Diocese notifies parents of plan to merge 2 elementary schools

In another acknowledgment of the dwindling number of students at parochial schools, the Archdiocese of Boston said yesterday that it will merge the last two Catholic schools in South Boston next year.

The two schools, Gate of Heaven and St. Brigid, will be consolidated in the building that now houses St. Brigid, but with a new name.

Parents were notified of the decision last night. The schools will merge at the start of the 2009 school year.

"We are confident that this decision will greatly enhance our ability to strengthen and improve Catholic education in South Boston," the archdiocesan spokesman, Terrence C. Donilon, said in a statement. "It is the hope and prayer of the parishes of St. Brigid and Gate of Heaven that we can work together to provide a superior Catholic elementary school, building upon the strong history of our two parish communities."

The merger is not a surprise - the two parishes already share one pastor, and the school boards have been talking about cooperation for three years. But the merger is still likely to disappoint many, especially parents at Gate of Heaven School.

"This is a hot button issue in South Boston," said former mayor and Vatican ambassador Raymond L. Flynn, a Gate of Heaven alumnus who has one grandchild in each of the schools. But Flynn said he understands and accepts the decision, which was made by the pastor of the two churches, the Rev. Robert E. Casey.

"I knew the inevitability of the decision that had to be made, and it's not an easy one," Flynn said.

But state Senator Jack Hart of South Boston, who has four children at Gate of Heaven and whose sister's children attend St. Brigid, said he is unhappy because Casey did not ultimately consult with the board he set up to review the schools before he made his decision.

"In the end, the decision was announced without their consultation, contrary to the promise that was made six months ago, and for that reason I am disappointed and discouraged," Hart said. "You have angry parents throughout both parishes at this point, and for that I'm very, very upset. Because of the process that took place, I do not support this effort to consolidate."

State Representative Brian P. Wallace has a child at St. Brigid School; US Representative Stephen F. Lynch has family at both schools. Wallace said the archdiocese has scheduled a meeting with elected officials about the merger today.

Donilon said Casey consulted with a board of parents and parishioners for 18 months before making the decision. He said everyone understood that one of the school buildings would be closed.

He said there are 227 pupils in prekindergarten through sixth grade at St. Brigid School and 190 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade at Gate of Heaven School. He said the combined enrollment has dropped 34 percent since 2000 and was projected to drop another 22 percent over the next five years.

Over the last decade, the number of parochial elementary schools in the archdiocese has dropped by 23 percent, from 119 to 91. In an effort to stem the decline, the archdiocese has launched an initiative, backed by a group of wealthy business leaders, to invest in consolidated Catholic schools in Brockton, Dorchester, and Gloucester.

Michael Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com.