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Editor’s note: This is a reflection that Father John Yanas, pastor at Sacred Heart Church and School, gave to the Rensselaer County Legislature on May 13 on the closing of Sacred Heart School at the end of this school year. 

To the members of the legislature, invited guests and concerned citizens, I greet you in the name of the Lord: Peace be with you and your families.

The imminent closing of Sacred Heart School represents a significant, even painful loss, for the citizens of Troy. For nearly a century, dedicated women religious and members of the laity have educated thousands of our children. Not only were they educated in the Catholic faith, but they were, in addition, taught to be responsible and productive citizens of Rensselaer County. And, praise God, many succeeded.

We are proud of all of them.

I suspect some of our elected leaders gathered here this evening have some past association with a Catholic school. You may even have been educated in one of our many schools from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

It is understandable that the closing of our school upsets and saddens you

The decision to close Sacred Heart School was a difficult one. You may be assured that I share your grief and sorrow. But due to the enormous debt accumulated in recent years, the financial burden for the parish was a weight too heavy to bear. The decision to close the school was a no-brainer, a fait accompli.

But let me point out that the closing of our school cannot erase the beautiful memories you cherish years after graduation.

Please accompany me on a stroll down memory lane.

You may recall:

The periodic fire alarm drills

The choice of chocolate or white milk during a break in the school day

Large classes of 40 or more

Class parties celebrating Valentine’s Day and Halloween

First Holy Communions

Monthly Confessions

The pastor distributing report cards to the students

Students taking cover under their desks in case of a possible nuclear attack

Daily prayers

School uniforms

Competing against other Catholic schools in basketball

May Crownings

Corporal punishment (a slap in the face for a minor infraction)

Prayers offered before and after each class

Going home for lunch

Greeting the crossing guard (Usually a retired policeman)

Recess, the favorite time of the day.

In his unforgettable sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to his listeners, “You are the light of the world.”

In his first letter to the Christian community of Thessalonica, Saint Paul reminds them that they are all children of the light.

The graduates of our school continue to be bearers of God’s mysterious light in their daily life.

I like to think that Sacred Heart School played a key role in their early formation.

Thank you, legislators, for acknowledging our parish school. We are grateful for this well-deserved honor. To be fair, the honor should be directed to all our teachers, administrators, nurses and custodians, past and present, who largely contributed to the success of our school for 98 years.

In closing, I wish to single out three exemplary figures who loom large in the history of our school: two former principals, Sister Ann Queen and Susan Holland Merrill, and the late Father James Vaughan, a native of Troy and a long-time advocate of Catholic school education.

One of our current county legislators, Gary Galuski, not only graduated from Sacred Heart School, but also was later employed as the school’s gym teacher.

He deserves our praise and thanksgiving.

Please be assured that this proclamation lifts all our spirits and encourages us to continue the mission of the Church, which is to draw all our brothers and sisters to Christ.

God bless you all.

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