New York Catholic schools face declining enrollment, possible closure

From left: St. Joseph of the Holy Family, Our Lady of Sorrows and Sacred Heart of Jesus School

Almost three dozen Catholic schools in the greater New York area are facing possible closure due to dire financial times, according to CBS New York. Five of the schools are based in Manhattan, including St. Joseph of the Holy Family in Harlem, Our Lady of Sorrows on the Lower East Side and Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Midtown. Ten others are based in the Bronx and Staten Island. The Archdiocese of New York’s Superintendent of Schools said that numerous financial hardships have put these schools in precarious positions. “Declining enrollment and rising tuition are key challenges facing those schools that have been identified as ‘at-risk’,” superintendent Timothy McNiff said. “These under-enrolled schools require significant financial support from the archdiocese, which cannot be sustained indefinitely.” [CBS New York]