Father Leo J. Letterhouse was a native of Bally who was ordained in 1915.  After 10 years of service to St. Paul's Catholic Church in Reading, he came to St. Phillip Neri 

Rev. Leo J. Letterhouse

            Church in 1925.  There were no Catholic schools in the area at that time.  As the community grew, the need expanded.  For 26 years, Rev. Letterhouse nurtured the dream of starting a school that would serve the children in the area of the St. Phillip Neri parish.  During that period he championed the project within the church and the community.  Along the way, he gained the respect of all. 

            In 1951, he founded a convent and school staffed by teachers from the Sisters of Mercy in Merion.  His dream came to fruition on Sept. 5 of that year when 87 youngsters walked into the recently built school at Sixth and Washington streets in East Greenville.

            The new building was in two wings.  The school wing was 60'x60'.  Attached to that was a convent structure where the sisters who would teach the first eight grades made their headquarters.

            Ground was broken for the new school in 1950 and the cost to construct it was $90,000.  The school had four classrooms, an office, a health room, and a large basement that was used for a hall. 

Construction on the new school began in 1950 and cost $90,000.

            Half-day sessions were scheduled for the first week with full-day sessions scheduled for the following week.  Back then, pupils traveled to the school by commercial bus lines or by car. 

            The school served the community well until 2012.

            St. Philip Neri was one of 44 Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that closed or combined with other schools beginning in the 2012-13 school year. The closure came after a year-long study by a Blue Ribbon Commission that analyzed the sustainability of all schools within the archdiocese.

            Reverend Letterhouse served as a priest for 45 years, 36 of them at St. Philip Neri.  He passed away in December of 1961 at the rectory in East Greenville.

The completed school opened on September 5, 1951 and welcomed 87 students.

            It was written that the entire community mourned the death of Father Letterhouse.  Archbishop John J. Krol of the Philadelphia Archdiocese attended the services with 85 priests and celebrated a solemn pontifical Mass of the Requiem.