ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – On Friday, students and faculty representing over 74 years of education at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School visited the campus to pay their respects, see old faces, and talk about old times. Late last year, the decision was made that the ’23-’24 school year would be Fatima’s last.
Fatima-Gallagher Hall – which holds the school’s gymnasium, lunchroom, and kindergarten – held a reception following the morning mass services that featured a slideshow of photos from over the years and a collection of the school’s yearbooks. Kim Welch is a parent of two students currently enrolled at Our Lady of Fatima and says the announcement of the closure was very emotional.
“This is a very huge family here. It’s a small community and we all care for each other a lot and have very deep connections with the teachers and the staff and the pastor,” Welch said.
Welch added she appreciated the school’s communication to the parents in order to make preparations for the next school year. In December, Principal Melinda Mader expressed the importance of giving the families and faculty ample time to make decisions. “For our families, we are going to be inviting the different parochial school principals to come down at the start of the new year as we begin enrollment season so they can meet the different principals and find out more about parochial schools and make choices that are going to be best for their families,” said Mader.
Our Lady of Fatima enrolled its first students under the name “Heights Catholic School” in the fall of 1949. It would be formally dedicated on January 29 of the next year with 157 students in four grades taught by three nuns. A new Convent for the Dominican Sisters of the Grand Rapids was blessed and dedicated in December 1951 and in 1954, four more classrooms were added to the school, allowing it to offer instruction for all eight grades.
Welch said on Friday that the majority of the families are continuing their children’s education in other Catholic schools in the area. “We all appreciate and respect the education our kids get here and we will continue that,” said Welch.
The alumni in attendance felt the school’s closure was unfortunate but grateful for the memories their time at the school gave them. “Even though a lot of my classmates, we’re not super close, there’s still some bond I think we all share,” said Raul Garcia, Our Lady of Fatima, class of 1996. “We grew up together, that’s the truth of it.”
Fatima’s total enrollment for the ’23-’24 school year was 53 students. Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School’s last day will be Friday, May 24.
