The end of every school year brings with it a mix of emotions … happiness for students, families, and teachers, as they set about their summer plans; tears as classmates say good-bye for the summer or as graduates move on to the next chapters of their lives.

But for the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Trenton, this year will be especially remembered for the emotional ups and downs that unfolded.  For this was the year that a number of parish and school  communities had to come to terms with the challenges they faced and make decisions about their futures.  As a result, two schools that had been slated for closure were each able to build successful “save our school” campaigns and will open their doors in September.  The victories of St. Paul School in  Burlington and Mater Dei Prep in Middletown engaged many across the Diocese who cheered them on as they raised funds and built a plan for sustainable futures.

At the same time, many shared in the sadness as three of our Catholic schools reluctantly prepared for closure.  Many tears of sadness were shed by those connected with Incarnation-St. James School in Ewing, Holy Family School in Lakewood and St. Denis School in Manasquan.  The tears reflected a sense of loss, not only for the current students and teachers, but for the future that was not to be for these schools with proud and impactful legacies.

It was a very good and healthy thing that each of these communities came together in a special way to celebrate their school legacies, and it was a particularly gracious thing that they invited The Monitor to attend and share their stories. These three schools will always be a part of the history of Catholic education in the Diocese, and they deserve to be commemorated. 

Moreover, every person who once walked the halls of ISJ, Holy Family and St. Denis Schools, whether last month or last decade, has a place in both their school’s history and the future of Catholic education in the Diocese of Trenton. Yes, these three schools have closed, requiring that students transfer to other communities. Alumni of these schools who want to have a positive role in advancing Catholic education will have to find alternate ways to make a difference.

But the good news is that there are other Catholic schools in this Diocese who welcome new students.  There are many programs through which alumni can help out a family trying to pay tuition or a school working toward updating its technology.  We are really part of one community, and there are many opportunities to belong, get involved and enjoy that close-knit sense of family that existed in the schools that are now closing.

We regretfully are seeing the closing of three schools after three years of study, consultation, strategic planning and action. The outcomes in no way take away from the valiant efforts by parents, students, teachers, parishioners and diocesan leaders to turn around the factors that made the closures necessary. 

Thankfully, even as we empathize with these communities, we are able to point to the overwhelmingly positive news about our Catholic schools in the Diocese. Three elementary schools will close, but 32 remain. On the high school level, Mater Dei Prep is now an independent, private Catholic school, joining the ranks of three other such institutions. But we now have seven parish or diocesan Catholic high schools across the four counties of the Diocese, and together, all of these schools are amply prepared to serve the needs of those families that seek a Catholic school education for their children.

As Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., has said in his recent Catholic schools development message – “Catholic schools are every Catholic’s business.”  We have much to be grateful for, and every reason to get behind our Catholic schools as they work to provide faith-based education to the Catholic faithful of tomorrow.

To learn more about how to connect with a Catholic school in the Diocese of Trenton, visit CatholicSchoolsHaveItAll.org.