Catholic schools in rural Minn. are dwindling

Schools in rural Catholic parishes in Minnesota are going through some changes, reports Katie Humphrey of the Star Tribune, like St. Mathias School in Hampton, a town with fewer than 1,000 residents. It is closing after 90 years in the town. "It's kind of sad," said Irene Nicolai, 91, a cook at St. Mathias School for 22 years. "Our parish can't afford it anymore." (Photo by Richard Sennott, Star Tribune, of The Rev. Stan Mader at St. Mathias School)

Other rural schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are also closing or merging as the diocese deals with a projected shortage of priests, changing demographics and tighter budgets. Families aren't as big as they once were and the n aging population means fewer children enrolling in school. The changes have affected schools and churches alike, writes Humphrey. "The towns are places where streets are named after longtime priests and church history can be found on menus at supper clubs, where Friday fish fries are as much a tradition as Saturday evening mass. Catholic schools were part of the package," reports Humphrey.

The Catholic schools near bigger cities are still attracting enough students to keep the doors open. At St. Mathias, students will be offered $1,000 scholarships from St. Mathias Church so they can attend a Catholic school elsewhere. (Read more)