Consolidating Catholic Education: Proposed Stella Maris merge
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“As emotional as everything is, you need to avoid coming at it from an emotional stance,” Patricia Cody said after Friday’s dismissal of 293 pupils from Epiphany of Our Lord, 1248 Jackson St.
The fifth-year principal has been maintaining her composure since Jan. 6, when the Archdiocese of Philadelphia-appointed Blue Ribbon Commission declared her Lower Moyamensing location along with Holy Spirit, 1845 Hartranft St.; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 2329 S. Third St.; Sacred Heart of Jesus, 1329 E. Moyamensing Ave.; and St. Richard, 1826 Pollock St., will likely merge to form a regional parochial institution. If a review committee and Archbishop Charles J. Chaput uphold the group’s suggestions for 45 elementary and four high schools to close or merge, hundreds of students will need a new educational abode, with the archdiocese projecting 700 learners will attend the former Stella Maris site, 814 Bigler St., which closed two years ago for the same reasons that could doom the commission’s selections.
Cody knew South Philly would experience change but had not expected it for nine of its 10 elementary spots. She noted the archdiocese began studying each school about four years ago but had not heard any theory that her locale, filled 53 percent to capacity, would join the aforementioned schools and Annunciation B.V.M.. 1148 Wharton St.; St. Gabriel, 2917 Dickinson St.; St. Nicholas of Tolentine, 913 Pierce St.; and St. Thomas Aquinas, 1719 Morris St., in pondering parting with or welcoming young minds.
“The commission had to make many tough choices, many I expected, not that that fact has made things much easier,” the resident of the 1100 block of West Moyamensing Avenue, who last year won a Distinguished Principal Award, said.
Enrollment dips signaled a call for action, as did parish subsidies, which since 2001 have averaged $319,162 per school. Epiphany’s students received $100,466 in subsidies in ’09-’10, the last year the report chronicles.
The report deemed students must attend their respective regional school to continue their Catholic instruction, stating “By keeping the children from the same parish together it will help them to build community among themselves and the pastor and parish staff can maintain a relationship with them.” For many Epiphany children, that will mean returning to Stella Maris, 0.89 miles away. Samantha Dinubile, however, cared not about proximity but about feasibility.
“I am worried about having so many children in one place,” the resident of the 1200 block of Ritner Street said after retrieving her sons, fifth-grader Salvatore and second-grader Santino.
She dubbed herself shocked and feels not enough consideration went into compiling the report.
“While it’s true students will not need to travel that far, there will be safety and transportation issues,” Dinubile said.
Distances from the planned school range from 0.89 to 1.9 miles. The figures have her wondering about busing, an element the six-member implementation team consisting of Stella Maris Rev. John R. DiOrio and other pastors is discussing. Her sons’ friendships have Dinubile leaning toward the regional site.
“I still can’t believe it,” Salvatore said.
He acknowledged remaining with companions would gladden him but noted parting with the Epiphany atmosphere would sadden him.
“This could also be troublesome for teachers. What about teachers who may come from schools with low enrollment?” his mother said wondering the effect of larger class sizes.
Employees at closing and merging schools must reapply for positions at their particular regional site only, with 1,700 teachers destined to polish their résumés. Packer Park’s Holy Spirit, with 141 students, and Mount Carmel, with 140, join a dozen other selected schools in educating fewer than 150 students. Filled 43 and 45 percent to capacity, respectively, they have suffered significant enrollment plunges, losing nearly 300 combined students since ’05. While Mount Carmel Principal Sister Rosemarie O’Neill declined to comment, Holy Spirit Principal Donna-Maria Meyers confessed in an e-mail to having a heavy heart.
“The Christmas tree and decorations in my outer office are still not put away. It dawned on me that the delay is because I know that I’m not just putting them away for next year, but that I am putting them away to take home to my garage until…,” she said. “The kids will sense what we are feeling. If we are positive and see this as a good thing, the kids will, too. Change is a healthy part of life’s journey.”
Pennsport’s Sacred Heart of Jesus enrolls 191 students, 76 percent of its capacity. Like all the mentioned schools, it received a six-figure subsidy in ’09-’10. Down 39 students since ’05, it, too, has struggled.
“These have been hard days,” Principal Sister Patricia Mount said via e-mail, “but we are getting excited about our planning for the new regional school and its programs.”
The archdiocese chose the Stella Maris building because its capacity for students exceeds the other sites’, archdiocese spokeswoman Donna Farrell said. Ample parking, green space, the church’s connection to the school and the site’s overall structural integrity solidified the selection.
“Right now the focus is on the teachers, students and families affected by all of these decisions,” Farrell said of the plans for the seven affected entities’ future uses, with personnel determining the sites’ fates.
She suspects many will remain in use for religious education programs. The commission hinted at such, too, as it will bolster opportunities for public school students who venture to parishes for sacraments and faith formation. Cody, who helped to devise yesterday’s Epiphany appeal, hopes her doors continue to welcome her learners, too.
“With factual data, we have to prove we are sustainable and viable,” she said. “I am hopeful, confident and prayerful.”
St. Richard’s first-year principal Marianne Garnham could use the same adjectives.
“St. Richard isn’t just a building they send their children to; it’s a way of life,” she said of parents who have expressed fervor for her 262 students’ Marconi haven.
Her learners have shown impressive resolve, participating in a vigil, displaying posters in the school’s windows and attending a Tuesday night prayer service. The seventh and eighth grades will open Catholic Schools Week at Sunday’s Masses by reading essays on their school’s worth to them.
Garnham and pastor William Kaufman crafted an appeal showing that St. Richard can sustain itself based on enrollment and finances. The archdiocese expects to make its final decisions by next month and name the schools and their principals by March 25.
Garnham, whose school is filled 86 percent to capacity, hopes it can beat the odds.
“Despite the sadness and turmoil, our students have been wonderfully optimistic,” she said. “Their love for their school has been uplifting for all of us.”
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124. Comment at southphillyreview.com/news/features.
Staff Photo by Greg Bezanis
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