Parishioners rap archdiocese's plan to merge two schools

Saying they were tired of decisions delivered by letters in their children's school backpacks, parishioners at two Catholic churches in South Boston lashed out at clergy last night for what they called a blind process that determined the fate of their beloved parochial schools.

"We were lied to," said Kevin Lally, a member of Gate of Heaven Parish who organized a community meeting with more than 50 parents last night.

"You can see the anger here, not because the school is going to close but because of the process," he said.

At issue is the decision by the Archdiocese of Boston to merge the Gate of Heaven and St. Brigid elementary schools into one school based at St. Brigid. The school, with students from kindergarten through eighth grade, would have a new name and would open at the start of the 2009-2010 school year.

Parishioners said they had long realized that declining enrollment and eroding finances would force the consolidation of the two schools, but had believed the decision would follow an open selection process guided by an advisory council.

The Rev. Robert E. Casey, pastor of both churches, announced his decision before the advisory board on Wednesday, outraging parents who said they were never part of the process. Last night, parishioners said their pastor still had not explained the factors that led to his decision.

Casey said last night that the decision was based on a contractor's report that it would cost 30 percent less to renovate the St. Brigid building. The contractor, Suffolk Construction, has assisted the archdiocese in renovating schools. St. Brigid was built 44 years after Gate of Heaven and has a gymnasium and other features that made it more attractive, Casey said.

But parents said that their neighbors and friends who made up the council did not have the opportunity to offer a recommendation. They also questioned why renovation costs would factor into Casey's decision when he had already announced that no money would be spent on the new school.

They asked whether the decision was part of a larger business strategy that would lead to the archdiocese selling the Gate of Heaven school, another loss for the church community. Several years ago, parishioners were able to stop the closing of the Gate of Heaven church, only to see the archdiocese sell the church's rectory and hall.

Parishioners argued last night that they still had no answers, and vowed to continue their protest.

Terrence C. Donilon, an archdiocese spokesman, said yesterday that the merger of the two schools was not quickly decided, but was a necessary part of the restructuring of Greater Boston's struggling Catholic school system.

He said that schools have been merged with success in Dorchester and Brockton. "We can't lose sight of what we're trying to accomplish here, which is to create a new school for the community in South Boston," he said.

But parishioners argued yesterday that they were promised they would be part of the process all along, a promise they said Casey made in church a year ago.

"We were told a transparent process," said Tom Tinlin, who attended St. Brigid but now has two children at Gate of Heaven. "You gave us hope and a process you told us you could believe in. You dangled it, and you took it away."