Msgr. Martin to retire as president of Camden Catholic

Msgr. Andrew E. Martin will retire as president of Camden Catholic High School, Cherry Hill.

Bishop Joseph A. Galante has named him President Emeritus.

Msgr. Martin has served in several teaching and pastoral positions, including parochial vicar of Christ the King Church, Haddonfield, vice principal of Gloucester Catholic High School, Gloucester, and principal of St. James High School, Carneys Point, and Camden Catholic High School. He is the first president of Camden Catholic.

Msgr. Martin is a graduate of St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology from Gregorian University, Rome, Italy, and a master’s degree in administration from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.

He is chair of the Priest Personnel Board of the Diocese of Camden.

In a March 18 letter Jesuit Father Scott R. Pilarz, Chair of the Camden Catholic Board of Trustees, said Catholic education in our region “has no greater champion” than Msgr. Martin.”

Over the past 25 years, Father Pilarz said, Msgr. Martin helped the school emerge “as a strong institution that is unmatched in its success at preparing young people for college, a legacy that dates back to our founding in 1887. At the same time, we evolved into an educational community that is sustained through the commitment and service of lay faculty, staff and administrators.”

He listed the following as noteworthy accomplishments:

— pioneered the first president/principal model of high school governance in the Diocese of Camden;

— oversaw the introduction of computer technology into the management of the school and into its curriculum, including the development of two state-of-the art science laboratories;

— renovated the auditorium to include new stage lighting, sound equipment, and comfortable seating and the school gymnasium to include new bleachers;

— implemented the first internal, student-run television network and studio at a Diocesan high school; and

— opened the first home football field in our history, Shamrock Field, in 1998, installed field lights in 2002, making us the first Diocesan high school to host evening sporting events, and later installed new artificial turf.

“Msgr. Martin has helped to ensure that our students receive a quality Catholic education that develops character and leads to lives of distinction. Perhaps this is why our alumni reach out to him so often for weddings and baptisms and why alumni, parents and friends support Camden Catholic at unprecedented levels,” Father Pilarz said.

Msgr. Martin established the first Development Council at Camden Catholic High School, which began the first annual fund appeal in 1988-89 and established the first Development Office. Since 2000, the school has raised more than $2.5 million in annual gifts and an additional $1.2 million in commitments for capital projects.

“In the broader community, Msgr. Martin has always been a voice for the vibrant aspect of diversity in education. He reached out to traditional and new communities, working to ensure that Catholic education would remain accessible for hundreds of people during fiscally difficult times. He also provided leadership and insight as a member of statewide educational boards and Catholic institutions,” Father Pilarz said.

“Above all else,” he added, Msgr. Martin has given freely of himself out of a deep and palpable passion for Camden Catholic High School and our students and their families. His love for our school is rooted in his personal history and family, having attended St. Mary’s School, which was then attached to the original Camden Catholic High School at 7th and Federal streets in Camden. It is also rooted in his avid belief that the strength of Camden Catholic is, as it always has been, our students.