St. Agnes School in West Chester, Pennsylvania, recently celebrated its 150-year anniversary, and Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez was on hand to join in the festivities.

“Wow, 150 years! St. Agnes School, West Chester, celebrated a momentous occasion yesterday — its 150th Anniversary as a Parochial School!” Perez said on Twitter the next day.  “I was blessed & overjoyed to be a part of this celebration for St. Agnes school, the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary as well as present and past faculty, staff, administrators, and of course, school families, alumni, and friends!” 

Events included a special Mass, led by Perez, and a reception. Perez had previously served as the Pastor of St. Agnes Parish for a number of years before his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in 2012, the Daily Local News said in a report. 

St. Agnes Parochial School was established in 1872, during the tenure of Bishop John Neumann, the fourth bishop of Philadelphia. It has proudly upheld its tradition of providing quality Christian education, the report said. The school caters to students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and it has garnered national recognition, earning the esteemed distinction of being a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence not once, but twice, the paper added.

"I look back with great fondness and prayerful gratitude on my time as Pastor of St. Agnes Parish (2009-2012) prior to Pope Benedict XVI appointing me an Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in 2012," Perez said in another tweet. "In 1872, under the Episcopal leadership of Most Reverend James F. Wood, the fifth Bishop of Philadelphia and first Archbishop of Philadelphia, Reverend John J. Wall, and parishioners of St. Agnes Church, St. Agnes Parochial School was established. Archbishop Wood asked the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, whose motherhouse was located in West Chester to staff the school. he Sisters remain a graced presence in the parish community. St. Agnes, pray for us!”