John Petruzzelli’s plans to take a break from Catholic training didn’t fairly work out.
The previous Bethlehem Catholic Excessive College principal was going to take a number of months off after stepping down as head of Kolbe Academy, the nation’s first Catholic restoration highschool for college students with alcohol and drug issues.
His break didn’t final lengthy. St. Elizabeth Excessive College got here calling. Petruzzelli has been named the brand new principal of the Benedictine faculty in Wilmington, Delaware. The previous BeCa Golden Hawk is turning into a St. Elizabeth Viking, once more.
Petruzzelli has served the varsity earlier than as a trainer and head of admissions.
Domestically, he was principal at Bethlehem Catholic from 2010 to 2017 earlier than leaving for St. Joseph’s Preparatory College in Philadelphia. He returned to the Lehigh Valley in 2018 to create Kolbe Academy in Bethlehem. The Diocese of Allentown’s restoration faculty is now transferring to Tub.
At Bethlehem Catholic, “Mr. P” was recognized for his enthusiasm and for being current at many faculty occasions.
“So I by no means noticed this coming,” Petruzzelli stated on social media concerning the St. Elizabeth job. “After deciding to step down from Kolbe I deliberate to take a number of months off and recharge the batteries. However God intervened.”
“His ardour lies in cultivating future leaders inside his colleges,” in response to a press release from St. Elizabeth. The Catholic faculty serves college students in pre-school via elementary and highschool. St. Elizabeth has about 430 college students complete, in response to its web site. The highschool has about 200 college students.
St. Elizabeth is co-educational and personal, “rooted within the Benedictine custom of hospitality, service & humility, prayer & work, and stability,” in response to its web site.
The Order of St. Benedict is a non secular order throughout the Catholic church that fosters a way of group and a love of studying.
Petruzzelli stated in his social media submit that he’s wanting to rejoin the St. Elizabeth College for the subsequent yr. He additionally commented on how his plans had been outdated by the next energy.
“Man plans and God laughs,” he wrote, citing a Yiddish proverb.