James I. Hozier, the new president of Camden Catholic High School, believes Catholic schooling serves to nurture students into whom God calls them to be.
“Catholic schools have high expectations for academics and behavior, and encourage students to grow and be nurtured into the best version of themselves,” he said.
Hozier, a native of Burlington County, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2012 from Delaware Valley College, Doylestown, Pa., and a master’s degree in molecular biology from Rutgers University-Camden two years later. In 2020, he earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration with principal certification from Gwynedd Mercy University, Pa., while working in the science department of New Hope Academy, Yardley, Pa. In 2018, Hozier was named assistant principal for academic affairs and academic dean at Father Judge High School, Philadelphia, then its 12th principal in 2022.
A product of New Jersey’s public school system, Hozier’s faith was reawakened as an adult.
“I was Catholic on my father’s side and realized God had a plan for me,” he said. “I spent time with my wife and her family, and I received my sacraments at the 2023 Easter Vigil Mass. My father-in-law was my sponsor.”
Hozier and his wife, Tara, have been married for four years and have a 2-1/2-year-old son and a six-month-old daughter, who was recently baptized at their home parish of Saint Charles Borromeo in Sicklerville.
Hozier’s aim is to ensure all know the benefits of a Camden Catholic education. “We need to put out there the things we do really well – our robotics teams made the nationals last year, we are the first Catholic school to have a girls flag football team, and our theater department, even through COVID, has operated without stopping for more than 100 years,” he said proudly.
The new school president also plans to continue modernizing the school’s technology and make overall improvements to the physical campus. Hozier stated, “We need to make sure our community understands what we offer our families, and why they need their students with us.”
“Students can learn subjects they enjoy, and explore all the things they don’t like. By the time the student [graduates], they’ve had so many opportunities to figure out who they are,” he continued.
Furthermore, a Catholic school environment enables students to grow in their understanding of God’s teachings. “With some students, the only time they might go to Mass is at school,” Hozier said. “Their encounter with God is through school.”
“In some families, parents are working two or three jobs to keep them [enrolled] and are unable to go to Mass together. We owe them this opportunity,” he concluded.
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