Cardinal Timothy Dolan lauded Mount Saint Michael Academy for 100 years of Catholic education as he celebrated a centennial Mass on Sept. 29 for current students, faculty, and staff, along with about 250 alumni and their families. 

Calling the school “the pride of the Bronx,” Cardinal Dolan noted that the Mass was celebrated on the feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the archangels. St. Michael is the school’s patron saint. 

“Everywhere I go throughout the archdiocese, I see the sons of St. Michael’s, and they are proud of their school. I see them as dads and husbands. I see them as teachers, cops, and firefighters. I see them as nurses and health care professionals. I see them as truck drivers. I see your alumni all over the place. What they’ll say to me is, ‘Cardinal Dolan, I’m an alumnus of Mount St. Michael, and I wouldn’t trade my years there for anything.’ You’ve got a great place here,” he said. 

Staff, students, alumni concelebrate in historic gym 

Concelebrating with Cardinal Dolan were distinguished alumni, including Bishop Dennis Sullivan, who recently retired as Bishop of Camden, N.J.; Msgr. Joseph LaMorte, who retired as vicar general of the Archdiocese of New York; and his cousin, Fr. Richard LaMorte, as well as Fr. Steven Gonzalez, a more recent Mount St. Michael graduate. 

The Mass was celebrated in the school’s gymnasium, a showcase of Mount St. Michael’s history and the largest in New York City. Championship banners for baseball, basketball, bowling, and football hang on its walls, with banners honoring Marist Brothers, administrators, and faculty who made the greatest impact on the school, located in the Wakefield section of the Bronx. Flanking the stage on which the Mass was celebrated were signs reminding all of Marist pillars, including penance, simplicity, family, the way of Mary, and love of work. 

Students and many teachers wore the academy’s signature blue and yellow ties for the occasion. 

After Mass, Clare Brewster, principal of Mount Saint Michael since July 2025, talked about the school’s 100 years of history and its future. “I think the only way forward is by remembering where you come from, so I think that we have such a beautiful tradition here at the Mount of faith, of excellence, of brotherhood, that we need to remember what that is, and build a platform for a student body that looks future-driven.” 

Alumni recall the brothers’ influence 

Among the alumni attending was Kevin Corcoran, originally from the Bronx, who came from New Jersey for the event. “The brothers emphasized a combination of academics and athletics. It’s important not only to know what to do, but also to have the strength to do it,” he said. “The academics were excellent, and they gave me the discipline necessary to achieve success.” 

Msgr. LaMorte grew up across the street from the school, in a yellow house still clearly visible from the school’s north entrance. “I remember the brothers, and I remember the education I got here,” he said. “I spent a lot of my after-school hours here. I would go home, change my clothes, and come back.” 

Founded in 1926 and still administered by the Marist Brothers, Mount Saint Michael Academy serves more than 700 students in grades 6-12.