CV NEWS FEED // The Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is entering a new chapter now that the many consolidations of its elementary and high schools over the past five years have come to an end.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that since 2007, the number of Catholics in the Diocese has shrunk by about two-thirds. Bishop David Zubik, who was appointed in 2007, introduced the five-year restructuring plan that consolidated parishes and schools to meet the Diocese’s needs in the changing landscape.
In 2007, there were 98 diocesan elementary schools, which served 25,000 students, and 12 high schools, which served 5,000 students, according to the Post-Gazette.
“Now, the diocese serves just over 9,400 students in 35 elementary schools and an additional 3,500 high school students,” the Post-Gazette reported.
The five-year restructuring plan is drawing to a close, and the Bishop does not expect any more schools to merge in the near future, as enrollment rates have steadied.
The diocesan schools remained open throughout the pandemic as many other schools went virtual, the Post-Gazette reported. This was a turning point for the Diocese’s school enrollment.
“The pandemic, for our schools, actually stabilized enrollment,” outgoing Superintendent of Schools Michelle Peduto told the Post-Gazette in a previous interview. “We actually received new students then as well because people wanted their kids back in school and we’ve maintained that stabilization.”
Peduto, who has served as the superintendent for five years, is planning to retire in June The Diocese has appointed the principal of one of the schools, Lauren Martin, as the next superintendent.
Along with a new superintendent and school mergers drawing to an end, the Diocese recently announced increases in school security in response to safety concerns.
In January, the Diocese announced that it was increasing security resources for the schools. In March, the Diocese was approved to have police security forces that could respond if needed to safety threats. As CatholicVote previously reported, the police were sent to a school in April after the school received a threatening email. The FBI is continuing to investigate the threat.
Peduto told the Post-Gazette in March, “It doesn’t make me feel good that we need this, that we need to protect everyone from external threats, but it’s a reality. We just have to face that reality and move forward.”
She also said she is grateful for parents’ trust in the diocesan schools amid all of the changes in the last several years.
“It’s a wonderful thing to see the commitment of our parents, but it’s due to the mission of the schools. They stay with us and I know there’s changes in uniforms and changes in locations, but our mission has never changed,” Peduto said.
