Order of Preachers to Bellmore

Bishop John Barres has given care of St. Barnabas Parish, Bellmore, to the Saint Joseph Province of the Dominican Friars.

Please see this report from the Friars.

Syosset's Our Lady of Mercy Academy will close

Sad to report. but Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Syosset will close permanently at the end of June. Please see news reports in Newsday of 1.9.2024 and various parts of the school's website https://olma.org/about/closure-faq/

The cause of the closure is low enrollment. According to Newsday, peak enrollment of 525 was attained in the 1970's. This year's freshmen number 37. I note that Syosset's population was largely Jewish, now becoming more Asian. To the north, St. Dominic's offered a Catholic high school. To the south, Holy Trinity Diocesan High School in Hicksville draws numbers.

I tend to trust James Conant's 1959 opinion that a high school should have at least 100 graduates per year in order to offer a broad curriculum.