BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — There was music and tears as people said goodbye to St. Columba Catholic School in Bloomsburg. The Diocese of Harrisburg announced last month that the school would close permanently at the end of this school year after 70 years.
"We name the loss and the sadness after 70 years, but we also have to acknowledge that our faith says continue to trust, and God will do something new," said Most Rev. Timothy Senior, Bishop of Harrisburg
Bishop Senior celebrated the mass and called the day bittersweet.
"It's bitter in the sense that there's a loss, there's a dying, but there's also an opening. We know God is always going to be with us and that he's going to continue to show us the way, inform our young people, help them to grow and grow in the faith, that they'll come to know Jesus Christ. That's the sweetness of it."
According to the Diocese of Harrisburg, St. Columba Catholic School faced declining enrollment and increased operating costs for several years. The school's enrollment has decreased by nearly 60 percent since October 2020.
Even so, some parents fought to keep it open.
"The school board has been fighting and once we realized that the school was closing, we pulled together a meeting to get parents together to try to find ways to raise the money that was needed to keep the school open," said Steve Brink.
Brink has five children who have gone to this school.
"There was a lot of history here, and Catholic education is going to take a hit because we're not able to educate young children."
Principal Mary Howe graduated from St. Columba, along with her children and grandchildren.
"We celebrate the fact that we were able to be and study and learn here, and yet everything has a season," Howe said.
The St. Columba Parish Church will remain open.