PASCOAG — It was a sad, but respectful occasion when the students, teachers and families of Father Holland Catholic School in Pascoag came together to celebrate their last day of school on Thursday, June 11. Students crossed the road under a sunny sky and entered St. Joseph’s Church, where Father Peter Sheehan presided over the final Mass of the school community. The Pre-K through eighth grade school, whose closing was announced in March, will not be reopening in the fall.
The occasion was solemn, but the tears shed only served to indicate the love shared between Father Holland families and staff and the vibrant community left behind as their legacy. Many parents and family members came out to offer support on the occasion and Father Sheehan recognized the overwhelming sense of fellowship during his homily as he recounted his first impressions of the parish and school.
Click here to view or purchase photos!
“When I first got here, I thought, ‘This is such a quiet, wonderful corner of Rhode Island.”
Father Sheehan paid the school a glowing tribute, praising its community and supportive teaching environment. “One of the best things,” he said, “is when the upper kids take care of the younger kids.”
Father Sheehan was assisted during Mass by altar servers, readers and gift bearers chosen from among the students. School Principal Maria Rocheleau also shared some brief words of thanks and remembrance at the close of Mass.
Father Holland School celebrated its final eighth grade graduation on the preceding Tuesday, graduating 11 students. For the younger students as well as the older, the parting is bittersweet; though they look forward to their upcoming summer vacation, none will be returning in the fall.
“Today is a sad day, but also a joyous day as you go out to new adventures,” Father Sheehan told the students. In the spirit of early church missionary St. Barnabas, whose feast day it was, he encouraged them to take the spirit of faith and community learned at Father Holland and cultivate it wherever they go. For the students, this will be a handful of Catholic and public schools throughout the state as well as neighboring Connecticut.
The diocesan School Office announced the decision to close the school in late March, when a projected decrease of 17 students for the upcoming school year from the present enrollment of 89 presented an unsustainable financial burden. Catholic schools across the state have been hit hard by the economic climate as unemployment and inadequate financial aid present increased difficulties to parents and school administrators.
The closure comes as a loss to both the parish and the larger community, which has supported the school for over 50 years. When Father Holland School first opened as St. Joseph’s School in fall of 1962, discussions of a parish school had already been in place since 1918. A fire in the church building in 1919 delayed the original plans, and it wasn’t until Rev. Daniel C. Holland initiated a campaign to raise $130,000 from parishioners and other supporters in 1961 that those plans began to become a reality. In its early years, St. Joseph’s School was staffed by Sisters of Mercy and open to grades one through four.
The school continued as St. Joseph’s until 1978, when it separated from the parish and became Northwest Catholic Regional. By this time, many changes had occurred in the school, including the introduction of tuition and faculty members from the lay community as well as the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.
In 1993, Northwest Catholic Regional joined the Greater Woonsocket Catholic Regional School System and was renamed Father Holland School in honor of its founding pastor. The school prospered in the following years, reaching a peak enrollment of 240 students.
By 2008, however, the economic climate and dropping enrollment rates led to the announcement that Father Holland School would be closing at the end of the academic year. After parishioners and other locals rallied support, though, Father Holland separated from the school system and received diocesan approval to continue serving its students. In the fall of 2008 Father Holland reopened under the guidance of Rev. Pastor Clifford J. Cabral, a parish school of St. Joseph’s once again.
Now, after 53 years of service to the families of northern Rhode Island, Father Holland School will close its doors for good.
For Shawn Capron, teacher, former principal and graduate of the school and lifelong parishioner of St. Joseph’s Church, the day was especially sentimental. Capron attended Father Holland when it first opened as St. Joseph’s School in 1962 and was a member of its first graduating class. She returned to the school in 1977 and served as principal for eighteen years. This year she taught seventh and eighth graders.
It is fitting, Capron said as she stood outside a classroom after Mass, that a member of the school’s first graduating class should teach its last.
“They call me ‘the alpha’ and they’re ‘the omega.’” The nicknames are taken from the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, also referenced by Christ in the Gospels to demonstrate God’s unending nature.
As she shared her memories of the school, students and parents approached to thank her for her service and offer hugs and blessings. Capron, along with several of the school’s faculty, has devoted her life to Catholic education. She and all the faculty will be greatly missed by the families and students of the close-knit Father Holland community.
Despite sad goodbyes, students and teachers did their best to enjoy their final day of school together. The hallways were alive with heartwarming greetings as individuals exchanged cards and thank-you’s. Outside, an ice cream truck was just setting up for students to enjoy frosty treats, while inside, kindergarteners marched proudly to their own graduation ceremony, dressed in their very best.
The highlight of the day occurred just after Mass, when teachers presented one or two students from each grade with the Christian Witness Award. The award honors students who exhibit the Christian values of kindness and respect and serve as an example for their peers. Recipients were selected by their teachers and sometimes by a classroom vote. Thirteen students received the award from their proud teachers in the church building where they have spent much of their time at Father Holland.
Just before the end of Mass, as Father Sheehan offered the closing blessing and song, students and teachers clasped hands with their neighbors and raised up their arms in praise and community. The action served as a visible sign of the spirit of faith and fellowship that Fr. Sheehan had charged the students to extend to others as they went out into the world.
“When you go forth from Father Holland Catholic School, you’ve been taught well. You’ve been taught how to treat each other,” said Father Sheehan. “It’s going to be a big world, but never think you’re alone, for Jesus Christ is always with you.”
