Josephinum Academy

Josephinum Academy
A Catholic, College-Preparatory High School for Girls Located in the Heart of Chicago
Address
1501 North Oakley Boulevard Chicago, Illinois 60622 United States
Coordinates
Information
Type	Private
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Established	1890
Founder	Sisters of Christian Charity
Oversight	Archdiocese of Chicago
School code	140-910
President	Michael Dougherty
Principal	Julie Raino
Grades	9–12
Gender	all-female
Enrollment	200
Average class size	20
Color(s)	Purple and grey
Athletics conference	Girls Catholic Athletic Conference
Sports	Basketball, Soccer, Softball, and Volleyball
Mascot	Cougars
Nickname	"The Jo"
Publication	The Conversation Piece
Affiliation	Sacred Heart Network of Schools
Website	www.josephinum.org

Josephinum Academy is a private, Roman Catholic, all-girls high school in Chicago, Illinois. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.

History

In September of 1886, Mother Philomena Schmittdiel, superior of the North American Province of the Sisters of Christian Charity, buried a small statue of St. Joseph in an empty field across the street from St. Aloysius Church. This was the symbol of her intention to buy the property on Oakley Boulevard and build a school for girls that she would call St. Joseph’s Academy. When the building opened to students in September, 1890, a single Latin word, “Josephinum,” which roughly translates as “the house of Joseph,” was carved above the entrance portico.

The name was embraced, and the school was called “Josephinum Academy” until 1923 when Cardinal Mundelein made Josephinum a regional Catholic High School and renamed it "Josephinum High School." The school then readopted the name "Josephinum Academy" in 2000 with the introduction of a middle school, which has since been phased out. Meanwhile, generations of Josephinum students have passed down an affectionate nickname for the school: “The Jo.”

After the Religious of the Sacred Heart assumed the educational direction of Josephinum Academy, with the blessing of the Sisters of Christian Charity, the Network of Sacred Heart Schools promoted Josephinum to full membership on April 11, 2011. The strong partnership between the Sisters of Christian Charity and the Society of the Sacred Heart that harkens back to the orders’ founders, Pauline von Mallinckrodt and Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, lives on through the orders’ collaboration at Josephinum.

Notable alumnae

• Sandra Cisneros, author (The House on Mango Street)

External links

• School Website