Gary's last Catholic school shuts

The Chicago Sun-Times ^ | June 7, 2003 | Staff

[7 x 77]

The last Roman Catholic school in Gary has closed for good because of declining enrollment. "I'm about to cry," said Alicia McClarin, a seventh-grader at Blessed Sacrament School, where Thursday was the final day of classes. "I've been here for seven years. I didn't think it would ever close." Along with the church it's a part of, the school was once home to northwestern Indiana's thriving Polish population. The parish built the school in 1960. "It is a nationwide trend, not having enough students," said Gary Bishop Dale Melczek.

[doug from upland]

Gee, don't my fellow Catholics have a sense of humor?

[doug from upland]

Sluts was a harsh word, but I used it because that is what I saw at first glance in the headline. Five extra Our Fathers and Hail Marys for me. It won't be the first time.

[ladylib]

Charter schools are also taking students from the Catholic schools. The non-Catholics who sent their kids to Catholic schools did so because they wanted their kids to have a decent education, not because they wanted them instructed in the Catholic religion. Many inner-city Catholic schools have a large non-Catholic population.

Charter schools are "free." Catholic schools usually aren't.

[doug from upland]

Am I not going to be able to receive Communion tomorrow?

[willowpar]

Communion? An exorcism would be more appropiate. ;-)

[Old Professer]

You don say? Well, I be dammed.

[doug from upland]

Another exorcism for me? No way. I've been through that before. My neck still hurts from turning my head all the way around. :)

[7 x 77]

I'm not Catholic and only know a handful. Catholicism is not big in North Mississippi.

Hey are you near the gambling mecca south of Memphis, what's it's name? I have relatives involved in a new Catholic elemetary school around there.

[glory]

I agree with you there. We would like to "straight out" homeschool, but with so much going to the local schools so we can live in a good neighborhood ASIDE from the schools, we are thinking of going the charter school at home route instead where we would be utilizing the resources we put in. In fact, if the next school levy passes which would pull about another 500.00 more out of our pocket, we most certainly will have to go that route since our curriculum budget will be depleted. School levies are making it difficult for anyone to fund anything other than public schools thereby taking away any other choice. If we decide we are going to fund schooling(and I don't think it will be dismantled anytime soon) than vouchers(or tax rebates) can't come soon enough.

[7 x 77]

I went to a wedding in Tunica a few years before the gambling. Everybody couldn't fit in the tiny church, and we walked a couple of blocks across roads without curbs, under big oaks with hanging moss, to the bride's house where they had the reception.

Next day we went to the closest grocery, which was a little bigger than the church, sat across from a cotton field, and was completely manned by an old black guy.

I've a relative that's an adminstrator near Tunica, she grew up in New Orleans and went to LSU.