FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — Bishop Connolly High School will soon close for good due to a continued decline in enrollment, according to the Diocese of Fall River.

The Diocese announced Wednesday that the Catholic school will cease operations at the end of the 2022-23 academic year.

“While we sincerely regret having to close Bishop Connolly, our ultimate goal is to strengthen Catholic education in the Diocese for the future,” said Daniel Roy, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Fall River. “We are committed to helping families transition to other Diocesan Catholic high schools and to make the process as seamless as possible.”

Despite efforts to keep the school open, the Diocese said it “no longer has the resources to continue to keep Bishop Connolly operational.”

The Diocese said the high school, which was founded in 1966, has been struggling financially since the start of the pandemic.

“We continue to experience very challenging times that have put an even greater financial strain on many families,” Bishop Edgar da Cunha said. “So many people have extraordinary needs amidst this economic uncertainty, and the Diocese needs to leverage its precious resources to an even greater extent.”

The Diocese estimates that, over the last five years, it has spent more than $1 million to keep the high school open.

“We are confident that our Catholic school leadership will provide both pastoral support and educational guidance to all affected families so that their children can transition and be welcomed into a new Catholic school family,” da Cunha added.