It's a day the Principal of St. Patrick's school saw coming, but has dreaded. On Thursday she announced her school will close its doors for good on June 13th, ending a 128 year tradition in Chicopee.

"It's not something we hoped would happen, but it's the reality, " says Principal Anne Sweetman.

Over the past few years, Sweetman says enrollment has dropped. When she started working at the school nine years ago, there were almost 300 students. Today that number now stands just under 150. She blames the economy and people turning to free, public schools instead.

"So many demands on people's finances now, Catholic education is now a luxury, " adds Sweetman.

School officials had been trying to come up with ways to draw more students into their classrooms, but with limited funds and resources themselves, they knew it was time to say goodbye.

"With the way the finances are, the way life is today, it just wasn't happening, " says Father Richard Turner, St. Patrick's Pastor.

19 faculty members will lose their jobs, but what concerns school officials the most are the students. But even though their school will be gone, they know its legacy will always live on in Chicopee.

In response to St. Patrick School closing, all three Chicopee Catholic schools will host Open House sessions on Monday May 12 from 9am-1:30pm and 6pm-8pm.

They are: Holy Name, 63 South Street, St. Joan of Arc - St. George, 587 Grattan Street, and St. Stanislaus School, 534 Front Street.