The Roman Catholic High School of Philadelphia

This photo caught my attention: a high school sports team -- basketball, soccer, or lacross, it's hard to tell -- photographed on the roof, with one of its members inexplicably shirtless.

The caption tells us that these are "Bowling Champs," from the home page of Roman Catholic High School, a private boys' school in Philadelphia.

97% of the 1.2 billion Catholics in the world are "Roman," following the Latin tradition and recognizing the supremacy of the Roman Pope.  So a high school "Roman Catholic" strikes me as singularly uninformative, unless it's surrounded by Polish, Byzantine, Melkite, Armenian, Coptic, and Russian Catholic high schools.



Actually, it's in downtown Philadelphia, a nondescript building on the corner of Broad and Vine, with the 676 Highway zooming across the street, and nothing much around except a rescue mission, a U-Haul, and an auto garage.

A singularly uninspiring location, and completely anonymous.  I lived 10 blocks away, and never knew that it was there.

So why "Roman Catholic" instead of Bishop somebody, Saint somebody, Immaculate Conception, Blessed Sacrament, or Mater Dei.  And that's just off the top of my head, and I'm not even Catholic.

According to the website, in 1890 there were no Diocesan high schools in Philadelphia, just expensive private schools that working-class Catholics couldn't afford.  So they opened the "Roman Catholic" high school.

I'm not sure that explains much.  The school has been suffering from decreased enrollments for years, because not everyone wants to drive their son 20 miles every day to a building next to a rescue mission.  But what it lacks in location, ambience, and creativity, it makes up for in working class athletes.

It's one of the few high schools in the country with a rowing team.





Plus a swim team.  I don't know why they're wearing crowns and leis.  Or why girls are with them.



















Plus wrestlers.
















Some with their shirts off.













And miscellaneous muscular Catholics.

Roman Catholics, that is.