St. Dennis, St. Joseph Catholic Schools To Combine

LOCKPORT, IL — St. Dennis Catholic School and St. Joseph Catholic School in Lockport will be combined into a new school using both campuses, the Diocese of Joliet announced Monday.

Bishop Ronald A. Hicks of the Diocese of Joliet accepted the unanimous recommendation of his targeted restructuring committee regarding the combination of St. Dennis Catholic School and St. Joseph Catholic School in Lockport.

The decision comes after a process involving parents from both schools, pastors, principals, faculty and staff of both schools; and the respective school boards, parish councils and parish finance councils, the Diocese said.

The process began in July, after the Diocese had streamlined its own operations at the Blanchette Catholic Center, reducing staffing from 99 to 70 employees, according to the Diocese.

A targeted restructuring committee categorized recommendations into three stages: urgent, in the next year, and in two to three years. St. Dennis Catholic School and St. Joseph Catholic School were both placed in the "urgent phase" due to static or declined enrollment, overall structural maintenance needs and staffing needs.

The Diocese came up with five scenarios for the two schools:

• One combined new school is created at the St. Joseph campus.
• One combined new school is created at the St. Dennis campus.
• One combined new school is created using both campuses.
• St. Joseph Catholic School is merged into St. Dennis Catholic School, and St. Dennis’ identity is maintained.
• St. Dennis Catholic School is merged into St. Joseph Catholic School, and St. Joseph’s identity is maintained.

On Nov. 16, the restructuring committee met and considered input from school boards and parish finance councils, parent survey results, and notes from a community meeting on Nov. 14. The committee unanimously decided to combine the two schools into a new school, using both campuses, with the goal of developing into a regional school serving the communities of Lockport and Homer Glen at the start of the 2024-25 academic year, the Diocese said.

Although served by the two parishes of Our Mother of Good Counsel and St. Bernard, Homer Glen lacks a Diocese of Joliet Catholic school presence, the Diocese said.

The committee's recommendation was sent to Bishop Hicks, and he accepted it.

The 2023-24 academic year will serve as a transition year, according to the Diocese. The two-campus school will be called Saints Dennis and Joseph Catholic Academy.

Pre-K and kindergarten students will attend the St. Joseph campus, with the potential inclusion of first grade, depending on enrollment. Students in the remaining grades will attend the St. Dennis campus. During this transition year, no rebranding will take place, meaning there will be no changes in current uniforms or mascots, according to the Diocese.

Over the next six months, a committee composed of the pastors, principals and school board presidents, along with the Catholic Schools Office and other diocesan representatives, will work together to determine staffing needs; curriculum; athletics and extracurricular activities; an integration of school traditions; and a sound financial structure for the 2023-24 academic year, the Diocese said.

During this transition year, input from parents, students, faculty, pastors, and parish leadership from Homer Glen will be sought in the effort to develop Saints Dennis and Joseph Catholic Academy into a regional school with a new name and new identity by the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year, the Diocese said. This regional school will be governed by a board of directors.