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December 5, 2008St. Joseph School in Salem closing

SALEM — St. Joseph School, the last Catholic school in a city that once had nearly a dozen, will close in June, a church official said yesterday.

After 116 years, a parochial school that was built by French-Canadian immigrants, survived the Great Fire of 1914 and continued on after a parish closing four years ago, has finally succumbed to the bottom line.

"It really just comes down to numbers," said the Rev. John Sheridan, who heads the school board. "The gap was too much for us to (close)."

St. Joseph owes the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston more than $250,000 and is expected to lose another $215,000 this school year, Sheridan said.

Enrollment has climbed in recent years, but is only at 165. It needs to be 250 for the school to be financially viable, an official said. Tuition is $4,400.

"Our parish has significant debt, and the reality is that we cannot ask more of our families," the pastor said in a statement.

Sheridan broke the news to parents in a meeting last night.

"I feel mostly sadness for the kids," said Lorraine Harnett, president of the St. Joseph Home and School Association. "… It’s very sad because there really is a community feeling within St. Joseph’s, and it’s going to be very difficult for these children to move on to other schools."

A spokesman for the archdiocese praised St. Joseph for the valiant effort it made to stay open.

"Father Sheridan has done an incredible job," said Terrence Donilon, the director of communications. "He really needs to be commended for doing everything in his power, working with his parish and school community, to try to keep the school going. but you reach a reality point, and we have reached that point."

Although many factors forced the closing, the current national economic crisis played a role, Donilon said. "The Catholic church is not immune to what cities and towns are going through," he said.

In the past four years, the archdiocese has pumped $1.1 million into St. Joseph, including $600,000 for renovations and $550,000 for school operations, according to Donilon.

Many others also contributed.

Parents and staff organized fund drives, including a "Polar Express" train ride, and raised money to repaint the school interior and build a new playground.

The Lynch Foundation, established by Marblehead financier Peter Lynch and his wife, Carolyn, gave more than $100,000 to St. Joseph in scholarships and grants. It also helped recruit school board members and provided development assistance.

A new principal, Lou Ann Melino, came aboard two years ago. she gave the school a boost, two parents said, and also upgraded the curriculum.

Sheridan made pilgrimages to other city parishes, some even outside the city, and got financial commitments from about a dozen parishes, including ones in Marblehead, Swampscott, Hamilton and Melrose.

In the end, all those efforts were not enough.

The enrollment, which was at 188 in 2003, fell as low as 134 and, even with tuition aid, climbed only as high as 165. The student body ranges from pre-kindergarten to grade eight.

"We’ve done so much and we’ve come so far, but times are tough for everybody," Sheridan said. He said the closing was brought on by a "perfect storm of circumstances."

Harnett, who heads the parent organization, said she lays some of the blame on the archdiocese, which made the wrenching decision to close St. Joseph Parish in 2004, forcing the school to move across the city to St. James Parish, triggering a drop in enrollment.

"I think the archdiocese should have made a stronger commitment to Catholic education in this area," she said. "I think they let us down since they moved us. … you just don’t see the support or encouragement from the archdiocese on the ground."

The announcement was made midyear, the pastor said, to give staff and parents time to make plans for next school year. There are seats available in other area Catholic schools, and St. Joseph will help parents with the transition, Sheridan said.

An open house will be held in January with Catholic schools from surrounding communities.

Teachers and staff, who were notified Wednesday, can apply for open positions at other Catholic schools, the archdiocese said.

While the closing is a hard blow, the pastor said the school leaves behind many successful graduates and a proud tradition.

"I am so grateful for all of the parents who have believed in us, and the alumni who have believed in us for 116 years, to the Sisters of the Assumption (who staffed the school) and to all those who have supported us …"

Sheridan compared the closing to a death, an inevitable, unavoidable end.

"when people are sick, I say to them, ‘It’s not giving up. It’s letting go.’"

The pastor said he and Melino, the principal, will visit classrooms today to speak with students. He said there is still a lot to look forward to in the school year. The Christmas concert is next week.

"We will sing loudly and joyously," he said.

1892: First school built; staffed by Sisters of Charity of Montreal

1903: Sisters of St. Chretienne arrive from France

1914: School destroyed in Great Fire; classrooms built on "roof" of church basement

1921: New school built on Harbor Street

1925: Sisters of Assumption arrive

1980: High School closed; grammar school moves to high school building on Harbor Street; grammar school building razed

1992: Cardinal Bernard Law celebrates Mass marking 100th anniversary

2004: Parish closed, school moves to former St. James Grammar School on Federal Street

2009: School to close

Salem Catholic school closings

1971: St. James High School, St. Chretienne Academy, St. Chretienne Grammar School, St. Mary’s School

1972: St. James Grammar School

1973: St. Thomas the Apostle School

1976: St. Anne School

1977: St. John the Baptist School

1980: St. Joseph High School

2009: St. Joseph School

St. Joseph School in Salem closing »
Local News »
SalemNews.com, Salem, MA

It would look like Bill Gates is the most loathed man in the USA, and may be you too share the same feelings.

You have no reason to. this man is among the most philanthropic men to be found on the face of the planet today. with his foundation called the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, he donates more than 1.5 billion dollars each year to the charity. Just pause for a moment and think of this figure, wow!

Remember Bill Gates just tendered his resignation to Microsoft to spend all his time with the Foundation and to give his whole life to the charitable work. this is the kind of guy most would still talk about as an asshole. It must be a case of sour grapes; the unsuccessful people having a negative attitude about Bill Gates.

Now you must be wondering if Microsoft is totally unblemished. may be not, but there are likely to be more evil corporate in America.

Generally, Microsoft is respectable and Bill Gates too, and that is why we celebrate his success, achievements and social activities. he has become a role model to many of how one can climb to great wealth from the scratch.

The bottom line is that one must be a taker before he can become a giver or else there would be nothing to give out. there is no virtue in trying to remain small in order to appear humble.

Maybe Bill Gates had an idea about this and so he tried hard to turn himself into a person who had the capacity to make an impact in the world. if you are just sitting there wondering what your meager savings can do, what about asking yourself what you are doing to make your society better?

What Bill Gates is doing to help the world is huge, ranging from the AIDS research funding, alleviating hunger in the world, and just trying his best to be an excellent person internationally.

There is a wrong attitude in some who tend to think that those who are successful and wealthy are very evil, greedy and selfish people. such an attitude should be purged from our midst because how will anyone ever aspire to become wealthy if he thinks all the rich people are just evil? It means in his mind he is the good person and so he should just remain poor.

Bill Gates – Being a Giver