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St. Paul Catholic Church was filled to capacity Sunday morning for a Mass honoring St. Paul Catholic School as it prepared to close its doors forever at the end of the school year.
Church officials say they were forced to close the school due to financial issues and declining enrollment.
Guest speaker, retired priest Father David Garcia, addressed the crowd.
“Seventy years ago, I started St. Paul as a first-grader. That was a long time ago. And one of my classmates was Moses,” he joked.
After the Mass, all were invited to walk through the school for the last time. It brought back many fond memories for former students and teachers alike.
“There are about 10 of us that graduated in '88 who about three or four years ago got back together and connect monthly now,” said former student Sonya Garza-Hernandez.
“The sisterhood, the friendship, the bonds, the laughter. I'm an only child, by birth, but I will say I have 10 sisters now. We are everlasting, just friends forever," she said.
Albert Gonzales attended St. Paul from 1st to 8th grade.
“I'm sad to see it closed down because I think the development here was great. The camaraderie was great with all the kids. A lot of things have not changed, but I wish somehow or another the archdiocese would figure out a way to keep the school alive,” he said.
The Archdiocese of San Antonio announced the closure in a statement in March.
“Currently in the State of Texas, school choice legislation has a particularly good prospect of becoming law, however, for St. Paul School, that would not provide the type of immediate assistance needed for operations,” the statement said.
Rebecca Dominguez was a third-grade teacher at the school. Walking the hallways for the last time was emotional for her.
“I felt all sorts of ways,” she said. “Like every single emotion you can think of. I probably felt that it made me feel a longing like I wish maybe I could have stayed another year, or I wish I could see my kids again, but I'm also happy that this is God's will, so yeah.”
St. Paul Catholic School, located in the Jefferson neighborhood on the near West Side, started in 1953 with an enrollment of over 500 children.
The Archdiocese of San Antonio is providing $500 to students who transfer to a school within the archdiocese.
It said that faculty and staff from St. Paul would be given priority consideration for open positions in other area Catholic schools.
