In the 1850s, St. John Neumann revolutionized Catholic education in the United States by founding the first diocesan Catholic school system in Philadelphia. In 2003, almost 170 years later, the Regina Academies were founded and have reignited St. John Neumann’s legacy in Philadelphia by becoming a leader in the nation-wide return to Catholic classical education.
In response to the growing concern over how many young people were leaving the Church, and also the national decline in Catholic education in the United States, Barbara and Paul Henkels opened Regina Coeli Academy in Wyndmoor, PA in 2003.
The school opened as an independent Catholic school and with the blessing of the Archbishop of Philadelphia.
The Henkel’s desire was to provide a rigorous Catholic education firmly rooted in the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, and a curriculum designed to strengthen students in wisdom and virtue. They wanted to introduce students to their proud intellectual and spiritual heritage as Catholics. A heritage that has developed over the last 2,000 years.
The Henkels never imagined that the demand for a Catholic classical education would continue to grow resulting in the addition of 4 more schools over the next 13 years. Word of the Regina Academies has spread, and inquiries often come to us from Catholics around the United States who are interested in starting a Catholic liberal arts academy in their own community.
The Regina Academies are founded on the classical liberal arts model of coming to know God as he is revealed in scripture and the Traditions of the Church, and in the natural world.
These sources of learning in a school that values the synthesis of faith and reason help students come to understand their place in the scope of salvation history, which is inseparably linked with the history of the world.
Students come to know themselves as God’s unique and treasured creation. They know they are loved and are therefore free to love in return.
Visit the websites of each of our schools by clicking on the links above and discover the amazing Catholic, classical education each of our schools is providing. The joy of learning, faith, and friendship shines forth from every page.