Community Shocked Over Closure of Seton School
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School in Shrub Oak, a community staple for 54 years, was one of 20 Catholic schools shut down by the Archdiocese of New York last week.
The news took families and students off guard and stunned many parishioners who were unaware the well-respected and educationally thriving school was in any danger of closing.
“It was very surprising news to me,” said Yarela Suquisupa, a seventh-grade student who has attended Seton since she was in first grade. “I was hoping to graduate from Seton.”
However, Seton Pastor Father Robert Quarato revealed Monday and during his homily at the 11 a.m. Sunday mass the school had been on the Archdiocese “watch list” since last year when declining enrollment forced Seton to have to combine first and second grade classes.
Seton had 150 students this year but only 103 had enrolled for the 2020-21 school year—a declining trend Quarato said had been occurring for the last 20 years. He concurred with Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and Michael Deegan, Superintendent of Schools of the Archdiocese, that the coronavirus pandemic was too much for Seton and the 19 other schools closing to overcome.
“If the pandemic did not happen, yes, we were on the cusp of turning things around in a positive direction and we would have come out of the danger zone,” Quarato said. “We hoped this coming year would have been a year to build up and strengthen Seton and some of the other schools as we had planned. However, the length of the pandemic sealed all of our fates.”
Five other schools in Westchester—St. Patrick’s School in Bedford, Holy Family School in New Rochelle, Our Lady of Perpetual Health School in Pelham Manor and St. Ann School and St. Paul School in Yonkers—will also be closing.
“The reality of these schools being lost is painful, and it was only accepted reluctantly after a detailed study was conducted of their respective fiscal standing in the wake of the coronavirus public health crisis,” Deegan said. “This is a very sad day for everyone in the extended Catholic school community.”
Quarato explained since the end of the 2014 school year, Seton, St. Patrick’s School in Yorktown, St. Columbanus School in Cortlandt and St. Patrick’s School in Bedford were no longer parish-based, meaning they received no financial support from their respective parishes. Instead, they were incorporated into a Catholic School Region with its own board of trustees. Funding for those schools came from tuition, the Archdiocese, fundraising and grants.
“All our schools were in dire straits,” said Quarato, noting “strategic location” was a factor in which schools stayed open. “I certainly preached about it many times. Catholic education is an essential today. A once vibrant Catholic education system is crumbling around us. What a loss.”
Blessed Elizabeth Ann Seton School opened its doors on September 12,1966 as part of the newly formed parish of Blessed Elizabeth Ann Seton. The parish and school name officially changed to Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton when the patroness was canonized in 1975. The school was staffed by the Sisters of Charity, the order of women religious founded by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
Quarato said more than 20 teachers and administrators would lose their jobs as a result of the closing.
One teacher, Valerie Stathis, sent an email to parents stating, “I know this is a very difficult and sad time for you and your children. But I wanted to thank-you all for allowing me the opportunity to teach your wonderful children. Although it may have only been for one year, they have truly brought so much joy and happiness into my life. Not a day went by that they did not make me laugh. They are a bright, talented, and AMAZING group of kids who will succeed wherever life leads them.”
Quarato stressed Seton students excelled academically, often surpassing other students in area Catholic schools and public schools on standardized tests. The Class of 2020, the 49th graduating class in the school’s history, received $401,700 in academic scholarships to Catholic high schools.
The pastor said the school building would be utilized to serve the 1,100 children in the parish who receive religious education.
The Archdiocese said approximately 2,500 students and 350 staff would be affected by the closure of the 20 schools.
“Children are always the most innocent victims of any crisis, and this COVID-19 pandemic is no exception,” Dolan said. “Too many have lost parents and grandparents to this insidious virus, and now thousands will not see their beloved school again. I’ve kept a hopeful eye on our schools throughout this saga and my prayers are with all of the children and their families who will be affected by this sad news. Given the devastation of this pandemic, I’m grateful more schools didn’t meet this fate, and that Catholic schools nearby are ready to welcome all the kids.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/