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Holy Martyrs School in Oreland will close this June due to declining enrollment and rising costs, the Rev. Michael Ryan, pastor of Holy Martyrs Church, said Monday.
Ryan made his recommendation last week to Cardinal Justin Rigali, the archbishop of Philadelphia, and students, families, teachers and staff were notified of the decision.
The parish preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds will remain open, as it runs at full capacity each year and does not need financial support from Holy Martyrs Parish, a press release from the school states. In addition, not all nearby parishes have early education programs, the release states.
“The parish of Holy Martyrs, we’re all suffering, because no one wants to see a Catholic school close,” Ryan said Monday during an interview in Principal David Hayden’s office.
Ryan and Hayden’s top two priorities now are ensuring children from Holy Martyrs continue their educations at Catholic schools, and helping teachers and staff secure other employment with help from the Philadelphia Archdiocese.
Later, they will concentrate on planning events to celebrate the school’s history and community, they said.
A handful of nearby parishes, such as St. Genevieve School in Flourtown, have offered Holy Martyrs students the opportunity to visit and consider enrolling, they said.
Last week’s decision, which Ryan called difficult, came months after he formed a steering committee to analyze the financial sustainability of the school. The committee found that it would have to increase tuition and cut operating costs to compensate for a drop in enrollment for 2010-2011.
This year, 111 students attend kindergarten through eighth grade with tuition at $2,750 per student, Hayden said.
At the time of the decision, 82 students had registered for the next school year, and the school planned to increase tuition to$3,000, he added.
The preschool will remain open because not all nearby parishes have early education programs, and it does not require financial support from the parish, the release states.
Holy Martyrs preschool, housed separately from the main school building, has 28 students this year, and about 26 are registered so far for next year, Hayden said. Staff will remain intact, he added.
Hayden has spoken to school parents who have already committed to sending their younger children to preschool at Holy Martyrs, he said.
“We’ll continue to look for ways to strengthen that program as we move forward,” he said.
Parishioners 15 years ago established the preschool in anticipation that it would help the school continue operations into the future, said Ryan, who will celebrate his 12th year as pastor in June.
No decisions have been made about what will happen to the classroom space, Ryan said.
Hayden and Ryan said they are confident the parish will be able to continue its “fun and fundraising” community events, such as the breakfast with Santa, that have always been run by the Home and School Association.
Both men visited the classrooms March 25 to speak with students about the decision. Many students asked if Holy Martyrs will continue to hold its carnival that takes place every September, they said.
The answer was “absolutely yes,” Ryan said.
“That’s every September, a place where we can reunite. And share fun times as we do sort of branch out to many schools because our children will go to a number of different schools,” Hayden said. “They’ll come back every September for that carnival and be able to, you know, re-engage those friendships, reunite those friendships.”
He relayed this message to the students, he said.
“Friends are forever,” he added. “You’re always going to take your friends with you.”
St. James Parish in Elkins Park also announced this week it would close because of declining enrollment and increasing costs.
As members of the Catholic community reflecting on the holiness of the week before Easter, Ryan and Hayden said they believe firmly in new life and that good news will come from the pain of closing the school.
