La Salle-Peru, Oglesby Catholic schools to unify in fall

It’s not happening tomorrow – it will take time – but the Catholic schools of Oglesby, La Salle and Peru will be unified.

Friday, pastors of the respective parishes met first with their teaching staffs and spelled out the plan to be executed over the next few months. Over the weekend, they told their parishioners: There soon will be one school (with three buildings) with a new name, new colors and mascot and, potentially, a new building.

“It’s becoming one school system,” said the Rev. Father Gary Blake, who heads the Peru Catholic School.

“We will be a new school in the fall,” said the Rev. Father Paul Carlson, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Oglesby. “It has moved very fast.”

So, what changes are forthcoming? The clergy said teachers will be retained. All three campuses will remain in use – for now. A feasibility study will, however, explore the future of the campuses.

Deb Myers, principal of Trinity Catholic Academy, said she’s described the process to her mildly-surprised faculty – the teachers knew something was up – as the three schools will be “unified, not merged or consolidated.”

Myers further noted the unifying approach will mean more offerings both in the classroom and in extracurricular activities.

“It’s all about sustaining the quality of Catholic education in the Illinois Valley for generations to come,” Myers said.

The process has taken about a year. In early 2024, the priests and principals huddled together for open-ended discussions on how to stay afloat financially. Later, they expanded the net to include secular authorities who agreed that Catholic schools, and school choice, benefit the community as a whole.

The problems driving this are anything but new. Demographics and societal changes that were decades in the making have increased the burden on parochial schools. Households are getting smaller. Fewer families are attending church and, by extension, fewer sending their children to Catholic school.

“The Catholic school model is broke,” said Rich Koehler, Peru Catholic principal, “that model being the church supports the school and the nuns provide the free labor.

“That’s totally, totally gone.”

All of which has sent education costs soaring. All three Catholic schools are operating at a deficit and have been for the past two years.

Meanwhile, facilities are aging and keeping the lights burning is growing more costly. It doesn’t help that school districts nationwide, public and parochial, are dealing with a shortage of educators.

Educators and clergy have seen it all coming and know it won’t get any better.

“It’s just the right time to address this,” Carlson said.

“We wanted to be proactive to get in front of this and work with parishioners, parents and teachers to present a solution to these things,” Blake said, “rather than have the diocese make changes.

“Traditionally, the diocese would look into the need, make the decision and give it to you. Here, the school districts and parishes are taking the lead and that is giving people more ownership in this.”

That is not to say the bishop’s office has been out of the loop. Local clergy have kept Louis Tylka, bishop of Peoria Diocese, abreast of the issues. He has given his OK for how to address them.

“The bishop has been supportive,” Myers said, “very supportive.”

Though announcements were made at the weekend Masses but resources are available for parents who want to learn more. Queries may be directed to Caholicschoolsconsortium.org