Diocese releases statement on Holy Cross Academy, Delran

The Diocese of Trenton released a statement Dec. 13 regarding the closing of Holy Cross Academy, Delran, as a diocesan high school at the end of the 2017-18 school year. Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., also granted permission to a committee to implement a plan to re-open the school as a new, independent Catholic high school for the 2018-19 academic year.
 
“For 60 years, Holy Cross High School/Academy in Delran has been both a blessing and an important resource in the Diocese of Trenton, providing a quality Catholic education to families in Burlington County and beyond,” the statement reads. “During that time, this diocesan high school has seen significant growth, at one point even requiring the construction of a larger facility. More recently, however, the school, like many others across the nation, has experienced serious decline in both its enrollment and its ability to sustain itself financially.”
 
In the past two-plus decades, the Diocese has provided $13.8 million in subsidies to Holy Cross, including more than $500,000 in the past school year.
 
“Efforts to build enrollment and strengthen the school’s financial footing over the past several years have not been sufficiently impactful, and neither the Diocese nor the school itself has the means to keep the school operating for any extended period of time,” according to the statement.
 
As a result, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., announced that Holy Cross Academy will close as a diocesan high school June 30, 2018. The Bishop has given permission for a group of interested alumni to implement a plan that would re-open Holy Cross as a new, independent Catholic high school on July 1, 2018, and he has offered the Diocese’s cooperation as the plan moves forward. The alumni group will issue information on the plan soon.
 
Bishop O’Connell expressed his heart-felt appreciation to the principal, Dennis Guida, the faculty, staff and priest chaplains for all they have done for the school and its students; and all the families who have made a real commitment to Catholic education by sending their children to Holy Cross over the past 60 years.
 
“May God bless everyone in the Holy Cross community as we transition to a new chapter in Catholic education for Burlington County.”
 
You can read the full statement, here.