Here is a round up of recent Catholic-education-related news:
Ave Maria University to open campus in Ireland
Ave Maria University, a Catholic liberal arts university in Florida, is opening a new campus at a former monastery in rural Ireland, according to an announcement on its website.
The new campus will be in County Waterford in the southern region of Ireland at the former Cistercian monastery of Mount Melleray near Cappoquin, the university announced in a video. The abbey closed in January 2025 after almost two centuries.
The video announcement pledged that the new campus would be “a fully integrated Ave Maria University experience now embedded in the rich Catholic and cultural heritage of Europe.”
Diocese of Brooklyn to close 7 struggling schools
Seven Catholic schools will be closing in June in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, due to financial challenges and enrollment declines, the diocese announced Feb. 11.
The seven schools closing are: Sacred Heart Catholic Academy, Cambria Heights; St. Bartholomew Catholic Academy in Elmhurst; St. Nicholas of Tolentine Catholic Academy in Jamaica; Incarnation Catholic Academy in Queens Village; St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Academy in Woodhaven; St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy in Ozone Park; and Our Lady of Trust Catholic Academy in Canarsie.
“Our responsibility is both pastoral and practical,” said Deacon Kevin McCormack, superintendent of schools for the diocese. “We will walk with our families and employees through this process while continuing to strengthen Catholic education throughout Brooklyn and Queens.”
The enrollment decline has been ongoing since 2019, with a sharp decline from 2024 to 2025, according to the diocese newspaper.
The diocese has a website to help families facilitate transferring to nearby Catholic schools.
Thomas Aquinas College celebrates 100 alumni priests
A Catholic liberal arts college in California with an East Coast satellite location in Massachusetts celebrated its 100th alumni priest.
Priest alumni of Thomas Aquinas College include 11 Benedictines, nine Dominicans, eight Norbertines, and 40 diocesan priests, among others, according to a Feb. 12 press release shared with EWTN News.
Thomas Aquinas College has a combined enrollment of about 500 students and is designed to be an intentionally small community.
“We are deeply honored to have played some small part in these men’s formation, and we pray for their ministry and witness as they serve Christ’s people throughout the world,” President Paul O’Reilly said in a statement shared with EWTN News.
The four newest priests were ordained in 2024 at three separate ordination masses.
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