By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
During a meeting to discuss the future of Holy Trinity it was announced Wednesday night that the Catholic school in Bucyrus would close its doors and combine with Galion St. Joseph’s.
During the meeting Father John Miller spoke to the crowd gathered in the Holy Trinity cafeteria to discuss national as well as local trends in enrollment at Catholic schools, to provide options for the future, as well as Holy Trinity’s plan moving forward.
With enrollment at an all-time low in Catholic schools Miller laid out three options going forward. The first is to share the costs among three to five parishes that operate as one school instead of individual parishes. This option would include a new building in a centralized location which would cost roughly $2,000,000; however split between five parishes would cost $400,000 apiece, and would also allow for one teacher per grade level.
Option 2 would be to use an existing building for a centrally located school building. However Miller stated that no such building could be utilized at the moment.
Holy Trinity and Galion St. Joseph’s will enact the third option presented at the meeting with both parishes working together to operate as one Catholic school with the hopes of providing a stronger school with resources that are pooled together.
Miller explained what the staff situation will be with the school closing.
“Basically when the school closes, we close down the whole operation. Over at the other school we would look to incorporate those teachers as needed, but that is part of the situation we have twice as much staff as needed for the children between the two parishes,” Miller said. “And so unfortunately, and it is unfortunate, we have a reduction of staff.”
While the school may be closing the parish will still remain active in the Bucyrus community.
“As parishes there is a lot of things we are involved in with the elderly, the youth, immunization, there are a lot of possibilities that we as a parish are looking forward to doing,” Miller said.
It was also announced during the meeting that Bingo will still remain as scheduled at the Holy Trinity with proceeds going to the parish.
Marlene Fox expressed her opinion.
“As many of you know my daughter attended here from K-8 I wish that I had a school like Holy Trinity to attend, my heart belongs here,” Fox said. “We have to remember to do what is best for the children it doesn’t matter the building if each building will continue on their own there will be no Catholic education in the community in the future.”
Robin Sheets who was on the Future of Our Schools committee as well as a 1992 graduate of Holy Trinity shared her feelings on the matter.
“Holy Trinity School and Catholic education have been an integral part of my past, present and future. I want the same quality Catholic education for my kids,” Sheets said. “I have gone through a wide range of emotions, but I feel relieved in sending my kids to another school to receive a Catholic education.”
More information on the closure of Holy Trinity will be placed on the parish’s website in the oncoming weeks.