May 29, 2007

The Most Rev. Edward P. Cullen, D.D., Bishop of Allentown, has appointed two school presidents and two new principals.

He appointed an alumnus of Holy Name High School, Reading as the school's new president.

The Rev. John A. Frink, 46, graduated from Holy Name in 1979. He was born in Great Neck, N.Y. and raised in Berks County. He was ordained a priest in 1987.

The first 11 years of his priesthood were spent in parish ministry at churches in Allentown, Bethlehem, Mahanoy City and Emmaus. Fr. Frink was a professor and director of spiritual activities at Allentown Central Catholic High School 1998-2002.

He was pastor of two parishes in Ashland 2002-06 and spent the past year as the Catholic campus minister at Albright College, Reading and Kutztown University.

Under the president/principal model, the president is the chief administrator responsible for the vision, Catholic identity and direction of the school, and the principal is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school.

At Holy Name Keith S. Laser, principal since 2003, is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school.

Fr. Frink succeeds the Rev. Robert T. Finlan, whom Bishop Cullen has named president of Bethlehem Catholic High School. Bethlehem Catholic is the fifth school in the diocese to employ this leadership model.

Fr. Finlan, 38, was born in Ashland and ordained a priest in 1994. After two years in a parish assignment, he was a professor at Holy Name 1996-2000 and principal at Cardinal Brennan High School, Ashland 2000-03. Since 2003 he has been president at Holy Name.

To join Fr. Finlan on the leadership team at Bethlehem Catholic the bishop has appointed Michael S. Reese as the school's new principal.

Reese, 42, comes to Bethlehem Catholic from Cardinal Brennan, where he has been a theology teacher, dean of students since 2005 and director of campus ministry since 2002.

Reese has also been principal at Bishop Hafey High School, Hazleton and Bishop Neumann High School, Williamsport. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Scranton.

Bishop Cullen has also appointed a new principal at Allentown Central Catholic High School. She is ACCHS graduate Yvonne G. McCarthy, 48, currently the director of studies and a Spanish teacher at the school.

McCarthy has been at ACCHS since 2001. She also taught Spanish at two other high schools; taught eighth grade at the former Holy Child School, Fountain Hill; was an associate dean at Phillips Junior College, New Orleans; and was an executive at a family-owned clothing distribution company. She has bachelor's and master's degrees from Lehigh University, Bethlehem.

McCarthy joins the Rev. Scott R. Ardinger, president since 2006, on the leadership team at ACCHS.

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