OBI helps save Brooklyn Catholic school from closing

Posted: January 28 , 2008   By: Staci Dennis

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – As enrollment for Catholic schools declines nationwide and doors are closing at an alarming rate, there is one school Operation Blessing International is helping remain open to the public.

Most Precious Blood, a Catholic school in Brooklyn, will continue to serve area students through 2008 thanks to OBI's support. However, the school is still in need of at least $150,000 in cash donations in order to keep the doors open after this year.

"In New York City, Catholic schools provide not only a superior education, but also a solid moral foundation for at-risk children," said Sr. Eleanora Anthonappa with Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy.

"Unfortunately, we are at the point where the community itself can no longer sustain the school and we have to look for outside donors to help keep the doors open."

The school sits in one of the poorest sections of the Brooklyn borough with about 41 percent of the residents receiving some sort of income support.

Most Precious Blood, which offers classes for pre-K to 8th grade to 210 students, was set for closure by mid-2006 due to dwindling enrollment and a low-income parish unable to fund the school any longer.

"Most Precious Blood is a beacon of hope in Brooklyn that serves a community where the working poor can't afford what is fast becoming a ‘privileged' education," said OBI president, Bill Horan.

OBI began a relationship with the school in 2003. A pilot program on nutrition education was launched that later grew into a multifaceted educational supplement that benefits students during and after school.

In the last year, OBI has provided in excess of $190,000 worth of programs and services that have helped the school remain open, including sponsoring an after-school program, conducting staff training, providing counseling services and starting a summer theater program. OBI has also helped raise scholarship money to help children remain in the school.

With the help of OBI's programs, students are now thriving. This is evident with the recent release of the New York State ELA tests: the school's fourth graders scored higher than all other students in not only Brooklyn but also the five boroughs of New York City and all of New York State.

Some 9.5 percent of Most Precious Blood's students earned the highest level, compared to 5 percent for the rest of New York City. None of Most Precious Blood's students earned the lowest level, compared to 12 percent for the rest of the city.

"We are thrilled with the results of the statewide tests, as it proves the importance of keeping this school open," Horan said.

The financial hardship experienced by the Most Precious Blood School reflects a national trend in the decline of Catholic Schools, based in part to dwindling enrollment, a shortage of nuns to serve as teachers and administrators, and funding issues according to the National Catholic Educational Association.

In fact, the number of Catholic Schools nationwide has declined 65 percent since 1965. The Diocese of Brooklyn alone has lost 20 Catholic schools – a 15 percent reduction – since 2005, displacing 4,000 students.

The Most Precious Blood School is the only Catholic school remaining in the Coney Island area.