Declining enrollment combined with increasing costs have prompted the decision to close St. Paul’s Catholic Elementary School in Kenmore at the end of the current academic year.

The decision was made by Father Jay McGinnis, pastor of St. Paul Parish, and the parish trustees following ongoing discussions with school parents and school leadershipregarding enrollment and financial concerns. It was approved by Bishop Edward U. Kmiec.
Only 69 students have registered for the 2010-11 school year.

The school needs 185 students to balance its budget, with current enrollment at 105 students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Faced with declining enrollment and significant financial challenges to date this fiscal year, the parish anticipates subsidizing the school with $325,000, or 60 percent of parish income to meet school payroll for the remainder of the school year.

Bishop Edward U. Kmiec's message for the 2010 Catholic Charities Appeal is below. You can also listen to his message by clicking here.

My dear people of God. I come to you today to ask you to make the compassion of Jesus your own. Through the readings of the liturgies of Lent, the Church asks us to change the way of the world into the way of Jesus. The way of the world is to destroy the barren tree, to reject the prodigal son, and to stone the adulterous woman. The way of Jesus is the way of compassion.

How can we change the judgment of the world to the compassion of Jesus? This transformation is hard work but it is God’s work in us and God’s work through us in each era and in every place. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus told the people of Nazareth that His work was “to bring good news to the poor, release to those held bound, freedom for prisoners, to proclaim a year of favor from God.” 

Especially this far into the now-months-long health care debate, Diocese of Oakland Bishop Salvatore Cordileone's FOX News interview (below) underscores once again the constancy of the Catholic Church and the U.S. Bishops on this issue.

The bishops have said from the beginning of this debate that they've favored health care reform for decades, and they've said that their support includes a few basic principles -- that health care reform be genuine reform that is truly accessible and affordable, covering everyone, including the unborn, the elderly, the immigrant and the poor. Therefore, they've stated, health care reform shouldn't promote the taking of anyone's life (i.e. the unborn) and shouldn't force anyone to act against his or her conscience (i.e. by forcing someone to pay for abortions). In all the twists and turns of the health care legislative process, this message hasn't wavered. 

Catholic Charities of Buffalo’s program Closing the Gap in Student Performance (CTG), a school-based collaboration serving students in eight of the lowest performing elementary schools in the Buffalo Public School District, received high marks from the Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) Centennial Recognition Program at The Desmond Hotel in Albany on March 8.

The Centennial Recognition Program celebrates programs of Catholic Charities’ agencies across the country that are effectively working to reduce poverty in America. The winning Catholic Charities’ agencies receive a $25,000 award to continue investing in their program.

The award was presented during the Catholic Charities USA Regional Centennial Leadership Summit hosted by the New York State Council of Catholic Charities Directors at its Annual Convening. CCUSA is conducting regional leadership summits across the country in observance of its Centennial year and to provide a forum for thought-leaders, major influencers and citizens-at-large to come together and act on poverty.