Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Wayne to shut down. Here's what we know

WAYNE — Another Catholic school will permanently shut its doors after graduation next month due to low enrollment and a widening deficit.

Immaculate Heart of Mary School near Packanack Lake on Ratzer Road is projected to have 135 students next year — 17 fewer than it has now.

Parents were expected to attend meetings there Friday to learn more about the closing. Some also planned to stage a peaceful demonstration, according to a Facebook user who tried to drum up publicity for the cause.

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The school, which opened in September 1959, serves pre-K through eighth grade. It is attached to a Catholic church of the same name.

The imminent closing was announced by the Rev. Mateusz Jasniewicz, the church pastor, in the most recent parish bulletin. “This decision does not come lightly,” he wrote. “It stems from deep consideration of our unsustainable circumstances.”

Church officials said they failed to meet their annual fundraising goal of $90,000 and that the shortfall for this year could be as much as $375,000. In addition, they said, the increase in tuition required to keep the school open would have been unaffordable for many families.

The Diocese of Paterson said in a statement that it would offer parents a one-time subsidy of $1,500 per student who opts to transfer to one of its other Catholic schools.

“This is a time of much sadness, pain and grief for Immaculate Heart of Mary School,” said Mary Baier, the superintendent of schools for the diocese.

Baier said the school community needs support to make a smooth transition. She said the displaced students will continue to receive an “excellent faith-filled education” that is “rooted in gospel values” at the nearby institutions.

There are 14 elementary schools remaining in the diocese, which spans Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties.

After parish officials announced the closure of St. Mary's School in Pompton Lakes in 2020, parents in the Passaic County community rallied and signed petitions, but the church pastor said the financial challenges facing the nearly 70-year-old school were untenable. Parents also unsuccessfully fought the 2020 closing of Trinity Academy in Caldwell.

The Newark Archdiocese has closed more than a dozen schools since 2020, continuing a trend already in place before the pandemic.

Times have changed since the peak of Catholic education during the 1960s, when 5.2 million students attended roughly 13,000 schools nationwide. That number, as of 2020, had fallen to 1.7 million students in 6,183 schools, according to the National Catholic Education Association.

Just before COVID made the situation worse, about 100 Catholic schools were shut down across the U.S. At least 100 more were closed in 2020 and the trend continues.

Experts cite changing demographics and the increasing secularization of American society. Costs have climbed as the teaching corps has shifted from priests and nuns supported by the church to secular instructors who expect competitive salaries and benefits.

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Catholic school in Wayne to permanently close after 65 years