Sister Mary Grace Walsh, ASCJ, Ph.D. will become the new Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of New York, succeeding Michael J. Deegan, at the end of the current academic year, after decades of service to Catholic education, Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced in a letter to archdiocesan and Catholic school staff, and to the people of the archdiocese, on Monday.
In his letter, Cardinal Dolan noted that the choice was made “after an extensive search process, wide consultation, and much prayer.” “Sister Mary Grace is no stranger to the Archdiocese of New York. A member of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a religious congregation of women with a particular devotion to education, she has served in the archdiocese as both a teacher and principal in our Catholic schools, as well as receiving a Ph.D. in Educational Administration/Church Leadership from Fordham University,” Cardinal Dolan wrote.
Sister Mary Grace has also served as Provost for Education, Evangelization, and Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Hartford, and prior to that as Superintendent of Schools and Secretary of Education and Faith Formation for the Diocese of Bridgeport. Currently, Sister Mary Grace is President of Cor Jesu Academy in Saint Louis, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Catholic Educational Association, and a Trustee of Foundations in Education. She is a Provincial Councilor for her religious community and serves as a director on all of their corporate boards.
The appointment comes at an important time for Catholic education in the archdiocese.
“It’s no secret that our Catholic schools have faced tremendous challenges in recent years. It was just a few weeks ago that we announced the sad news that 12 of our excellent schools would cease operating after this school year. We’ve been fortunate to have Mike Deegan as the Superintendent of Schools to help us meet those challenges, and his upcoming retirement – which he delayed, at my request, for several years – would have left me anxious about our future had we not been able to find an educator of the quality of Sister Mary Grace Walsh to succeed him. She has already shared with me that she looks forward to serving in this archdiocese,” Cardinal Dolan added.
Sister Mary Grace said she is looking forward “to working with the priests and pastors, the many dedicated teachers, principals, and staff in the schools, the benefactors who do so much to keep them running, and, most especially, the parents and students, all to give our young people an outstanding academic and spiritual formation, and a future full of hope.”
Outgoing Superintendent Michael J. Deegan has served the Church in Catholic education for almost 40 years. He has taught at every level from elementary school through college and was a Catholic school principal for 20 years. In 2004, Edward Cardinal Egan, Archbishop of New York, appointed Mr. Deegan Director of Inner City Schools to work with the 122 elementary and secondary inner-city schools of the Archdiocese.
Deegan was appointed Superintendent of Schools in September 2019, after having served as Interim Superintendent since April 2019, and as Deputy Superintendent of Schools since 2013. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Compassionate Educator Award, the John J. Bruno Catholic Service Award, and is the Brother Edmund Rice-Christian Brothers of North America Centenary Partner Honoree.