Parents Seek Support from Diocese

Despite opposition from Prince of Peace parents, the Diocese of Rockville Centre is sticking to its decision to and five other Long Island Catholic elementary schools in June 2012.

Local parents say they feel abandoned by the Diocese and have yet to receive any sort of acknowledgement as a community, but they refuse to give up.

Joseph Vermaelen of Bayport, parent of two students at Prince of Peace, said he wasn’t surprised by this latest announcement “based on the way the diocese has handled” the whole situation.

“No one from the diocese has come to Prince of Peace to address the Parents' Association or the school as a whole,” he said. “This closure has been done by fiat.”

Newsday reported on Dec. 21 that Diocesan education officials spent Wednesday meeting with principals and parent leaders to explain the decision.

Diocesan spokesman Sean Dolan said the church acknowledges the decision to close the schools next June is painful, but the move was made after an 18-month study of all the schools in the diocese.

"The decision is not going to change in terms of the status of the schools," Dolan said.

The diocese closely studied enrollment patterns at the schools, Dolan said. That, along with factors including an expected decline in the general grammar school-age population on Long Island in coming years, led officials to decide they had no choice but to close some of the diocese's 53 grammar schools.

Grace Mary Hughes of Ronkonkoma, parent of two, says closing schools doesn’t address the issue of declining enrollment.

“My reaction is disgust right now at how willing the diocese is to lose people from Catholic education,” she said. “If they are trying to preserve Catholic schools, what kind of strategic plan allows the loss of enrollment when enrollment is their supposed big issue?”

Prince of Peace families will continue the fight to save the school, but admit they have lost trust in the diocese. The school, as numerous parents have stated, is a family comprised of students, parents and staff. Vermaelen said the diocese has shown a lack of support for this anticipated loss.

“We're in mourning, yet no one has come to comfort us,” Vermaelen said. “The families have given their time, treasures and talents to build a faith community, and the diocese has decided it's not worth keeping.”