Around the same time Sister Mary Mercedes-Doorly R.S.M. (1884–1972), a Jamaican who was running the St Anthony's Academy, a Secondary School in Port Antonio, was forced to close the school due to financial difficulties. She left the parish of Portland along with her two assistants, Mrs. Erma Blackman (née Campbell) and Mrs. Cynthia Jacobs (née Hedman), determined to open a new secondary school in Spanish Town. St. Catherine High is a continuation and solidification of Sr. Mercedes’ mission, starting with St. Anthony’s Academy, which she had established in 1921.