Hundreds Rally to
Save Saint Mary's in Lawrence
TOM DUGGAN, (04-16-11)
Hundreds of students,
parents and supporters of Saint
Marys School of the Assumption in
Lawrence, rallied and held a vigil
Saturday to oppose the decision of the
Boston Archdiocese of the Catholic Church
to close the school at the end of the
school year.
Students and parishioners held
signs that read save our
school and We Love saint
Marys, chanted, sang
religious songs and waved at passing
motorists on Haverhill Street.
(see Video 1)
...........................................(see Video 2)
Parishioners complained that the
Archdiocese had plenty of money and even
increased funding (nearly double) for the
catholic school in South Lawrence,
Lawrence Catholic Academy.
(additional photos)
Saint Marys parishioner Pedro Diaz
addressed the crowd which had made
its way inside the school
gymnasium. Diaz, a Lawrence resident,
said that he believed the decision was
that of the Boston Archdiocese but could
not take affect without the support of
Cardinal OMalley.
What we can accomplish is, we want
to send a message to the Cardinal,
he told The Valley Patriot. ... you
cant spend
$35,000 on this school? But you can spend
twice that much on the other school in
South Lawrence? Theyre getting So
much more. So, there is the money.
A press release was issued by Jay
Jackson and Antonio Vega, (members of the
schools board) entitled Saint
Mary of the Assumption School Closing!
The Truth be Told!
Lawrence Massachusetts residents
are outraged about the fact that the only
Elementary Catholic School, St. Mary of
the Assumption, in the North side of the
city has announced that it will be
closing its doors June, 2011.
The news has come just 2 months before
the end of the school year. This will
impact 270 families who are registered at
St. Mary of the Assumption school and
plan to continue for the 2011-2012
school year.
The Community of St. Mary of the
Assumption Parish is demanding answers
from the Boston Archdiocese in
particular, Cardinal Sean OMalley.
We want to know why if
the Catholic School 2010 Plan took
in to account the ethnic, economical and
social differences called for the
initiative of two catholic schools in
Lawrence, one in South Lawrence and the
other in the North, and we are now blind
sided with the news of the closing of the
school in the North.
That would leave the Lawrence Catholic
Academy in the south to which the
majority of the students from the north
can not financially afford nor do they
have the physical space to accommodate
them.
No decision would have been made without
the approval or influence of Cardinal
OMalley. The Lawrence community,
while a very poor community, will not
continue to be ignored and allow
decisions to be made on our behalf
without the opportunity to have a seat at
the table, so that we can provide input
and help plan our future.
We deserve to hear the truth regarding
why we are not entitled to have a
Catholic school in out area where our
children will get a faith based
education. We will not add this incident
to the list of times that we have been
marginalized and disregarded as citizens
and human beings with rights.
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