Roman Catholics: Schools Under Strain

The parochial-school system, which for the past 80 years has been the wellspring of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S., is changing its patterns. In Cincinnati, Archbishop Karl J. Alter announced that because of high costs and overcrowded classrooms the parochial schools in his archdiocese would close their first grades next September: 10,000 children in an area that includes Cincinnati, Dayton and Springfield will enroll, instead, in public schools.

In suburban Milwaukee, the Rev. Oscar Winninghoff of St. Aloysius' parish, said that his school would discontinue the first four grades in...