Local Catholic Schools React With Relief and Sadness to Closings

St. Thomas the Apostle School in West Hempstead and Our Lady of Lourdes School in Malverne were not on the on Long Island that will be shuttered come June.

"All of us were worried because they were looking at all [the schools]," Mary Carmel Murphy, principal of Our Lady of Lourdes School, told Patch. "We are very happy that we will be able to continue here ... but it's tinged with a bit of sadness."

Upon hearing this week that the Diocese of Rockville Centre would be closing six of its elementary schools -- four in Nassau and two in Suffolk -- due to declining enrollment and financial unsustainability, like Murphy, the parents of Catholic school students in West Hempstead and Malverne experienced a range of emotions.

"As a family we are relieved that Our Lady of Lourdes will continue to stay open and educate the children of Malverne," Tom and Janet Grech, parents of two OLL students, told Patch.

The couple said it was their hope that parents of students enrolled at St. Catherine of Sienna in Franklin Square, the closest school to make the Diocese's list, would consider sending their children to Lourdes.

Despite their relief that OLL would remain open, the Grech family said, "It's a sad day for Catholic education on Long Island and in New York, and our hearts go out to the families of the students whose schools are closing."

Dawn Wladyka, another parent whose three children attend OLL, knows what it feels like to see a school you love shut down. The Catholic elementary school she attended as a child, Blessed Sacrament in Valley Stream, was shuttered last year.

"It was devastating to me as an alumni to see that school close, and I am so grateful my kids don't have to experience that sadness," Wladyka said. "I am so sad for the kids and parents in the schools that are closing."

Although Wladyka said she was "cautiously optimistic" that OLL would be safe, saying the school's enrollment appeared to be strong -- according to Murphy, it has been steadily rising -- and parents are very involved in fundraising, she did have a scare on Tuesday.

"We got a robocall yesterday to check our emails for the results of the Strategic Plan and that shook me up. I thought for a minute it would be bad news," she said.

Lori Hunt Lang, whose children attend St. Thomas the Apostle in West Hempstead, said it "is very blessed to be a thriving Catholic elementary school," but she felt for the families who would be affected by the closures.

"These parishes and families need to be supported by their neighboring parishes and welcomed in with open arms if Catholic education is still their wish," she said. "We will all be praying for the students, the teachers and the staff of these schools in the year ahead."

Sean Dolan, a spokesman for the Diocese, explained how the schools slated to close were selected.

"Every single school was evaluated on the ability of that school to provide and sustain a quality Catholic educational program," he told Patch. "The advisory committee looked at and analyzed enrollment, demographic changes at each school, the age of students in the area, the financial situation of the school and parish and reviewed each school building, its technology and other programs offered."

In the past, schools had been closed on an individual basis, but Dolan said that Bishop William Murphy's goal was "to develop a strategic plan for elementary education that would look at what we have today and what we need in the future."

OLL's Principal Murphy pointed out, "One of the things we don't have control over is demographics." However, she was optimistic that the Bishop's plan would prevent further closings in the near future, adding, "We hope and pray for the best."

You can view the full list of schools and the Diocese's strategic plan here.

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