ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish

News Release

January 12, 2004

Reverend Joseph C. McLoone, Pastor of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Parish in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia, announces that Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, has accepted the recommendation of the Parish Steering Committee to close Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Parish Elementary School in June 2004. The Parish Steering Committee was made up of the pastor, a deacon, the principal, one member of the Pastoral Council, two Finance Council members and two parents.

The Parish Steering Committee recommended the closure due to a steady decline in enrollment and increasing costs to operate the school. Enrollment for the 2003-2004 school year is 165 children (pre-kindergarten through eighth grade). Because the enrollment is low, tuition only covers approximately sixty five percent of the actual cost to educate each student. Only twelve percent of the students are Catholic. Children registered at Saint Therese of the Child Jesus School come from fifteen surrounding zip codes.

Background:

The Cluster 18 Pastoral Plan was accepted by Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua in February 1999. Cluster 18 consists of the following nine parishes: Saint Athanasius, Saint Benedict, Saint Francis of Assisi, Holy Cross, Immaculate Conception, Saint Madeleine Sophie, Saint Raymond of Penafort, Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and Saint Vincent de Paul. One of the goals of the Cluster 18 Pastoral Plan was "to develop cluster-wise processes and practices to insure the maintenance, development and viability of quality Catholic schools." Over the past four years much effort has been put into realizing this goal. At the request of the pastors of Cluster 18, each school initiated a school self-study in spring 2003 to examine the areas of Catholic identity, educational programs, demographics, temporalities and school facilities.

As a result of the school self-studies, it was determined that only Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Parish Elementary School should begin a feasibility study. In July 2003, Father Joseph McLoone, Pastor of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Parish, received permission from Cardinal Bevilacqua to begin a feasibility study for the possibility of closing the school in June 2004.

Feasibility Study

In fall 2003, a Parish Steering Committee was formed. With the assistance of Archdiocesan offices, a broad consultation process was initiated with the parents of the school community and the parishioners. A parish meeting was held on September 30, 2003 and a survey distributed. Only 42 percent of school families completed the survey. The majority of the school parents who responded indicated that the primary reason they chose to send their children to Saint Therese of the Child Jesus School was for academic reasons. Fifty nine of the sixty six school parent respondents indicated that they would send their children to one of the other Catholic schools in the Cluster, if Saint Therese of the Child Jesus School should close.

Recommendation

The Parish Steering Committee met three times in November and December 2003 to review the results of the survey, the parish and school finances, facility needs, projected enrollment and the education program. In light of all of the information gathered, the Parish Steering Committee recommended to Cardinal Rigali that the school be closed in June 2004. Cardinal Rigali approved the recommendation in January 2004.

Plan for Education of Students from Saint Therese of the Child Jesus School

Those families who choose a Catholic education for their children have the option of choosing any nearby parish elementary school within Cluster 18. This includes Saint Athanasius/Immaculate Conception, Saint Benedict, Holy Cross, Saint Martin de Porres Interparochial or Saint Raymond of Penaforte.

Saint Therese of the Child Jesus School Building

The parish school is located at the intersection of Anderson and Upsal Streets. No decisions have been made regarding the future of the school building.

Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Parish Elementary School
Anderson and Upsal Streets
Philadelphia

Pastor: Rev. Joseph C. McLoone
215-438-5279