August 19, 2019

St. Mary High School in Westfield to become a diocesan school

REGIONAL
Staff report

(Catholic Communications file photo)

SPRINGFIELD – In a letter read at all Masses on the weekend of Aug. 17-18 at St. Mary Parish, here, it was announced that the parish high school will become a diocesan secondary school, effective immediately.

In writing to the St. Mary parish and school communities, Springfield Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski said his decision was based on the recently released “Pathways to Faith” report on Catholic education in the Diocese of Springfield and its recommendations, which included choosing the proper model of governance for each school.

He wrote, “(I)t is clear from my observations that the high school at St. Mary’s functions more as a diocesan school. This is due to the large percentage of students who attend other parishes, not specifically St. Mary’s Parish, making it a regional option for Catholic families in Westfield and many surrounding communities.”

He went on to assure parishioners and school families that there will be no noticeable changes in the short term, other than the naming of a new Board of Limited Jurisdiction. The current St. Mary School Board has been working for a number of months on a new strategic plan for the pre-kindergarten through grade 12 school; these efforts will not have been done in vain, Bishop Rozanski said.

“In light of the change of the school model, these recommendations will be considered and adapted by the newly constructed St. Mary’s High School Board. The recommendations in place for the elementary school will be considered and adapted as well, in light of being exclusively a preschool – eighth grade program,” Bishop Rozanski wrote.

The parish school board will continue to assist the elementary school, which will remain a parish entity. The high school will open Aug. 27 with a slight uptick in enrollment over last year.

In addition, the pastor of St. Mary Parish will be responsible for providing a chaplain for the high school, either himself or another priest.

This is the latest chapter for this secondary school, which was the last parish-run high school in the diocese, one that has survived in recent years despite low enrollment.  In March 2018, the parish leadership announced the closing of the high school, citing low enrollment and an increasing financial deficit. But, after meeting with school supporters, Bishop Rozanski gave the school funding to remain open while they tried to fromulate a viable long-term plan.

The parish pastorate also is currently vacant after Father Matthew Alcombright announced earlier this summer that he was leaving ministry.

In closing his letter to the parish and school communities, Bishop Rozanski acknowledged the recent challenges faced by the parish community.

“I know there has been a lot of change in the past year in the parish and school community,” the bishop wrote. “It truly is my desire that this decision will provide the stability and support needed for St. Mary’s elementary and secondary schools to continue to flourish for many years to come in their service of the young people of the Diocese of Springfield.”