BROTHER CELESTINE ALGERO, S.C. 1931-2023

May 15, 2023

By The Catholic Week
Brother Celestine Algero, S.C., a longtime educator who supervisor of instruction at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School and also as chair of the Education Department at Spring Hill College, died May 1 at St. Joseph Hospice in River Ridge, La., at the age of 91.
Brother Celestine and Brother Paul Mulligan were the final two Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Mobile until they relocated last year. The Brothers of the Sacred Heart had been in Mobile for 175 years and Brother Celestine ministered at McGill-Toolen from 2010-2022.
A New Orleans native, Brother Celestine joined the Brothers of the Sacred Heart as a prenovice in Metuchen, N.J., on Dec. 10, 1950, and became a novice there on August 14, 1951. He professed his first vows on Aug. 15, 1952, in Metuchen, and later made his perpetual profession at the Brothers’ chapel at Saint Stanislaus in Bay St. Louis, Miss., on June 13, 1958. Brother Celestine earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Education and Spanish from Spring Hill College in Mobile in 1958; a master’s degree in Administration and Supervision from Loyola University in New Orleans in 1962; and a doctorate in the Psychology of Reading from Temple University in Philadelphia in 1975.
Brother Celestine had a distinguished career in the field of education which spanned 68 years. He served as a high school teacher, assistant principal, supervisor of instruction, principal and president at several Brothers’ schools. Along with McGill-Toolen, he served at Saint Stanislaus in Bay St. Louis, Cor Jesu High School and Brother Martin High School in New Orleans.
Seeking to further contribute to the educational conversation, Brother Celestine became a consultant at the local, regional and national levels, offering his advice and insights to many schools, dioceses, and archdioceses, as well as to such accrediting agencies as the NCEA, the SACS and AdvancED.
Until his final illness in March 2023, this passionate educator was working with new faculty members at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, La., at 91 years of age!
Brother Celestine was preceded in death by his parents, five of his six siblings, including, his sister Elva (Leo) Jewanis; Michael Algero; Kermit (Josephine) Algero; and Claudette Algero. He is survived by his sister, Donna McKeel (J. Thomas), and numerous nieces and nephews. The consummate teacher, Brother Celestine donated his body for the furthering of science. So, there will be no funeral at this time. However, a Memorial Mass and dinner celebrating Brother Celestine’s life and ministry will be held this summer. Donations in honor of Brother Celestine’s memory can be made to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart Foundation (4600 Elysian Fields Ave., New Orleans, LA 70122).