Located in Morrell Park neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia, Christ the King School is situated on property once owned by the Drexel/Morrell family as part of their summer estate.
Christ the King Parish, located at Morrell Avenue and Chesterfield Road, came into existence on June 17, 1963. Rev. Arthur Woods was its founding pastor. Groundbreaking ceremonies took place on September 13, 1964. Christ the King School opened for its first session on September 13, 1965. The dedication of the parish buildings and first Confirmation took place on May 15, 1966. Archbishop John Krol officiated.
From its inception, Christ the King School was comprised of a lay and religious faculty. The Sisters of St. Joseph have staffed the school since 1965. Rev. Robert J. McGee took over as pastor in May of 1970 and was followed by Rev. Henry Birkhead in 1984 as Parish Administrator and as pastor in 1987. Rev. James Callahan has been the pastor since 2002.
In 2015, Christ the King School celebrated its 50th Anniversary. It was an exciting, year-long celebration capped by the arrival of Pope Francis in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families at the end of September that year.
As we approach our 60th anniversary, we pray that God blesses our mission to spread the Gospel message to the children entrusted to our care. There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of students who have left our school with the tools they needed to be successful in this world. We now look to the future, ready to embrace the achievements and challenges ahead as we continue to prepare our students to be positive and productive citizens.