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BORDENTOWN: St. Mary School to close

By Amy Batista, Special Writer
   BORDENTOWN — St. Mary School announced Friday that declining enrollment and mounting financial difficulties made it necessary for it to close its doors after 125 years, according to the Diocese of Trenton.
   But some members of the community are determined to save it.
   ”It will be a huge mistake to let this treasure close and not let other families enjoy the same experiences as mine,” said parent Lori Lambert, of Florence.
   Ms. Lambert is thankful for “feeling the sense of community and love every day” her son, George, who is in the eighth grade, got to experience.
   ”From the first time I walked into St. Mary’s School, I felt a sense of warmth and caring I had never felt in any other school,” Ms. Lambert said. “After my tour and meeting the principal, teachers and other students, I knew that day I had to enroll my son into this school.”
   Ms. Lambert will miss being a part of the SMS family.
   ”This school is unlike any other,” Ms. Lambert said. “The students are blessed with a wonderful principal who greets them at the door by name every morning. The teachers and students all know each other by name as well and have a special bond.”
   The school will close its doors at the end of the current school year, bringing its long-standing ministry of Catholic school education to an end.
   Former assemblyman Joe MaLone, along with his father, his sister and his sons, are all alumni.
   ”It will be a tragedy to see it close because it was such an integral part of all our families,” Mr. Malone said.
   The closing of the school came as a “surprise” to Mr. Malone, who said he has been out in the community talking with people about ways to possibly help.
   ”I was sort of surprised because I had been asked to meet with the principal about three weeks ago about looking at some ways possibly to help, then all of a sudden I hear it’s going to close,” Mr. Malone said. “It sort of stunned me a little bit.”
   He added, “I know Catholic schools are closing all over the country.”
   March 4, Father Michael J. Burns sent a letter to Bishop David M. O’Connell of the diocese, describing the challenges facing the school over the past decade.
   ”It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to inform you that St. Mary’s Parish is no longer able to sustain our parish school,” Father Michael J. Burns wrote. “Over the past few years, our enrollment has declined to a present total of 112 students with no reasonable hope for a significant increase in these difficult economic times.”
   Students range from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. The diocese has a minimum enrollment of 220 students for its schools.
   Bishop O’Connell sent a letter approving Father Burn’s request to close the school, acknowledging it is “simply not feasible or realistic to keep” it open and saying the decision was “difficult and painful.”
   ”While no one can doubt the long and wonderful history of St. Mary School and all the many lives to which its Catholic education has so positively contributed over the years, economic realities force our hands when we would much rather allow such institutions to continue,” Bishop O’Connell wrote.
   St. Mary is the first school Bishop O’Connell has had to close since being placed in charge of the diocese in December 2010. During that first year, Bishop O’Connell pledged to keep all schools open until a sustainability study could be conducted to strengthen the future of Catholic school education in the diocese, according to officials.
   According to these officials, last year, the parish provided more than $400,000 in school support, which amounted to more than 50 percent of its collection income (beyond the recommended 30 percent), and it has “have completely exhausted our financial reserves.”
   ”Funding for the school comes from tuition, which is why enrollment is so critical as well as fundraising and parish subsidy,” said Rayanne Bennett, executive director of communications for the diocese, in an email Tuesday.
   A letter was sent home March 8 to parents announcing the decision to close the schools by Father Burns.
   ”We are all saddened by this decision, particularly as we look back over . . . years of quality Catholic education that our school has provided to the children of our parish and community,” Father Burns said in the letter. “In my 22 years as pastor, I have witnessed the positive growth of many children who have become fine Catholic young adults through their experiences here at St. Mary School.”
   The school will finish out the year with a debt that is well in excess of $100,000, according to officials.
   However, supporters have rallied together to fight for the school in hopes of saving it.
   A Facebook campaign was started this past Saturday. The Save St. Mary School in Bordentown, New Jersey, page has attracted more than 516 followers.
   A fundraising account has been set up with a link letting people know all donations are tax deductible.
   The page also is filled with students participating in various activities at the school, and a video is posted for visitors to view to bring “awareness” to the school.
   Mr. Malone is aware of the concerns by the residents in the community and the fundraising that is occurring.
   ”The amount they are looking to raise is somewhere near $170,000,” Mr. Malone said. “That’s a large amount of money in a short period of time, and we are not sure how many years they will need that money.”
   Mr. Malone said people have to be “informed.”
   ”People have to be informed on what the real issues are, and I’m not sure everybody really knows,” Mr. Malone said as he pointed out enrollment has decreased.
   ”There are a lot of issues that people need answers to before you can move forward to figure out how to solve the problem,” Mr. Malone added.
   Mayor James Lynch is a 1969 graduate of the school. His two sisters and mother also are alumni of the school.
   ”It is with a deep sense of sadness that they are closing after all these years,” Mayor Lynch said Tuesday.
   Mayor Lynch recalled the death of his father when he was in seventh grade, and how the school supported him and was present for his father’s funeral in 1968.
   ”I recently looked at the Book of Memories at my father’s viewing on March 5, 1968, and couldn’t help but shed a tear because all my classmates signed the book as well as all the nuns (Sisters of Mercy) who attended,” Mayor Lynch said.
   Mayor Lynch recalled how Sister Irene was both a mentor to him and his basketball coach had a “major impact” on his life.
   ”St. Mary’s had a significant influence on my life as I graduated,” Mayor Lynch added.
   Parent meetings will be held in the coming days to respond to questions about this decision and begin to assist in transitioning students from St. Mary School to one of the Catholic schools in that area, according to officials.
   ”There are a number of Catholic schools in Mercer and Burlington counties from which the students will be able to choose,” Ms. Bennett said.
   ”Her staff will facilitate in connecting families with the schools, many of which will host open houses and offer tours for students and their families,” said JoAnn Tier, the diocese’s superintendent of schools, according to the press release.
   The school’s 19 faculty and staff were notified of the school closure Friday. Details concerning their severance packages and unemployment benefits will be provided at a later time.
   ”It was such a part of the fabric of the community,” Mr. Malone said. “If not there, it will leave a hole in people’s minds and hearts.”