Diocese to close two (more) schools
Posted by Raphael on May 6, 2009
In the aftermath of massive school closures and consolidations, the Diocese of Scranton has quietly announced that two more schools will close at the end of the academic year. St. Aloysius Elementary in South Wilkes-Barre and Sts. Peter and Paul School in Plains will not reopen in September.
WBRE first reported the news last evening, but as of this morning, no official notice has appeared on the diocesan website. Teachers were informed at a faculty meeting yesterday afternoon. The closing of St. Aloysius and Sts. Peter and Paul brings to an end more than one hundred years of Catholic education in the Wilkes-Barre area. Moreover, the closures will leave only one Catholic elementary school in operation in the city of Wilkes-Barre.
In a recent televised message regarding the special second collections for the Diocesan Annual Appeal, Bishop Martino asks us to “imagine Catholic television going dark….” He goes on to stress the importance of parish religious education programs, the priestly retirement fund, etc. and urges all to give generously to the appeal. However, with news of more school closings just announced and massive parish closings just around the corner, the faithful have many questions. Many would agree that the priorities of the Diocese of Scranton are in need of serious reevaluation. The school consolidation process was supposed to strengthen and preserve Catholic education in our region. But since the first round of closings, three more elementary schools have closed. Furthermore, there is a serious problem in communication. Bishop Martino has made sure that the public was well aware of his displeasure with Senator Casey’s recent voting record. But has he taken the time to engage in open, honest, and compassionate dialogue with the teachers, students, and parishioners whose lives will be greatly affected by his decisions? We learned of the latest closures from a local television news outlet. As of this morning, no official notice has been posted on the diocesan website.
The implications of this story are huge. Before Bishop Martino’s school restructuring, there were four Catholic elementary schools in Wilkes-Barre, not including Sts. Peter and Paul’s in neighboring Plains Township. In all of Luzerne County, only eight Catholic elementary schools will remain for the 2009-2010 school year; only one of those schools, St. Nicholas/St. Mary’s, is located in the city of Wilkes-Barre. As a result, even more students will enter the public school system. Holy Redeemer High School will be adversely affected as it loses two more feeder schools.
The future of Catholic education in the Wyoming Valley looks bleak, but it is worth fighting for. We need to rethink our priorities, refocus our energy, and invest in the future of our churches and schools.
Elaine said
I’m sorry—did I miss something here???? I thought gennello said that unionizing teachers would close more schools. This just goes to PROVE that they’re liars in Scranton.
Dan said
How far will this go. People are mad as it is with this, I really hope this dosen’t to far. This is just plain sad
Elaine said
Dan, you want to know how far it will go? It will not stop until there are no more catholic schools in the Scranton diocese. They want out of the school business. They would rather be in the business of making money, and educating children just isn’t good enough for them. Well I, for one, feel that my money is TOO GOOD for them.
Jack said
It no longer matters . The quality of education in the Catholic has diminshed with each passing year. You have religion teachers who have no qualification to teach Catholicism as it should be taught.After they graduate these stop going to church. Just look around your church this sunday and you will probably see more over 50 people than the younger ones. The bottom line is that when the nuns felt that social justice was more important than educating children that was the begining of the end. The system was successful only becuase the nuns sacrificed and taught us well. This is the fruits of Vatican 2.
Raphael said
Jack, I think it does matter. I attended Catholic schools from elementary school through university. In high school, I had three theology teachers: one priest and two laymen. All three were highly qualified to teach the faith. Is there room for improvement in the Catholic school system? Absolutely. It was never perfect, but it has yielded much fruit. However, closings schools will not improve the situation, nor will it increase attendance at Mass.