St. Alphonsus/St. Patrick School Saved From Closing

LEMONT, IL - St. Alphonsus/St. Patrick School in Lemont has been saved. At least for the 2017-18 school year. The Archdiocese of Chicago officially announced on Friday that the beloved Catholic school avoided a possible closure at the end of this school year through a thorough fundraising effort from the community.

In December, the Archdiocese informed both St. Al’s/St. Pat’s and Our Lady of the Ridge School in Chicago Ridge of specific fundraising and student enrollment targets that must be met in order for the schools to remain open next year. Both have reached those targets, according to the Archdiocese.

Related: Our Lady of the Ridge School Saved From Closing

“The schools worked diligently with their school communities, and thanks to the generosity and support of school families, parishioners, local business partners and others, both schools raised the funds needed to cover the schools’ budgets for the current school year and anticipated operating deficits for next school year,” the Archdiocese wrote in a news release on Friday. “The schools also secured the minimum required student enrollment for next school year, associated to the cash they raised for next school year.”

Back in January, officials at St. Al’s/St. Pat’s reassured students' parents that fundraising had long been in the works, and enough was raised to surpass the $350,000 goal set by the Archdiocese. The school was given until the end of February to generate the funds.

Read More: Community Rallies for Funds to Save Beloved Catholic School

While St. Al’s/St. Pat’s and Our Lady of the Ridge were saved, St. Louis de Montfort in Oak Lawn and St. Joseph School in Homewood are still slated to close in June.

St. Benedict Preparatory School, a Catholic high school in Chicago's North Center neighborhood, is also set to close.

Also on Patch: St. Alphonsus Plans to Add More Parking With New Lot

Patch file photo