Parents and educators are reeling after learning that four local Catholic schools will soon close their doors.

The Archdiocese of New York announced Friday that Hawthorne's Holy Rosary, Irvington's Immaculate Conception, Blauvelt's St. Catherine of Alexandria and Stony Point's Immaculate Conception. Additionally, two Port Chester schools, Holy Rosary and Corpus Christi will merge and operate out of the latter.

The archdiocese cited dwindling enrollment and escalating operating costs for the decisions.

"I feel like I've lost someone in my family," said Mary Jane Sabatini, who has taught at the Hawthorne school for eight years. The strong connection has made it hard for her to come to grips with the decision. "The community was just very small and good. The school was excellent. I'm still in touch with students that are in their 30s."

"It's actually sad," said Dominick Venturini, of Thornwood. "Now, these kids have to find a new place to go to school and they may have to be introduced to the public school system, so it's disappointing."

St. Pius V in the Bronx and St. Lawrence O'Toole in Brewster are also on the list of Catholic elementary schools to close this year. The schools will permanently shut their doors at the end of the school year in June.