Father Chris Berean
St. Mary of the Snow Catholic School, the pre-K through 8 elementary school founded by the Sister of Charity in 1881, will close in June due to low enrollment. The school was among 22 that will be shuttered. St. Joseph’s in Kingston will also close. The decision by the Archdiocese of New York will affect over 4000 students.
In December, Father Chris Berean was still hopeful that the school could stay off the Archdioceses’s closure list if it increased enrollment from 90 to 120. He spent the month traveling around neighboring parishes, urging the faithful to enroll their children at St. Mary’s. He said 14 families had agreed to enroll children at the school. But in the end, the Archdiocese of New York decided to spare just four of the 26 closure candidates.
The Archdiocese said the four it selected to remain open all presented “viable long-term plans” to remain open.
Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, said the church would assist families in finding new schools to attend. “We are dedicated to providing pastoral support and educational guidance to every family personally affected by reconfiguration to ensure all children attending closing schools will be warmly welcomed into a neighboring Catholic school where they will continue to learn and thrive,” he said in a release.
Last month, Father Chris Berean said each one of the 90 students is saves local taxpayers about $10,000.
very sad Even though my experience in the 70s with Sister Anita Rosare and some of the other nuns was harsh – brutal in fact – the majority of the teachers were terrific
Very sad day for St. Mary’s. I am very glad my parents sent us there.
Very sad, I agree! But maybe this can be turned into new low income apartments and we can avoid the horrible idea of the North Street idea!
Went there in the 1960’s during the baby boom, there were 55 kids in my class at that time, but it was beginning of the end of nuns teaching kids..what a shame no mote Catholic school jokes!