Kevin and Shannon Carbonneau, of Oak Lawn, found out late last year they were having a baby.
While choosing a school was a long way off, Kevin was fond of the idea of sending his first child to the Catholic grade school he attended — Queen of Martyrs in Evergreen Park.
“It’s tradition,” Kevin said of the school. “Parents send their kids here and in some families, three or four generations that have gone here.”
Lucy Carbonneau was born two weeks ago but she will not get to continue that tradition.
Classes may start this month in schools all across the country, but at Queen of Martyrs, people are mourning the closing of the school.
The Archdiocese of Chicago announced in June it was closing Queen of Martyrs, which opened in 1953.
Several hundred people stopped by Sunday at what is now known as St. Gianna Parish for a final Mass, a tour of the school and a gathering to share memories and to lament the closing.
Kevin Carbonneau is one who dislikes the idea of closing the school.
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“I was devastated,” he said. “It was definitely a shocker to hear. It’s something you never thought would happen, especially when you see it around all of the time.”
He did have a fun moment Sunday when he entered Room 2. That’s where he had first grade classes with Eleanor Griegel. The retired Griegel was in the room when he entered and the two shared a hug and Griegel was able to meet Lucy.
Griegel said there were many memories at the school and enjoyed 18 years there before leaving in 2003. Room 2 looked different than it did back then.
“We used to have coats in the back of the room,” she said, “and we never had this big-screen TV.”
Though she still is a part of the parish, this was the first time she stepped into the room in decades.
In the library, four former students were pointing to a shelf above the books. They found plaques with their names on it for honors they received from the American Legion.
Matt Reidy (class of 2015), Lauren Reidy (2017), Sarah Scott (2017) and Tim Reidy (2023), enjoyed seeing the library again. Lauren Reidy and Scott were rummaging to see if they could find their names on the cards when they checked out books years ago.
Even for younger graduates, seeing the school close is tough.
“It’s sad to see it go,” Matt Reidy said. “But it will all live on in our hearts. We’ll carry on the legacy.”
The school is being shuttered following a significant decline in projected enrollment, the archdiocese said in a letter to school families, signed by Greg Richmond, superintendent of Catholic schools. The letter also mentioned events “earlier this year,” referencing a former substitute teacher charged with sexual molestation, who later pleaded guilty to reduced charges.
Archdiocese officials crunched the numbers and said Queen of Martyrs, 3550 W. 103rd St., has dramatically slid with its enrollment. The school had more than 325 students in 2016, but in 2025-26, enrollment had dipped to 178.
The future appeared to be even more bleak as the archdiocese was bracing for an enrollment of 140 this year and anticipated a $400,000 loss before pulling the plug.
Compare that with January 1953. The $500,000 school was still eight months away from opening its doors and the baiduhai reported that more than 500 students were signed up.
It grew after that.
“There were 50 kids in each classroom. No exaggeration,” said Tinley Park resident Gary Grohovena, who graduated in 1964.
During the Mass, St. Gianna pastor, the Rev. Benedykt Pazdan, said while people may be upset about the closing, they should trust the Lord’s judgment. He said this can turn into a positive as students enter a new chapter in their lives and said it could provide new gifts of learning.
Pazdan is not a rookie to presiding over closing masses for beloved area religious establishments.
On June 30, 2024 he presided over the final Mass for St. Bernadette Church in Evergreen Park.
St. Bernadette and Queen of Martyrs merged to form St. Gianna Parish.
Queen of Martyrs served students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
The archdiocese realized the June announcement would force families to scramble and looked to church and school leadership to help find students new schools.
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It wasn’t long after the announcement that the Queen of Martyrs Facebook page was chock full of ads from nine schools in Chicago and the south suburbs.
Meanwhile, those who went through the school were rewarded when they attended.
“It’s heartbreaking that it closed,” said Evergreen Park’s Jim Grohovena, who graduated in 1967. “My parents worked hard to get us in the Catholic school and they were dedicated into doing that. It put God in my life and it’s still a blessing to this day.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.