After a history of ups and downs, Billings Catholic Schools flourishing

With enrollment on the rise and plans for a new multimillion-dollar West End facility in the works, the Billings Catholic Schools system is flourishing.

But the path to success hasn't always been easy. 

Karen Petermann, who began teaching at the Kate Fratt Memorial School in 1976, can attest to that.

Retiring in 2012 as principal of St. Francis Primary, Petermann remembers a time when the fear of Catholic school closures was very real in the city. 

Before the establishment of the Billings Catholic Schools system, Petermann taught at Little Flower Elementary School, then one of the handful of parish-operated schools in town.

The school opened in 1950 at a time of soaring enrollment. But flush times met tepid numbers in the 1970s and 1980s, making increasing costs difficult to cover. Eventually, financial pressures forced Little Flower Elementary closed, according to school archives.

At that time, Petermann said, she moved to the Holy Rosary School, which later became St. Francis Primary. She feared other schools were next. But those fears would soon be put to rest.

In 1983, Bishop Tom Murphy called a citywide meeting to discuss the future of Catholic Schools in Billings. Three years later, the schools consolidated and formed the Billings Catholic Schools. 

The Little Flower School building became administrative offices; the Holy Rosary School became St. Francis Primary; St. Pius X became St. Francis Intermediate; and the Kate Fratt School became St. Francis Upper Catholic School.

When asked whether the co