St. Patrick School has been a staple in Owego for 155 years. But like many Catholic schools in recent years, it is in danger of closing. Parents of the K-6 school on Front Street, the only Catholic school in Tioga County, received a letter Jan. 13 saying the future of the school was in “serious jeopardy.” Bishop Salvatore Matano, who runs the Diocese of Rochester, said the school may need to close due to the “dire financial status of the parish and school.”
Parents recently met to consider plans to raise money to save the school. The group may need to raise as much as $500,000 to save the school according to a letter distributed to parents on Friday. School parents are working toward raising the money, seeking company donations. Last year, St. Patrick made a large fundraising effort to remain open this year. St. Patrick has a long history in Owego. The school opened in 1859. In 1992, St. Patrick became a regional school serving all the parishes of Tioga County.
