Jesus said: “Let the children come to me and do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Mark 10:14)
With the opening of schools only days away, I feel heartbroken that St. Joe’s isn’t going to be opening its doors anymore to our children. Its closure had nothing to do with the quality of education it provides. It was based on demographic changes, enrolment issues and financial costs. Things that perhaps with the help and intervention of the entire community of Fitchburg, this school could have been saved.
Yes, Fitchburg has just lost 104 years of Catholic school tradition. The whole city watches while the parishioners of St. Joseph’s grieve. It’s really difficult to feel the pain of seeing one Catholic school being shut down especially when there are other Catholic schools around. But wait, until all our Catholic schools are gone… one by one. Then we can ask ourselves: “What have I done to help?”
Catholic schools are more than just schools. They are places that can uplift entire neighborhoods, providing not just academics and discipline but hope for low-income families and their children. When St. Joe’s closed, we left more than just its old building behind. We actually left the children and those children needed us to help them reach their dreams.