Bishop Thomas John Paprocki celebrated the final all-school Mass for St. Joseph School students in Springfield on May 30. The parish opened the school in 1875 to teach English-speaking Irish Catholics living on Springfield’s north end. 

But the days of large Catholic families living in the area are long gone, and despite attempts to boost enrollment by switching to a balanced school year calendar, dwindling enrollment left the parish little choice but to close its school.

Joining Bishop Paprocki as concelebrants at the liturgy were St. Joseph pastor, Msgr. Thomas Holinga, Msgr. John Ossola, and Fathers Robert Jallas and Tom Donovan.

In his opening remarks before the start of Mass, and later in his homily, Bishop Paprocki empathized with the students, teachers, staff, alumni and parishioners gathered for the Mass.

“I know what it feels like,” Bishop Paprocki said. “The high school seminary I attended closed in 1990; the building was sold to a rival Catholic high school. … The college seminary I attended was moved and the buildings were torn down.”

He indicated that it is not pleasant “to see condominiums on the site of our old college seminary, or drive by my former high school seminary and see our archrival’s name on the building.” 

“There is a tinge of sadness, remembering what it was like. There is a grieving process, but we can also learn from that experience,” the bishop said. 

“The goal of every Catholic school is to instill the love of God in its students,” he said.

He advised the students to look to the school’s patron, St. Joseph, for guidance, “to love as he did. If we go to him, he will guide us. He will be like a father on earth for us.”