The Father Judge High School community gathered on Sept. 25 in the Bill Fox Gym to celebrate the formal installation of Jim Meredith, class of 1992, as school president.
The Mass was celebrated by the Rev. Jack Kolodziej, OSFS, Provincial of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales and Director of Salesian Mission and Identity at Father Judge. The Rev. Joe Campellone, a former Judge president, delivered the homily.
Among others joining in the celebration of the Mass were the Rev. Ed Rauch, Judge’s first president; the Rev. James Dalton, a 1962 Judge graduate who served as the school’s principal and interim president; the Rev. James MacNew, a 1969 Judge graduate; the Rev. Phil Bochanski, pastor at St. Christopher; the Rev. Joseph Maloney, pastor at Maternity BVM; and the Rev. Patrick Welsh, pastor at St. Matthew.
Father Judge students took part in the Mass, with senior Roland Clough leading the Direction of Intention prayer and student body president Christian Dorman doing the first reading.
Taking part in the installation were Bill St. Clair, chairman of the Friends of Father Judge; Charles Seravalli, chairman of Judge’s Board of Specified Jurisdiction; and Jay DeFruscio, chief operating officer of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Office of Catholic Education.
“We are really happy to have Jim Meredith here as president,” St. Clair said.
Campellone presented Meredith with a statue of St. Francis de Sales.
Charlie Huckel, Judge development director and class of ‘66, presented the new school president with a copy of the Judge yearbook from 1957, when the first class graduated.
Meredith also received the school shield and a St. Francis de Sales medal.
State Sen. Joe Picozzi presented Meredith with a citation.
St. Hubert president Lizanne Pando and principal Gina MacKenzie attended the Mass.
Meredith has been on the job since Aug. 17. Campellone had been serving as interim president for the last year. The last permanent president, Brian King, in February moved to a job with the archdiocese as Director of Strategic Initiatives for Secondary Schools and Schools of Special Education.
In his education career, Meredith taught at St. Katherine of Siena, Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast before moving to Archbishop Ryan.
Meredith was at Ryan from 2001-15, serving as a teacher and administrator, then principal from 2013-15.
In 2015, he became principal at Pope John Paul II, staying for two years.
From 2017-18, he worked for the archdiocese as Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools.
Meredith was principal at Nazareth Academy High School from 2018-23.
In 2023, he left Nazareth to become principal at Lansdale Catholic, staying for three years until accepting the job as Judge’s president.
Meredith is married with five daughters. ••
