We, the undersigned parents, guardians, alumni, and members of the Catholic community in Great Falls, Montana, respectfully voice our strong opposition to the recent decision by Bishop Jeffrey M. Fleming to restructure and rename Our Lady of Lourdes School, Holy Spirit School, and Central Catholic High School.

Without meaningful input from the families, students, and broader community, Bishop Jeffrey M. Fleming has authorized the consolidation of Our Lady of Lourdes, Holy Spirit, and Central Catholic High School into a single K-12 institution under a new name: Saint Patrick’s Academy. No surveys, town halls, or formal studies were conducted to seek or document the voices of the families directly affected.

We firmly believe that:

• The history and identity of Our Lady of Lourdes School, Holy Spirit School, and Central Catholic High School are important to preserve.

• The rushed and top-down nature of this decision does not reflect the spirit of collaboration and transparency we expect from our Catholic leadership.

• True community support can only be established through open dialogue, transparent data, and shared decision-making — none of which have occurred here.

Additionally, we are deeply concerned about the significant financial impact this restructuring would impose on families and on our local parishes. Historically, tuition at Our Lady of Lourdes and Holy Spirit has been kept affordable, honoring the mission to make Catholic education accessible to all families in Great Falls. In contrast, under a similar model in Billings, tuition rates for Catholic schools are substantially higher for both elementary and high school students.

If a similar tuition structure is adopted here, many families would be priced out of Catholic education — effectively limiting enrollment to only the most financially privileged, contrary to the Church’s broader mission.

This financial burden would come at a time when inflation remains historically high and the cost of living continues to rise across Montana. Families are already struggling to manage increasing expenses for housing, groceries, utilities, and healthcare. Adding significantly higher tuition costs — along with increased parish subsidies — would place an even heavier burden on our Catholic community.

Moreover, the financial burden on parishes would dramatically increase.

In other consolidated models, such as in Billings, parishes are required to subsidize school operations at much higher levels than currently seen in Great Falls. Under the proposed plan for Saint Patrick’s Academy, the Diocese of Great Falls–Billings would commit 15% of the total school cost to support the institution.

However, these diocesan funds come from parish contributions across the entire diocese, including from many small and rural parishes that are not directly connected to Great Falls. This would effectively force all parishes, even those hundreds of miles away, to shoulder part of the financial burden of a decision they had no voice in — potentially at the expense of their own local ministries and needs.

We call upon leadership at the diocesan and national levels to pause this change immediately and require a formal, transparent consultation process with all stakeholders before any restructuring or renaming moves forward.

We love our schools, our faith, and our children’s futures. Please hear our voices and reconsider this decision for the good of our entire community.

Sincerely,

The Concerned Parents, Guardians, Alumni, and Friends of:

• Our Lady of Lourdes School

• Holy Spirit School

• Central Catholic High School