Central Catholic, Holy Cross schools to merge

Holy Cross Catholic Elementary and Central Catholic High schools in Morgan City will officially transition to be a new unified diocesan Catholic school in the 2018-19 school year, according to a new release from the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

Diocesan officials announced Monday that Central Catholic High School and Holy Cross Elementary School will merge for the 2018-19 school year, resulting in a unified diocesan Catholic school.

The merger came about as the result of a culture of planning begun by Bishop Shelton Fabre two years ago.

“Catholic education is one of the ways that we respond to the call to nurture missionary disciples that will be faithful in the mission of the Catholic Church and assist in building up the Kingdom of God here among us,” Fabre said in the news release.

The new unified school, which has yet to be named, will be divided into a lower school consisting of Pre-K3 through fifth grade and an upper school consisting of sixth grade through 12th grade, Central Catholic Principal Vic Bonnaffee said.

Holy Cross Elementary currently serves Pre-K3 through sixth grade while Central Catholic serves seventh grade through 12th grade.

Central Catholic High School has a current enrollment of 222, while Holy Cross Catholic Elementary serves 241 students.

School leaders saw a need to re-create the unified efforts used to raise money for building projects, and use those combined efforts “in marketing and recruitment as well as in the curriculum and the services being offered and in the formation of students,” Bonnaffee said.

The decision will have no effect on the cost of tuition, and the upper and lower schools will have the same principals as the elementary and high schools have, Bonnaffee said.

Diocesan and school leaders shared their excitement of the new unified diocesan Catholic school during a public announcement Monday evening.

Vision 2020: Strength through Unity is a plan to foster the ongoing formation of each student as a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ, the release said.

“Through the collaborative effort of many, Vision 2020: Strength through Unity will work diligently to foster the growth of Catholic education in the Morgan City area for our children for many years to come,” said Suzanne Troxclair, diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools, in the news release.

Also in the release, Holy Cross Principal Amanda Talbot said, “Through the unification of the schools, we will be able to work as a team to strengthen and build a seamless curriculum and spiritual formation for Pre-K-12th grade students.”