East โคHartford‘s St. Rose Church Closes Doors After Century โคof Service
East Hartford,โ CT – St. โคRose โคChurch, the โฃsecond oldest Catholicโ churchโฃ in eastโ Hartford, officially closed its โขdoorsโ Monday, marking the end of an era for generations of local families. The โchurch, located at 33 Churchโ St., has been sold to โBen Bronz Academy, a West Hartford-based school for โฃstudents with disabilities established inโฃ 1985.
The closure was visibly marked by the removal โof the church’s crosses โatโ 10 a.m. with โassistance from the East โHartford Fire Department.โ For longtime parishioners, โwitnessing the event โwas deeply emotional.
“It didn’t look real, andโ you couldn’t understand it was really comingโ down. Now you see it, and you realize, it’s done,”โ said Dennis Sheridan,โ a St. Rose parishioner. Virginia Alleano, another parishioner, reflected on personal connections to the church, stating, “I was โคthinking ofโค my husbandโฆThis was ourโข parish.โ our daughters were married here, โคreceived allโค their sacraments here, and he โฃwas buried here.”
St. โขRose first opened โขas a placeโ of worship in the 1920s and held its last mass in June 2024.โ State Representative Henry J. Genga describedโฃ the event asโฃ “a sadโข event [and] a formal process for a Catholic church closing,” โnoting the church “provided spiritual guidanceโค to its residents for decades.”
Theโค Archdiocese of Hartford attributes the closure, and those of other churches, toโฃ aโฃ shortage of priests andโ declining attendance. “We’re โreallyโฃ goingโค gung-ho recruitingโฃ men โfor the priesthood. that is why so โmany churchesโ are closing, it’s because we don’t have enough priests to supply โthem,” explained Fatherโ Timothy Ryan, pastor of North American Martyrs Parish, which โincludes โSt. Mary’s, St. Christopher, โฃand St.Rose.
Despiteโค the sadness, parishioners emphasized the enduring spirit ofโข the church community. “As sad as โฃit is, โit’s just โthe building. The church is theโค people,” said Mike Zebedeo, a St. Rose parishioner.
Ben Bronz Academy expressed excitement aboutโข utilizing the campus. “We are overjoyed at the prospect of this โcampus becoming the new home โfor Ben Bronz โAcademy,” said Dr. Gail Lanza,Executive Director. “This move represents a meaningful โinvestment in our students’ futuresโฆofferingโฃ facilities that foster creativity, physical activity,โค and academic achievement.” The academy anticipates beginning its nextโค school year on the former St. Rose campus.
The removed crosses will โฃbe stored at the archdiocese of Hartford.