Archdiocese To Close Incarnation and Our Lady of The Ridge

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL -- There will be no open house during Catholic Schools Week for Incarnation School in Palos Heights and Our Lady of the Ridge in Chicago Ridge. After a heroic efforts to keep their doors open for another school year, the Archdiocese of Chicago informed families Wednesday afternoon that both grammar schools would close in June 30, due to declining enrollment. The decision displaces a combined 277 students.

The Archdiocese is expected to issue an official announcement later Wednesday evening, but Anne Maselli, communications director for Chicago Catholic Schools, confirmed that both schools would be closing. Parents at both parishes were on board to merge the two schools which are eight minutes apart, and send children from Our Lady of the Ridge to Incarnation. Had this taken place, Incarnation’s enrollment would have been placed well above the Archdiocese’s 225 enrollment benchmark and students could have remained together.

Andrea Covert, who defied an order from the Archdiocese not to talk to the media about the threat to closed Incarnation, said the Archdiocese them no alternative, forcing parents from both schools to find a seat for their children next year.

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“I’m just sickened. What are they thinking,” Covert said. “The Archdiocese is thinking about money, not about the children. And they wonder why there are fewer and fewer young people in church and pews are empty.”

Covert, the mother of a seventh-grade son who uses a walker and wheelchair, said the Incarnation building is in fine physical shape, thanks to an endowment the parish received. Although the endowment cannot be used for Incarnation’s operating expenses, the parish has used the interest to pay for new windows, a new roof and to make the building handicapped accessible -- the only Catholic elementary school in the south suburbs that is ADA compliant.

“St. Alexander [in Palos Heights] said that it could accept a few students in each grade, but what about the rest of the children, they will be scattered,” Covert said.

Archdiocese officials told Incarnation leadership that the school would have to secure 120 registered students by Jan. 15. Covert said their hands were tied because the Archdiocese does not allow registration of new students until Catholic Schools Week when new students are enrolled, which runs from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3. Incarnation was also told that they needed $600,000 in the bank to cover operating costs for the current school year and the 2018-2019 school year. The school has managed to raise $154,000 after a fundraiser a few weeks ago.

Incarnation School will be holding a school-wide mass at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, where children will be praying for the school. A community meeting with the Archdiocese Vicariate will take place later at 7 p.m. Both events will take place in Incarnation Church, 5757 W 127th St, Palos Heights.

Photos: Used with permission