ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

OFFICE FOR COMMUNICATIONS
222 North Seventeenth Street - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-1299
Telephone (215) 587-3747        Fax (215) 587-3875
www.archdiocese-phl.org   communof@adphila.org

SAINT ANNE, HOLY NAME OF JESUS, SAINT LAURENTIUS
PARISH SCHOOLS TO CONTINUE STUDYING THEIR FUTURE

The Pastors of the three parishes of Cluster 22 in the Fishtown and Port Richmond sections of Philadelphia announced at weekend Masses that since a consensus in the parish communities could not be reached concerning a consolidation no decision would be made at this time.   It was clear that more demographic and financial facts need to be presented to the parish and school communities and the study process needs to continue.

It is extremely important to note that the earlier proposals regarding consolidation were made solely by the Pastors and Steering Committee for the purpose of hearing the opinions and reactions of the parishioners. The Archdiocese in no way created or endorsed either proposal and at no time was a decision made by the Archdiocese regarding a regional school in the area.This review by parishioners is a necessary part of the process before any recommendation is made. The Archdiocese always maintained that the people know the facts and have an opportunity to respond to the proposals based on the facts.

Now each Pastor, with the Parish Pastoral and Finance Councils, will make plans to re-open his school in September 2006 as an independent parish school but re-opening is by no means guaranteed.  Any decision to re-open school in September 2006 will depend upon enrollment and parish income. The Pastors told parishioners that they will do their best but if it is determined this Spring that there is insufficient enrollment to sustain one or more of the schools academically or financially by means of tuition, parish subsidy and Archdiocesan subsidy, then it may be necessary to close at one or more of the schools at the end of this academic year.

At the weekend Masses, the Pastors also expressed gratitude to all the Parish Study Committees and Cluster Steering Committee for their work during these past years. The information they compiled is important and most helpful. Now, it is necessary for each parish to study its own particular situation to determine how best to provide a quality Catholic education for its children.

Background

In 2004, the parish elementary schools of Cluster 22 in the Fishtown and Port Richmond sections of Philadelphia began discussions concerning the future of Catholic education in their area. In 2005, it was determined by the parishes that St. Anne, Holy Name of Jesus and St. Laurentius Parishes would work together to see if a consolidation of the three schools might be beneficial. It was apparent at that time that going forward, none of the three parishes would have sufficient funds or resources to afford the operation of its school on its own in a way which would meet the standards of quality Catholic education.

The task of the Steering Committee was to develop proposals which would require review and reaction from the various parish communities.  In December 2005, one such proposal was presented, namely that a consolidated school would be established at the present sites of Holy Name of Jesus and St. Laurentius Schools.  A great deal of concern was voiced, in large measure, by the parishioners of St. Anne Parish and those in Holy Name and St. Laurentius Parishes who did not favor a consolidation

Since there was no viable consensus on this proposal, a second proposal was presented to parishioners in January 2006, which suggested that St. Anne School be the site for a consolidated school.  This proposal met with anger and demonstrations.

Everyone realized that any proposal to consolidate schools would be painful for some and would not receive 100% endorsement by parishioners.  However, it is obvious that the two proposals presented in this situation lacked any measure of unified support.  Through this process it has also become clear that parishioners need to have the demographic and financial facts which each parish is facing.

Moving Forward

Each Pastor will immediately begin to work with his own Parish Pastoral and Finance Councils to review current facts pertaining to school enrollment, tuition, parish income and expenses, and the parish's ability to provide sufficient funds for the school to reopen in September 2006.  Each parish will also be responsible for disseminating all these facts to its parishioners and school parents.

It is already clear that none of the three parishes has sufficient funds to open its school in September 2006 with the current projected enrollment.  Tuition will certainly need to be increased significantly. However, the Archdiocese has offered to subsidize each parish financially through the IPCC (Interparochial Cooperation Commission) for one year, that is, the School Year 2006 2007, to allow the parishes the time and opportunity to determine their own future within established guidelines.