Nearly three years after the Archdiocese announced the closure of Shrine Church of St. Ann, church officials announced it will close the school resting above the now-defunct church.

In a message posted on its website, the Archdiocese of New York announced the Bainbridge Avenue school will “cease operations at the end of the current academic year,” citing a cost-saving move.

The school is one of three Bronx catholic parishes set to close by the end of the school year. “St. Ann School, Visitation School, and St. Mary School students will have the opportunity to continue their Catholic education at St. Brendan School, St. John’s School in Kingsbridge, and Our Lady of Grace, respectively, or at other neighborhood Catholic schools,” read the message.

The news effectively ends the history of St. Ann’s parish, which began in November 2014 when diocesan officials announced the church building would close and the membership will be merged with St. Brendan’s Church at the corner of Perry Avenue and East 206th Street. The school portion of the parish is found on the second floor. The school serves children from preschool to eighth grade.

News of the closure also comes a week after National Catholic Schools Week, an initiative intended to bolster the benefits of Catholic school education. A message on the school’s official Facebook page read, “As another unforgettable National Catholic Schools Week comes to a close, we thank our students and staff for all they do to make our school a great place. We look forward to another year of offering an invaluable Catholic education!”

The Archdiocese ensures students of closed Catholic schools will be given a seat elsewhere.

admin

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.