On Wednesday, September 24, 2025, Mercy High School will kick off its 65th anniversary year with a 9 a.m. mass on the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy (also known as Mercy Day) celebrated by The Most Reverend Archbishop William E. Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore.
Wednesday’s mass will be followed at 11 a.m. by the 61st ring ceremony honoring the 116 senior members of the Class of 2026 who will receive their traditional gold and garnet school rings. Twenty seniors are part of legacy families, having a mother or grandmother who graduated from Mercy. Five seniors are “triple legacies,” having both a mother and grandmother who graduated from Mercy.
Mercy High School will also be celebrating this milestone anniversary in several ways throughout the year. The next event is the school’s Open House on October 18, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., featuring a birthday party for prospective students and their families.
Mercy President Mary Beth Lennon, a 1985 graduate, noted, “As we celebrate our 65th anniversary, we are honored to carry forward the rich tradition of Mercy education that began in Baltimore in 1855. The Sisters of Mercy are known worldwide for their expertise in the education of young people, especially girls. Our dedicated faculty and staff are proud to form the next generation of Women of Mercy.”
Mercy High School opened on September 26, 1960, in response to then-Archbishop Francis P. Keough’s request to Sister Stella Maris Bergin, RSM, provincial of the Baltimore Province of the Sisters of Mercy. Recognizing the large numbers of Catholic girls enrolled in archdiocesan parish schools in the 1950s, Keough asked the Sisters of Mercy to open a large, centrally located high school.
On September 26, 1960, the first Monday after Mercy Day, Mercy High School opened its doors to 315 freshmen in Mercy’s first class, the Class of 1964. Since 1963, Mercy Day at Mercy High School includes a liturgical celebration followed by the Ring Ceremony, in which each senior receives the traditional school ring.
About Mercy High School
Sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy High School is a private, Catholic, college preparatory school for girls in grades 9-12. An International Baccalaureate World School, Mercy provides its students with rigorous academics, enabling them to form habits of lifelong inquiry, critical thinking, and courageous action in a global society. This year, 445 Mercy Girls travel from 69 zip codes every day to take advantage of an excellent Mercy education. Founded in 1960, Mercy has more than 8,000 Mercy alumnae who are leaders in Baltimore and beyond.
