Malden, MA – On May 9, Malden Catholic (MC) broke ground on a state-of-the-art academic and athletic facility located across the street from MC at 50 Crystal Street.
MC is partnering with Timberline Construction and Scalora Consulting Group on the expansion project, which will introduce a 7th and 8th grade program, tentatively scheduled to open for students in September 2025. MC will accept 100 students in its 7th grade and 100 students in its 8th grade.
President John Thornburg made the announcement during MC’s 18th Annual Gala Celebration on April 6, unveiling the launch of the capital campaign, Our Essential Future – A Campaign for Malden Catholic. “In addition to expanding and modernizing our campus, we are advancing our mission by extending the Xaverian Brothers’ educational experience to 7th and 8th grade students. This expansion will lay a strong foundation, facilitating the transition into MC’s college-preparatory high school program,” said Thornburg. “When I accepted this position at Malden Catholic five years ago, I was excited about our growth potential due to our unique codivisional model and the board’s decision to invest in a 1.6-acre property across the street. This announcement marks the next major phase in realizing our vision to grow our remarkable school. As we embark on this next chapter in the MC story, we are grateful to our many supporters, including our dear friend, mentor, and generous benefactor, the late Joe O’Donnell (’62), who served as co-chair of the campaign before his passing in January 2024.”
The 70,000sf building will include cutting-edge classrooms and lab spaces, a dining hall, and modern office facilities to support administrative needs and student services. The athletic facility will include a 30,000sf indoor turf field, a 6,000sf basketball court, a wellness center and weight room. The Biomedical Engineering lab will facilitate the addition of more biomedical classes within MC’s Project Lead the Way Program. Dedicated classrooms for Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy will also be added to expand the growth of MC’s business program.
The capital campaign, Our Essential Future – A Campaign for Malden Catholic, has a goal of $40 million, which will serve to fund construction at 50 Crystal Street and increase scholarship support for students. Jim and Bev Donovan, long-time benefactors to the school, have provided a $5 million lead gift to the campaign. Jim, who served for over 20 years as a trustee at MC, including the last 10 years as board chair, will now serve as co-chair of the campaign.
