MARTY -- The Diocese of St. Cloud announced this week that it will be closing a central Minnesota parochial school.

Bishop Donald Kettler says Holy Cross School in Marty will close at the end of the 2020-2021 school year.

The school has provided many generations of families with a solid education grounded in Gospel values. I know this is a difficult time for families, staff and parishioners who love their school. But it has been facing considerable challenges for some time due to changing demographics, diminishing enrollments and other barriers to long-term operational vitality.

The closure of the school, which teaches students in preschool through sixth grade, has been in the works for a while.

Kettler says by closing the school, he hopes to see Holy Cross Catholic Church shift resources and build a new ministry to meet the community's current needs.

Catholic Community Schools will be helping students and teachers from Holy Cross find other learning and teaching opportunities within the system for next school year.

The Holy Cross parish has been a part of the Marty and Pearl Lake community since 1897. Holy Cross School was founded in 1904.

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