SALEM — St. Joseph School, the last Catholic school in a city that once had nearly a dozen, will close in June, a church official said yesterday.
After 116 years, a parochial school that was built by French-Canadian immigrants, survived the Great Fire of 1914 and continued on after a parish closing four years ago, has finally succumbed to the bottom line.
"It really just comes down to numbers," said the Rev. John Sheridan, who heads the school board. "The gap was too much for us to (close)."
St. Joseph owes the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston more than $250,000 and is expected to lose another $215,000 this school year, Sheridan said.
Enrollment has climbed in recent years, but is only at 165. It needs to be 250 for the school to be financially viable, an official said. Tuition is $4,400.
"Our parish has significant debt, and the reality is that we cannot ask more of our families," the pastor said in a statement.
Sheridan broke the news to parents in a meeting last night.
"I feel mostly sadness for the kids," said Lorraine Harnett, president of the St. Joseph Home and School Association. "... It's very sad because there really is a community feeling within St. Joseph's, and it's going to be very difficult for these children to move on to other schools."
A spokesman for the archdiocese praised St. Joseph for the valiant effort it made to stay open.
"Father Sheridan has done an incredible job," said Terrence Donilon, the director of communications. "He really needs to be commended for doing everything in his power, working with his parish and school community, to try to keep the school going. But you reach a reality point, and we have reached that point."
Although many factors forced the closing, the current national economic crisis played a role, Donilon said. "The Catholic church is not immune to what cities and towns are going through," he said.
In the past four years, the archdiocese has pumped $1.1 million into St. Joseph, including $600,000 for renovations and $550,000 for school operations, according to Donilon.
Many others also contributed.
Parents and staff organized fund drives, including a "Polar Express" train ride, and raised money to repaint the school interior and build a new playground.
The Lynch Foundation, established by Marblehead financier Peter Lynch and his wife, Carolyn, gave more than $100,000 to St. Joseph in scholarships and grants. It also helped recruit school board members and provided development assistance.
A new principal, Lou Ann Melino, came aboard two years ago. She gave the school a boost, two parents said, and also upgraded the curriculum.
Sheridan made pilgrimages to other city parishes, some even outside the city, and got financial commitments from about a dozen parishes, including ones in Marblehead, Swampscott, Hamilton and Melrose.
In the end, all those efforts were not enough.
The enrollment, which was at 188 in 2003, fell as low as 134 and, even with tuition aid, climbed only as high as 165. The student body ranges from pre-kindergarten to grade eight.
"We've done so much and we've come so far, but times are tough for everybody," Sheridan said. He said the closing was brought on by a "perfect storm of circumstances."
Harnett, who heads the parent organization, said she lays some of the blame on the archdiocese, which made the wrenching decision to close St. Joseph Parish in 2004, forcing the school to move across the city to St. James Parish, triggering a drop in enrollment.
"I think the archdiocese should have made a stronger commitment to Catholic education in this area," she said. "I think they let us down since they moved us. ... You just don't see the support or encouragement from the archdiocese on the ground."
The announcement was made midyear, the pastor said, to give staff and parents time to make plans for next school year. There are seats available in other area Catholic schools, and St. Joseph will help parents with the transition, Sheridan said.
An open house will be held in January with Catholic schools from surrounding communities.
Teachers and staff, who were notified Wednesday, can apply for open positions at other Catholic schools, the archdiocese said.
While the closing is a hard blow, the pastor said the school leaves behind many successful graduates and a proud tradition.
"I am so grateful for all of the parents who have believed in us, and the alumni who have believed in us for 116 years, to the Sisters of the Assumption (who staffed the school) and to all those who have supported us ..."
Sheridan compared the closing to a death, an inevitable, unavoidable end.
"When people are sick, I say to them, 'It's not giving up. It's letting go.'"
The pastor said he and Melino, the principal, will visit classrooms today to speak with students. He said there is still a lot to look forward to in the school year. The Christmas concert is next week.
"We will sing loudly and joyously," he said.
St. Joseph School
1873: Parish founded
1892: First school built; staffed by Sisters of Charity of Montreal
1903: Sisters of St. Chretienne arrive from France
1914: School destroyed in Great Fire; classrooms built on "roof" of church basement
1921: New school built on Harbor Street
1925: Sisters of Assumption arrive
1980: High School closed; grammar school moves to high school building on Harbor Street; grammar school building razed
1992: Cardinal Bernard Law celebrates Mass marking 100th anniversary
2004: Parish closed, school moves to former St. James Grammar School on Federal Street
2009: School to close
Salem Catholic school closings
1971: St. James High School, St. Chretienne Academy, St. Chretienne Grammar School, St. Mary's School
1972: St. James Grammar School
1973: St. Thomas the Apostle School
1976: St. Anne School
1977: St. John the Baptist School
1980: St. Joseph High School
2009: St. Joseph School
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