D&C: Anne Willkens Leach is Next Superintendent of Catholic Schools

The Democrat and Chronicle and other media outlets have reported that Anne Willkens Leach, currently principal at Nazareth Hall Middle School and Nazareth Academy in Rochester, has been named the new superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Rochester.

See similar coverage from the Catholic Courier, R News and WROC-TV. The DOR news release can be read by clicking here.

Greece Post: Saying Goodbye to More Than Just a Place

The Greece Post features a story on the final days of Catherine McAuley School.

How do you say goodbye to a school? At McAuley, which is closing, it has been through weeks of preparing the kids for change, comforting parents, and soothing the staff, many of whom don’t know if they will have a job in September.

Watch the companion video.

Irondequiot Post: School Closing Results in a Bittersweet Final Day

The Irondequiot Post reports on the final day of classes at St. Margaret Mary, which has closed after 75 years.

The significance of the day was still on the little ones’ minds. Children were crying at the end-of-the-year assembly and prayer service that preceded the carnival, parent Linda Pizzo said. When she walked into her twins’ fourth-grade classroom, students were all sitting in a circle, crying, while their teacher tried to encourage them that they’ll stay in touch. “There’s just not a good thing about this,” she said.

Watch the companion video.

Rush-Henrietta Post: Remembering Good Shepherd School

The Rush-Henrietta Post reports on the final day of classes at Good Shepherd School, and produces a companion video.

“It’s a truly sad day,” said 81-year-old Albert Szembrot, whose seven children all attended Good Shepherd. “They learned a lot from this school and have done well in life because of it.”

Diocese Restricted Media Access to Closing Ceremonies

Struck by a comment from WHAM-TV's Patrice Walsh that schools other than Holy Cross had asked media not to attend closing ceremonies, we reached out to the WHAM assignment desk for an explanation. Here's what we were told:

"...we here at 13 received a letter from the Diocese that strongly warned us NOT to go to any of the schools or talk to any parents or children."

Should we have expected any less from the Diocese, still acting in secrecy, and preferring that this whole debacle just quietly go away? How disappointing.

D&C: Conclusion of "A Prayer for Good Shepherd" Video Series

Democrat and Chronicle multimedia reporter Jeff Blackwell concludes his touching "A Prayer for Good Shepherd" video series.

Part 9: The Last Graduation. The final class of sixth graders graduate in the chapel in front of parents, teachers and administrators.

Part 10: The Final Days. The final days in the 50-year history of a school come to an end with great emotion and hope.

Click here for the entire series.

WROC-TV: Children with Disabilities Finding it Hard to Attend Catholic Schools

WROC-TV 8 follows up from its coverage a few months ago on Emily Wysocarski and her parents' quest to continue to have her attend Catholic schools, despite a leg disability. Unfortunately, promises from the Diocese for full access for disabled students fell short.

Emily lives with a birth defect in her leg which requires surgery from time to time, a leg brace and use of a wheelchair. Her parents met with the superintendent and assistant superintendent of Catholic schools. The Diocese came up with several options however, none of them they felt comfortable with.

“The main recommendation was a local Catholic school that's probably about 10 or 15 minutes from here. The school is on 2 levels so it would have excluded Emily from going down to lunch with all the other kids and going down into the art room,” said Wysocarski.

WROC-TV: What Will Happen to Vacant Catholic School Buildings?

WROC-TV 8 reports on what may happen to the now vacant 13 Catholic school buildings in Monroe County, all of which held classes for the final time today.

The Final Bell: Last Day Media Coverage

Five months after Bishop Matthew H. Clark made his announcement that 13 area Catholic schools would close (plus another in Livingston County), the final day of classes was marked with sorrow, tears, and goodbyes.

Democrat and Chronicle: Parents, Students Mourn Closing of 13 Catholic Schools
"The process of losing our school has been like a death," said Karen Cavacos, a Holy Cross parent who has been helping to pack up the school's library. "To see everything that has taken 100 years to put together into a school get dismantled is just heartbreaking."

Messenger-Post: Catholic Families Endure Loss -- Together
More than just hearts are breaking as the doors close forever on 13 Monroe County Catholic schools this month. For many, being forced to leave the school they’ve come to love is like a family breaking up. And like a family, when times get tough, the school family has come together to help one another cope. After passionate, but unsuccessful, appeals to keep their schools open, students, parents and staff are embracing what they can — their memories and each other.

R News: Final Day for 13 Catholic Schools
Some Holy Cross families are feeling more emotional than others as they're now dealing with their second school closing in three years. They were part of the Sacred Heart School community and believed they found stability at Holy Cross, only to be let down again. "I feel terrible,” Tina Mercendetti said cried. “(It) seems like every time my oldest is just about to get to eighth grade, here we go again.”

WHAM-TV: Goodbye Holy Cross School
Students parents and teachers said goodbye to Holy Cross School Friday. They lit candles as the names of their new schools were read aloud. While most will attend other Catholic schools--a dozen will switch to public schools. Parent Tina Mercendetti says she had no choice. "We've gone through this twice before. We were at Sacred Heart until it closed and then we came here…I have to be honest, I can't do this to my kids anymore."

R News: Last Day of School at St. Boniface
How long has the St. Boniface Church operated a school in Rochester’s South Wedge? 147 years. On Friday, it was not an easy last day of classes on the school's final day of operation. Mrs. Taylor's third graders drew their favorite memories of the school on the sidewalk in front of St. Boniface.

WROC-TV: Area Catholic Schools Close Their Doors for Good
Friday was marked by many Catholic schools in Monroe County as they finish up their school year and close their doors for good. Bishop Matthew Clark made the decision to close 13 area Catholic schools earlier this year.

WHAM 1180 AM: Final Day for 13 Catholic Schools
Father Thomas Wheeland is the pastor at Holy Cross Church. He says the church and school had been working for the past three months preparing students for the final day. He says, "working with them trying to put a positive on it. We had a very beautiful prayer service which we lit a candle representing each of the new schools that these kids are going to."

NBC-10: Final Goodbye for Catholic School Students
Students are sharing their faith together on the last day of school. Today is the last day of classes ever at 13 Catholic schools throughout our area. It's part of the Bishop's plan to re-structure the Catholic school system.

Fairport Post: St. John of Rochester Celebrates Memories Before Closing Its Doors
The parents and teachers loved the smiles on their faces, but through it all there was a quiet sadness. It was the end of the school year and the end of St. John, after 44 years.

WHAM-TV: Last Week for 13 Catholic Schools
School’s out forever this week at 13 Rochester-area Roman Catholic schools... Many families fought the changes and tried to come up with alternatives, but the diocese ultimately stayed true to its original plan.

Messenger-Post: Holy Cross Says Farewell to School with Mass, Open House

Messenger Post Newspapers report on Holy Cross School's plan to close its doors later this week.

Parish members will pay their respects to the school and add a message of hope for the future. They will hold a Mass of Hope at 2:30 p.m. this Sunday, June 22, in front of the school. Students, teachers past and present, alumni, and friends of Holy Cross School have been invited to the special outdoor service. The Mass, said school spokeswoman Karen Cavacos, is meant to celebrate the 110 years during which the school — known as the Beacon of Hope — has brought the Light of Christ to the Charlotte community. The historic Rochester Genesee Lighthouse is right behind the church and school.

D&C Letter to the Editor: Children Are More Valuable than Organ

The Democrat and Chronicle carries this letter to the editor, responding to columnist Mark Hare's feature on helping assemble the new $1.5 million pipe organ at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

I'm so glad Mark Hare had a grand old time carrying pieces of Sacred Heart Cathedral's new $1.5 million organ into the church (column, June 12). Some of us don't share his enthusiasm for this instrument. We've been comforting children and trying to make sure the last two weeks in their Catholic school are memorable. We've been working on special gifts for the teachers to try and convey just how much they are valued. We've been planning for the future of our parish and its programs.

Hare muses, "sounds will comfort ... for decades to come." Who will be touched in this way? Children who will no longer be educated in the Catholic tradition? Teachers who were shown the door? Parents who worked tirelessly to support their schools and to pay tuition? No, Mr. Hare, this Catholic will just hear sadness that in this diocese one of God's greatest gifts, our children, is less important than that instrument you carried.

—MICHELE BEGEMANN, GREECE

WHAM-TV: Catholic School Closings Draw Near

This marks the final week of classes for many of the region's Catholic schools, whose doors will be closed for good as students and teachers say their final goodbyes. 13 WHAM-TV speaks with families affected by the closing of Holy Cross.

A group of 14 cousins from the Tachin, Swan and Nasca families shared breakfast together Friday before catching to bus to Holy Cross School. Their thoughts are on next Friday when their school closes for good.

"I think I'll be sad but I will live through it,” said Jori Tachin. "I don't understand why the school is closing…I’m really upset.” It isn't any easier on their parents. Holy Cross has been part of the Tachin family since 1932.

D&C: Mass Celebrates Holy Cross

From the Democrat and Chronicle:

Students, teachers, alumni, and friends of Holy Cross School are invited to an outdoor "Mass of Hope" at 2:30 p.m. next Sunday, in front of the school. Holy Cross School is among 13 Catholic schools to be closed by the Diocese of Rochester this month. The Mass will celebrate the school's 110 years.

Memorabilia from past decades will be on display in the school cafeteria and the adjacent Holy Cross Parish Gift Shop will be selling Holy Cross apparel and souvenirs.

In the event of rain, the Mass will be at Holy Cross Church, 4488 Lake Ave.

Catholic Courier: St. Andrew to Continue Reaching Out to Neighbors

So sad... the Catholic Courier continues its profiles of schools closing their doors because of Bishop Clark's decision, disrupting the lives of thousands of children. St. Andrew School is spotlighted in this feature.

While Father Michael Mayer acknowledged sadness at the closing of St. Andrew School, he called on his parish to continue the school’s legacy of reaching out to its neighbors.

"This is not a celebration of an ending, but a continuation of a call from Christ to preach the Gospel," the priest said in his homily June 8, noting that the parish's neighborhood-outreach programs to youths, such as a teen drop-in center and a summer basketball camp, will continue.

The homily was part of a Mass and reception designed to celebrate the history of the school at 901 Portland Ave. For months, St. Andrew has been celebrating its students and its history before it closes at the end of June along with 12 other diocesan-operated schools in Monroe County, Principal Tracy Nadler said.

Catholic Courier: Holy Family School Helped Inner-City Kids Thrive

Here's another bittersweet story from the Catholic Courier on the school closings. This time, Holy Family is profiled.

For the more than 100 Holy Family School students playing kickball, relay games and Frisbee at the Campbell Street Community Center June 11, it was just like every annual end-of-the-year field day.

"We're celebrating our time together and all that we've enjoyed over the year," noted Principal Mary Ellen Wagner.

Smiles abounded as the students relished being outside in the sunshine and playing with friends. Yet it was a bittersweet celebration, parents and students in attendance noted, as the event also marked the final field day for Holy Family. The school, now more than 140 years old, will close at month's end, along with 12 other diocesan-operated Catholic schools in Monroe County.

Catholic Courier: Community Bids Farewell to St. Boniface School

The Catholic Courier carries a story on the closing of St. Boniface School.

For many alumni, St. Boniface School is much more than just a building in which they learned about reading, writing and arithmetic. It was a place where they felt loved and accepted; a place that prepared them for the rest of their lives; a place they could call home.

"It's still home," alumna Marilyn Krepps told the Catholic Courier June 8.

Krepps, who graduated from the school in 1954, had gathered at St. Boniface Church with other alumni and current students, faculty and parents for the school's closing Mass. They tried to focus on the good that came from St. Boniface's 147 years of operation rather than dwell on their sorrow that the school -- along with 12 other diocesan schools in Monroe County -- will close at month's end.

Catholic Courier: Holy Cross School's Spirit is Eternal

The Catholic Courier reports on the last walk-a-thon and picnic for Holy Cross School.

Participants filled the Lake Avenue sidewalk as they shouted, sang and waved to cars while getting plenty of honks in return. Upon arriving at the park's picnic pavilion, they were treated to a hot-dog lunch and bottled water on a blisteringly hot day.

It was one of the more uplifting events for Holy Cross following the diocese's January announcement that the 110-year-old school -- along with 12 other diocesan Catholic schools in Monroe County -- will close at the end of this month due to declining enrollment and rising costs.

"It's bittersweet. It really shows that we can pull together as a community," said 14-year-old Bridget Morgan, a member of Holy Cross' final graduating class, as the picnic neared its conclusion.

DORCatholic: It Isn't About the Money? - Final

DOR Catholic posts its final analysis of the Catholic Ministries Appeal and its links to which schools were targeted for closure in the Diocese of Rochester.

From the post: But in terms of actual CMA pledges the differences were even more striking. Parishes where schools are staying open pledged an average of 98% more than those whose schools will be closed. Here the total dollar difference between the two groups was almost $444,000.

Gates-Chili Post: All Saints Celebrates its "Mixing Pot:"

The Gates-Chili post features a story on All Saints Catholic Academy in its final days.

As parents, students, teachers, coaches and alumni gathered in the gymnasium at All Saints Catholic Academy June 8, the sports banquets wasn’t the only thing on their minds. In one month, the school will close its doors forever. "It was just a safe place you could send your child and you knew they were going to get a very good, well-rounded education,” said parent Carolyn Roorda. “They learn about respect, they learn maturity and they grow up before your very eyes in two years.”

The Treasure

This is a bit of a departure, but I thought it worthwhile to post. Joe Holleran composed the following poem after reading about the Sacred Heart Cathedral's installation of a new $1.5MM organ.

The Treasure

They built the church mighty tall,
Nothing but the best, wall-to-wall,
They wanted a place to treasure,
To hold dear,
Money is no problem, have no fear,
Even the organ must be first class,
A million and a half and that’s no laugh
Then it was done, how proud they must be,
To have built a church for all to see,
But here and there, across the street,
Around the town,
First by leaps, then by bounds,
The schools were gone,
One by one,
No children to come to worship the Son,
No young voices to be raised in praise,
To fill that church in coming days,
So the organ plays year after year,
But now there are fewer and fewer
ears to hear,
They built the church mighty tall,
They did not build the children,
The real treasure after all.

D&C: Holy Family Church to Close Alongside Its School

As many had suspected, ulterior motives in the area Catholic school closings are beginning to emerge. As the Democrat and Chronicle reports today, Holy Family Church is now slated for closure alongside Holy Family School.

According to the story "The Holy Family School will also close this month under a decision announced in January by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester. The school, church and other Holy Family Church properties will be put up for sale."

One wonders if the proceeds of the sale will be designated to help stabilize the rest of the Catholic school system...

Webster Post: Holy Trinity Preschool to Remain Open

The Webster Post reports that Holy Trinity's preschool will remain open next year, renamed Positive Preschool. A fundraiser and meet-the-teacher night will be held August 6 from 5 - 9 p.m. at Hank's Ice Cream and Roast Beef, 235 North Ave., Webster.

Sr. Elaine Poitras Takes New Position

DOR Catholic has posted that Sr. Elaine Poitras, who unexpectedly resigned as superintendent of the MCCS system immediately after the Bishop's task force turned in its recommendation, has been named superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

St. John Bosco Meeting Site Announced for June 11

St. John Bosco Schools has set the location for its information meeting this Wednesday. It's at Casa Larga (2287 Turk Hill Road, Fairport) at 7:00 PM.

Penfield Post: Some Area Catholic Schools to Bulk Up

The Penfield Post reports on Monroe County Catholic Schools having to increase their class sizes to deal with the forced relocation of students.

"In January, Bishop Matthew Clark of the Diocese of Rochester announced the diocese would close 13 area Catholic schools in June, citing a sharp decline in enrollment and a significant budget shortfall. At the time of Clark’s announcement, diocese officials estimated that 48 percent of the students enrolled in the closing schools would enroll in other Catholic schools. However, those figures appear to be drastically underestimated."

Democrat and Chronicle: Alumni Say Goodbye to Catherine McAuley School

Read the D&C story on alumni saying their goodbyes to Catherine McAuley School.

From the story: Mary O'Keefe, whose eight children attended St. Charles Borromeo in the 1960s and 1970s, was at the open house reconnecting with many alumni. O'Keefe, of Greece, was a volunteer at the school for many years, she said, working as a lunch and exam monitor. She said all her children have good jobs now because of the education they received at St. Charles.

"It was a good school. ... It's a shame that kids won't (be able to) come here anymore," O'Keefe said.

Catching Up: Various Coverage

Apologies for the delinquent posts as I catch up from a lengthy spate of business travel. The following stories will receive more attention in the days to come:

Messenger-Post: Saying Goodbye to a Place of Memories (St. Margaret Mary)
Catholic Courier: Schools Plan End-of-Year Events
Messenger-Post: Supporters of St. John's Want to Open New School
Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester Catholic School Plans 12-Hour Day