” said Laura Williams, who teaches theology to sophomores and juniors. “The girls will be entering a tough world. It’s great that here, we can say the name of Jesus and talk about God,” said Williams, who praised the Filippini Sisters for their gifts as Catholic educators.

Here, the young women also live out that faith in service to others. Many of them join St. Lucy’s Angels, a group that visits infirmed Filippini Sisters, who live in St. Joseph Hall adjacent to the academy. Students have collected money and items for poor children and unwed mothers and made sandwiches for the homeless, among many other local outreaches. A few students have traveled on mission trips abroad, Sister Patricia said.

Villa Walsh’s history started when Bishop Thomas Walsh bought Tower Hill for $125,000. In 1930, the mansion here became Villa Lucia, the new motherhouse of the Filippinis in the U.S. and later was chartered as a secondary, music and normal school. The sisters constructed additional buildings for its expanding novitiate and later renamed the campus Villa Walsh to honor the bishop and its founder, Sister Ninetta Ionata. Villa Walsh Junior College, established in 1948, became Villa Walsh College in 1957 with the purpose of preparing sister-teachers. Two years after the establishment of Villa Walsh High School, the current Villa Walsh Academy opened on Sept. 17, 1967, according to the school’s history.

Senior Mary Bell, student council president, has considered the Villa Walsh community as family since she started here in seventh grade. “I’ve made countless lifelong relationships with fellow students and faculty,” Bell said. “It really is special to be able to grow closer to God, as we grow closer to each other. Villa Walsh is so much more than a great education; it’s a lifelong commitment to endless love and support. I know Villa Walsh has prepared me well for whatever I have coming my way.”

Another senior, Tessa Grabowski, student council vice president, said that Villa Walsh has “allowed me to grow as an intellectual and an individual. Villa Walsh is my home away from home. The sisters are welcoming and supportive of every girl who has walked the halls. The faculty and staff make every student feel important and do all that they can to help us become the best that we can be,” said Grabowski, who noted that students participate in a diversity of extracurricular activities, such as sports, theater, history club and math league, but share the “same love for our faith and our school. It can easily be seen with a simple walk through the halls that a spirit of joy and love exists within our own Villa Walsh.”

“We thank you for helping us shape our daughters, Lauren (’18), and Karin (’20) in faith, learning and excellence over the six years,” wrote Michael and Wendy Brett in a memory book for the golden anniversary, calling Villa Walsh “a nurturing and supportive community. We [both parents and daughters] thank you for the memories and friends we’ve already made [too many to list] and the ones still to be made that will become part of our lives forever.” [Information; (973) 538-3680 or

www.villawalsh.org.]