By Jay Sorgi • Posted July 14, 2026

The path that has led Sister of Mercy Danielle Gagnon to her new role as president of West Catholic Preparatory School has been, in her words, “God’s hand at work.”

Sister Danielle, who became the school’s new president on June 15, succeeds Andrew Brady, a 2002 West Catholic alumnus, who recently joined the Connelly Foundation as Senior Program Officer for Access and Opportunity.

“I will work endlessly so that students have all of the opportunities that they can possibly have available to them, that they can have the fullness of life that God desires for them,” Sister Gagnon said.

“That means providing as many opportunities academically … socially, athletically as possible so that they have choices. When they graduate from West Catholic Prep, they know that they are prepared for what comes next and that they are grounded in what they experienced here.”

Her own life experience represents a diverse vocation in education, leadership, and faith-filled service.

Her early education was formed by the Dominican Sisters in Lowell, Massachusetts, and later by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in high school.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in humanities from Harvard University, she earned her master’s in Christian Spirituality from Jesuit-run Fordham University.

Her 25-year education career includes service with the Augustinian Fathers at Malvern Preparatory School and with the Sisters of Mercy at Merion Mercy Academy through her tenure as their Director of Mission, Ministry, and Belonging, followed by her service as Assistant Head of School for Mission Integration.

She also served in leadership positions in social service and educational organizations as well as at Cranaleith Spiritual Center in Philadelphia.

That’s all in addition to her seven years of formation with the Sisters of Mercy, entering in 2012 and making her final vows in 2019.

The specific charisms of all those religious congregations formed Sister Danielle into the woman she is today as she begins her service to West Catholic Prep in the model of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the charism of their founder, St. John Baptist de la Salle.

“Being able to understand and live out of all of those charisms that have helped shape who I am and what I bring to a school community, it is really so deeply connected to my own formation since childhood,” she said.

“Now, to be able to be in a school with a Lasallian charism, which I think is so incredibly compatible with the Sisters of Mercy charism in terms of education and care for the poor, it’s a gift to be able to serve at West Catholic Prep.”

Sister Gagnon has already started serving the school teaching theology and supporting students who need extra help in her role as Director of Student Success, a role created this past winter.

She said the joy and laughter in the classroom, the relationships she built with students who would simply stop by to say hello, all confirmed that she belonged there.

“They know that the adults in the building care about them,” she said. “They really seek to build that relationship when they know that they’re cared for.”

Her new role will link her sense of care with all her professional nonprofit and educational experience as she fosters relationships with the alumni and other supporters that form the heart of West Catholic.

She hopes those relationships will help West Catholic bring the latest in educational resources to support the school’s high-quality college preparatory education.

“I felt like West Catholic Prep was home for me, and that the people here are family,” she said, reflecting on her past six months at the school. “It’s that intangible experience that you have to be here to feel. It almost transcends explanation.”

Perhaps part of that explanation includes the school’s commitment to inclusion of young people of every race and background.

Sister Gagnon emphasizes how each person is created in the image and likeness of God, and she is prepared to care and love for the students, faculty and administration in a way that serves everyone with equal respect.

“That is exactly who I am called to be, not only as a Sister of Mercy, but as a Catholic, to have a respect and a reverence for the dignity of every human and recognize the image of God in each person before me,” she said.

Sister Gagnon describes her ultimate vision for West Catholic Prep as one that encourages everyone to encounter Christ in their life.

“It’s the Gospel of John: ‘I came that you should have life and have it to the full.’ That is what God wants for us,” she said.

“We are completely committed to our Catholic Lasallian tradition, so eager to educate this generation of students in West Philadelphia.”