Parish school in Logan to close

Our Lady of Hope Catholic parish school in North Philadelphia's Logan section will close this month because of a sharp decline in enrollment.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced yesterday that Cardinal Justin Rigali had accepted the recommendation to close, made by the Rev. Efren Esmilla, pastor of the parish.

The elementary school, which has 136 students this academic year, needed to enroll at least 130 in the fall. Fewer than 50 students had registered.

Parents and staff were told recently of the school's closing.

Children from Our Lady of Hope, 5218 N. Broad St., will be offered seats at several nearby Catholic elementary schools, including DePaul Catholic School in Germantown, Incarnation of Our Lord in Olney, St. William in Lawncrest, and St. Timothy in Lower Mayfair.

The archdiocese normally announces school closings earlier in the year. Donna Farrell, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said Our Lady of Hope held off, hoping to receive enough registrations for the fall to remain open.

"Unfortunately, that didn't happen," she said.