There are two men whose names are familiar to us. Though most know nothing about them, their lives are worth remembering. 
Luigi Guanella was born in Italy in 1842 and entered the seminary at age 12. Ordained in 1866, he earned the honorific title of “Don.” One of his first assignments was the care of homeless children. That led him to his calling – ministering to boys and girls “abandoned and rejected by society because of their physical and mental disabilities.” Over his life, he gathered in his arms these “good children,” and fought to have their lives valued, and for their proper housing and education. He founded the Servants of Charity for like-minded priests to care for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through his efforts, specialized residential schools were opened in Italy for his “good children.” He toured the United States, spreading his personal gospel, and on his return, he sent members of the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence to Chicago to work with girls with intellectual disabilities. Luigi Guanella died in 1915, but his ideas lived on. He was proclaimed a Saint in 2011.
John Francis O’Hara was born in Michigan in 1888, raised in Indiana, and then Uruguay, and became fluent in Spanish while studying at the Catholic University there. Returning to the U.S., he studied at Notre Dame University, and then did graduate work at Holy Cross, Catholic University and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Rising through the ranks of Catholic education, he served as President of his alma mater, Notre Dame, where he enlarged their graduate programs and added campus buildings. In 1945, he was named Bishop of Buffalo, and in that role expanded Catholic education in the city, and eliminated racial segregation in local schools and churches. He returned to Philadelphia in 1951, was elevated to Archbishop, and continued his commitment to education, opening 61 new schools. In 1958, named a Cardinal, he invited the Servants of Charity to open a new residential school for people with intellectual disabilities. The Don Guanella School was opened in Marple in 1960, housing 250 boys, with dormitories, classrooms, a gym, various shops, a dining room and a chapel.
John O’Hara died in 1960 shortly before the school was opened. Three years later, a new high school was built adjacent to Don Guanella School. Its name? Cardinal O’Hara High School.
For more on the history of Marple, visit the Marple Historical Society website and Facebook page, and join the Society to keep up to date on coming events: www.MarpleHistoricalSociety.org
