Sacred Heart’s Revitalization Story Featured in The Wall Street Journal – "Homeschooling Saved a Dying Church"

The St. John Henry Newman Institute is proud to announce that Fr. Sirico’s recent article, "Homeschooling Saved a Dying Church," has been published in The Wall Street Journal. In this piece, Fr. Sirico recounts the transformation of Sacred Heart Academy and the broader parish community—once struggling to survive—through the embrace of homeschooling and a return to a strong, traditional Catholic education. When Fr. Sirico became pastor of Sacred Heart in 2012, the parish was facing difficult circumstances. A declining congregation, a crumbling church, and a school with fewer than 70 students were just some of the challenges. The parish was on the verge of merging with another, and Fr. Sirico was even given the option to close the school. However, after listening to the concerns and desires of the parish families, a new direction was set into motion. Many families had already embraced homeschooling, driven by a strong desire to provide their children with a deeply Catholic education. This desire sparked a new vision for Sacred Heart Academy, one that blended traditional Catholic education with a hybrid homeschooling model. As a result, the school experienced a remarkable revival. The shift allows homeschool students to attend part-time, while fully integrating into the student body—participating in Mass with full-time students, wearing uniforms, and walking the halls alongside them. In the article, Fr. Sirico also reflects on broader trends in Catholic education and the need to preserve the integrity of Catholic identity in schools. He warns against the growing trend of secularization in many Catholic schools and highlights the success of Sacred Heart Academy as an example of how homeschooling, daily mass for the student body and a Christ-centered curriculum can revitalize both education and community. We invite you to read Fr. Sirico’s full reflection on how homeschooling played a central role in saving Sacred Heart Academy and Parish, and how this story may serve as an inspiration for other Catholic communities facing similar challenges. The article is currently behind The Wall Street Journal’s paywall, but subscribers can read it here.