A Letter from Bishop Berg on the Closure of St. Therese Catholic School in Pueblo

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I write this letter with profound regret and heartfelt sorrow. Through the dedication of teachers, staff, parents and benefactors, St Therese Catholic School has contributed to the spiritual lives and successful careers of countless students in the Pueblo community for 26 years.  Over the past few years this dedication and sacrifice has been most apparent as teachers and staff struggled through a series of financial losses, with a declining enrollment, seeking solutions to stay open and provide Catholic education for our students.

The administration of the school has always involved a balancing act of securing funding to pay necessary expenses and relying on the generous dedication and sacrifice of school personnel, teachers and staff. The State of Colorado provided hope for funding assistance with the initiation of the BOCES home assistance program two years ago, which allowed the school a window of continuing its operations. However this program has now been cancelled throughout the state and these crucial funds, which amounted to approximately 50% of the tuition needed to run the school, are no longer available.

Deacon Allan Medina, Diocesan superintendent of schools; Gerard Flores, STCS principal; the STCS school board; members of the Diocesan Finance Council; the Diocesan College of Consultors; expertise from other dioceses and professional entities; all of these and more have been consulted as to ways in which STCS may be able to move forward. It should be noted that the Parish of the Shrine of St Therese, having no fiscal or administrative responsibility for the school, yet has been consistently generous with subsidies and scholarships over the years. as have many benefactors giving time, talent and treasure to Catholic education over the years.

Various operational scenarios were proposed in order to keep STCS going. None of these scenarios were found to be either presently applicable, acceptable, sound or in any way hopeful. In the meantime, enrollment has continued to decline through the summer, and the financial outlook has continued to deteriorate.

It is my sad duty to report to you now that St Therese Catholic School is no longer open for enrollment for the coming 2026-2027 school year. We pray that Our Lord is with our students and teachers.  For those parents interested in transferring their children to St John Neumann Catholic School, Pueblo, please contact their office at 719-561-9419 or visit www.sjncs.school. There will be some tuition assistance available for transfer students and their staff is ready to meet you.

We pray that Jesus may now carry our students and teachers through this important transition in their lives, and for all of us, that the Holy Spirit light our path into the future.

+Most Reverend Stephen J. Berg

Bishop of Pueblo

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