St. Anthony School in Kalihi, after 90 years of providing Catholic education in the heart of Honolulu, will be closing this June.
La Salette Father Arnel Soriano, pastor of St. Anthony parish, made the announcement during weekend Masses Jan. 13-14.
A letter has been sent to parents of St. Anthony students notifying them of the school’s closing.
Father Soriano told the Hawaii Catholic Herald Jan. 19 that the decision to shut down the school was made after discernment with board members of St. Anthony and Hawaii Catholic Schools. Consultation was also done with Hawaii Catholic Schools superintendent Michael Rockers and the St. Anthony School community.
St. Anthony School opened Sept. 4, 1928. It began as the idea of then-pastor Sacred Hearts Father Hubert Nijs, who converted the parish hall into two classrooms to welcome its inaugural student body of more than 130 first- and second-graders.
The school has been staffed over the years by Maryknoll Sisters, Sisters of the Religious of the Virgin Mary, Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres and lay faculty.
More details on the closing of St. Anthony School will be provided in a future Hawaii Catholic Herald issue.