Dear Parishioners,

There is no easy way to break bad news, so I am going to be straight forward: after the 2018-2019 school year, we will be closing Holy Innocents School. When that day comes, it will be a sad day that closes over 50 years of history in our parish. Before making this decision, I have consulted with the Pastoral Council and Finance Council about this possibility and they have all agreed that this is the best course of action for our parish. I know this news may come as a complete shock to some of you and for that I am sorry.

The reason why we are closing the school is twofold. First, we have a very low population that showed a sudden downturn this year. We only have 93 students (from 130 students last year) and usually a school needs 200 to be considered healthy. Many schools throughout the Diocese of Trenton are suffering with a lack of enrollment. So, there is very little hope our numbers are going to get better. Second, financially our parish has been suffering greatly for quite a while with our school needing a large subsidy every year. Because of the subsidy, our parish has a large debt to the Diocese. It is wrong for us to be unable to pay our own expenses and to run a program that we cannot sustain. I have tried over the past two years of being pastor here to solve both these issues. But, in the end, we have to face the facts.

I thank all the people who have been so supportive of the school these many years. I thank the Religious Teachers Filippini for founding the school. I thank our Principal, Cynthia Reimer and all of our lay teachers who are some of the best and most professional people I know. I thank the parents who sent their children to our school and sacrificed so that they would have a good Catholic Education. I thank the people of the parish who personally contribute to the school. I thank Bishop O’Connell and the Diocese of Trenton who have been so patient with us when we have been unable to pay all of our bills. I thank our new Business Administrator, Joseph Cahill for working tirelessly to find ways to balance the budget and save money for our church. It is not one particular person or group of people’s fault that we are closing the school. We simply, do not have enough funds or children to justify having one anymore.

It is easy to give in to despair when there are sudden changes. However, God does not want us to despair: He wants us to more firmly trust in Him. I prayed over this issue since the beginning of the school year. I prayed about whether or not this would be the last year or if a miracle would happen. I have done everything I can think of to support the school and to promote it and to show others what a wonderful and faithful school it is. But, we have to accept sometimes that what we want is not what God wants and when He closes a door, maybe it is a sign that we should be focused elsewhere. In that spirit, please pray for the parish.

If anyone has any questions or concerns, you can always contact me by email: toddcarterpriest@gmail.com.

God bless,

Father Carter