St. Mary of Assumption in Elizabeth set to close July 30

Talk about your highest level of hypocrisy.

On June 11, officials at St. Mary of the Assumption High School in Elizabeth were told by Cardinal Joseph Tobin and his hierarchy that the school was not in danger of closing and had enough of an enrollment and financial base to remain open for at least another year.

Yesterday, the powers-that-be in the Archdiocese of Newark did an abrupt about-face and pulled the plug on the school, telling the St. Mary teachers and staff that they had four days to pack up their belongings; that the school was indeed going to close at the end of the week.

St. Mary had only been a fixture in Elizabeth since 1930. That’s 89 years of serving the youth of Elizabeth and its surroundings. Eighty-nine years!!!

How could that possibly be? How could the higher-ups say one thing two weeks ago and say another yesterday? What about the school’s 155 students? Where do they go?

Oh, in a gracious gesture, the Archdiocese of Newark told the St. Mary students that they could attend Roselle Catholic at the same tuition rate that they had at St. Mary. Isn’t that just special?

St. Mary officials said that they were going to try to raise the $2 million necessary to keep the school open, before the absolute final deadline next month. But that is almost next to impossible. Unless some charitable Superman swoops in and opens up his check book to make that miracle donation, the school is doomed, much like most of the other high schools in the Archdiocese.

It’s no secret that the Archdiocese no longer wants to be in the business of higher education. That has been evident with the incredible amount of school closings within the Archdiocese in the last 20 years. I can just rattle off all the schools that are within the confines of Hudson County, great institutions like St. Aloysius High, the Academy of St. Aloysius, St. Mary’s (Jersey City), St. Joseph of the Palisades, Sacred Heart Academy, Holy Family Academy, Holy Rosary Academy and last, but certainly not least St. Anthony all shut their doors within the last 20 years, all citing the same reason – declining enrollment and the rising cost of education.

But is that true at St. Mary of the Assumption? The school enjoyed a rebirth over the last two years. Freshman enrollment actually doubled since last year. The incoming freshman class for September of this year was actually 200 times better than the freshman enrollment of a year ago.

So that can’t be the reason, can it?

If St. Mary was indeed in danger of closing, then why make the announcement now? Why didn’t the powers-that-be make a determination in October or November, giving the dedicated staff seven months to try to raise the necessary funds.

No, the Archdiocese decided to padlock the doors this week, just two weeks after saying that the school was not in danger of closing.

There have been other schools that survived the decree of execution sent down by the Archdiocesan leaders. Almost a decade ago, Hudson Catholic was informed that the school was going to be closed, but the school decided to go co-educational, allowing girls for the first time. That move turned out to be a major plus for Hudson Catholic and the school is now flourishing.

Seven years ago, Holy Family Academy in Bayonne was all set to close, but parents got together to raise enough money to keep the doors open, but only for two years.

Three years ago, Marist, also in Bayonne, informed its parents that the school was going to close, much like St. Mary of the Assumption, within a very tiny window. But the Marist parents all rallied together and managed to keep itself solvent – and the school remains open to this day.

Two years ago, Queen of Peace in nearby North Arlington also suffered the same fate, with its doors closing just months after the Archdiocese told its school officials that enough money was raised by private funding to keep the doors open.

Now, St. Mary of the Assumption has suffered a similar fate.

It’s just not right to the 155 students that are still part of the St. Mary student body. If that school was indeed in financial dire straits, then they should have been informed months ago, not told one thing just two weeks ago and now have the rug pulled from under them today.

It’s beyond unfortunate. It’s just not right. The kids deserved better from the Archdiocese. Regardless of the Archdiocese’s position on not wanting to be in the business of higher education any longer, the kids deserved to be told the truth, not told one thing June 11 and another today. Is that being Catholic? Is that teaching these adolescents the right way to live a Catholic life?

It’s a damn shame that these kids have to search for a new place to continue their education. It didn’t have to end this way.

On its website, there are links to fundraising efforts in order to try to keep the school open. One can donate by clicking on to https://stmaryhsnj.org/save-st-marys.

The absolute deadline to raise the necessary $2 million is July 30. It should be interesting to see just how close the good people of St. Mary of the Assumption can get to keep the doors open.

One thing is for sure: the whole situation just reeks of hypocrisy. You can’t tell people one thing one week and another just two weeks later. It’s not the way to operate.

You can read more of my work at www.hudsonreporter.com and www.theobserver.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @ogsmar.