Anatomy of a Murder, the Closing of North Catholic

By Mike Ferris, class of 1982
Also contributing to this column was Tom Crossett, class of 1975

A funny thing happened on the way to transitioning North Catholic into a Cristo Rey network school. You see, the feasibility study was going along just fine. The archdiocese’s Office of Catholic Education (OCE) had orally given its blessing (remember this!), businesses were lined up, the alumni association was backing the plan, an existing student base was in place, money was being raised, and many people were on board for this new venture. The only two things that needed to be done were to secure a building, and have a religious order take “ownership” of the building and school. The former is a requirement of any school, but the latter is a requirement of the Cristo Rey board. While Cristo Rey is a Jesuit application, the Jesuits were open to any order to lend a hand. The final pieces to this puzzle seemed like slam dunks, right? Not so fast.



Calling All Religious Orders
The Oblates of St Francis DeSales were no stranger to running schools. After all, the Oblates run schools all over the world, and a few in the Delaware Valley, including North Catholic, Father Judge, Salesianum (DE) and DeSales University (Allentown). They took responsibility for North Catholic in 1926, when the school first opened, and have run the school for the past 84 school years. One might argue they stopped running the school in the 1990s, especially when the current President took command. But, the Oblates were not interested in taking ownership of the new private North Catholic as a Cristo Rey Network school, in September, 2010. Why would they apparently abandon the school that they helped create and foster for all of these years? I certainly don’t know, but many of my alumni brothers have their own ideas as to the why. I’ll get into that later.

A School is More Than Just a Building
As for the building, many in the North Catholic Community had a desire to keep the existing building. This, along with the existing enrollment of underclassmen, would allow for the continuity between the old and the new that many people had hoped for in this venture. There were three options to secure a building. The first, and most desirable option, would be to purchase (or lease) the building from the archdiocese. This would be the easiest path to opening in 2010. The other two options would be to buy an existing building and retrofit it for use as a high school, or build a new school, which would require a lot of time to secure a property, design and build a new school. So, with the deadlines approaching quickly, some well-healed NC alumni made arrangements with a National Bank to personally secure a loan based for the fair market value of the building. That fair market value was estimated to be between $1.5 – $2.0 million. In addition, in what the planning team called “an emerging donor base of Non-NC professionals”, this group would “provide capital to renovate the property, including Science and IT labs (approximately $5,000,000).” The Feasibility Committee submitted their bid to the Archdiocese and its plan. To date, the planning team is still waiting to get a response from the Archdiocese.

The Rest of the Story
As Paul Harvey used to say, “Now, for the rest of the story……” The official line of the planning team was that there just wasn’t enough time to open North in September, 2010. That’s not entirely true. You see, as I outlined above, nearly everything was in place for a September opening. The only pieces to this puzzle that were missing were a religious order stepping up to run the school, and a building for the school itself. In a Daily News column, by Ronnie Polaneczky, on March 19th, Jason Marquess, who heads the “Friends of Northeast Catholic High School” (FONECHS), stated, “We even offered to buy the building, right now,” for between $2.5 and $3 million. Marquess went on to state that the Archdiocese, “…told us no.” When another NC alum (who is well informed, but has asked not to be named in this article) forwarded this column to Bishop McFadden, the Bishop’s response, in a letter to this alum was, “At no time did the Alumni offer 3 million for the building that was rejected.” Technically, the Bishop was correct. As I wrote above, the group offered a personally secured loan for between $1.5 and $2 million, plus an additional $5 in capital improvements to the building. So, technically, the Bishop was not lying here, at least not literally. In Catholic terms, you might consider this a “venial sin.” The total offer was more than $6 million and as much as $7.5 million, and it was never actually rejected. It was just ignored.

Speaking of the letter to my good friend and alumni brother, it was also stated by the Bishop, “While it is true the alumni have covered the deficit for the past few years, they were the ones who sought relief from this burden.” Wow! This is a shocker to me! Ever since 2003, when the OCE began demanding debt payments from individual schools, North Catholic, with the help of the Alumni Association, FONECHS and other generous supporters, has met it’s financial obligations each and EVERY year. From what I’m told, at no time has any of the above ever asked for “relief” from that obligation. Now, this may be just a little fib on the Bishop’s part (or the “mortal sin”), or to give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he was given bad information. I’ll let you decide.

Word on the Street
In my travels, I talk to many North Catholic alumni and friends of North Catholic. It seems as though the consensus regarding the Oblates refusal to take ownership of the school in 2010 is motivated by this organization’s desire to stand by their motto and “take hold and not let go.” You see, with over 500 young men at both North and Cardinal Dougherty, all of whom will be looking for a new school to complete their high school education, the Oblates seemed to be more focused on ensuring that as many of those students transfer to Father Judge (the other Oblate school in Philadelphia) rather than making an attempt to transition North to a private school. The North Catholic that we all know and love is closing in June, 2010. That’s a fact. Father Judge, which the Oblates want to hold on to, will remain open. The thinking is that they want to hold on to what they still have (Judge) instead of taking a “gamble” on a new private school. What do I think? Well, I don’t know. I haven’t been around the school much over the past few months, but many who have been have told me that the words “Cristo Rey” have not been spoken much, if at all, by any of the Oblates currently running the school. Instead, it’s been a rush to convince students and their families to transfer to Judge. Are they just bag men for the Archdiocese? Again, you decide.

So there you have it, the story all the clerics are afraid to relay to the public. Why, you might ask? Well, I think while each group is different from another, there is a “union mentality” to it. By this I mean, it doesn’t matter that each of our competencies are different, we would never cross the picket line and embarrass their brothers. In this case however, there were over 500 children and families at risk that none of these groups really cared what happened. How can anyone not realize that the Catholic church of Philadelphia, the Oblates and now the Jesuits deserted areas of this city where Catholicism is still strong, can be nurtured and grown. White flight, Catholic chasing on the part of Archdiocese, Order survival on the part of the Oblates, and finally, acquiescing so feelings of their cleric brothers would not be embarrassed by the Jesuits was the final straw. Religion, as I was taught, is predicated on faith and most importantly on hope. Great example these three groups set here. It would not be fair if we did not put the names with the culprits, and they are as follows. First on the list is Father Vincent Smith, OSFS. Father Smith’s legacy will be defined as the Oblate who caused the death and closure of North Catholic. He is the main character in this many act play. His co-star is none other than Bishop Joseph McFadden. He came riding in on his high horse to help save Catholic education in the Archdiocese, but alas, what you see is just cowardly acts of closing parishes, elementary schools and now high schools. There is something else at work here, just a plain hatred of North. But, I can’t put my finger on just why. Maybe it’s because he never won a Catholic League championship as a basketball coach, even with Michael Brooks on this team. Do I think this was a conspiracy, I doubt it. To have this type of conspiracy, you need to be smart, clever and duplicitous. They have the final two traits; I can’t give them the first however. Was there a silent agreement, sort of an understanding between them all? I don’t think there is any question about that.

Where Do We Go From Here?
So, there you have it. You now know the real reason why North Catholic will not be open in September, 2010. Where do we go from here? Well, the Oblates, along with the Archdiocese, have taken over the feasibility study for the new North Catholic, as a Cristo Rey Network School. The plan is to continue the work that was started by the first planning team, and have a school open by September, 2011, and graduate their first class in June, 2015. Some insist that is not a real effort by those groups, but rather a public relations ploy to show that both groups really do care about the community around North Catholic. Some have suggested that in the next year or so, the OCE will give West Catholic, the next school on the chopping block, a two year window so they can explore the possibility of opening the first Cristo Rey school in West Philadelphia. With West’s student body consisting of nearly 90% non-catholics, compared to North’s (less than 10% non-catholic), it would make one wonder why the archdiocese would give up on their own faithful in favor of families who will most likely never contribute to the success of the catholic faith in Philadelphia. But, what do I know? We’ll just have to wait and see how things play out.

As for me, well, I’ve wrestled with what I should do regarding North Catholic, and more importantly, the good folks who make up the North Catholic community. I have come to this conclusion. I’m a North guy. I was raised by a good family, and educated by the good Sisters of St Joseph and the Oblates of St Francis DeSales. Even if a New North Catholic is opened in 2011, and there is absolutely no continuity between the old North and the new North, this is still my community. I choose to live in the same zip code as North, even though I have the means to do like many others and move out. I love where I live and I care about the people in my community. If a real effort is made to provide catholic education in my neighborhood, to fill the void of the closing of North Catholic, I’ll be there to help in any way that I can. Am I still upset by what has happened over the past several months? You betcha! But, I’m still a product of my environment, and I would be a fraud if I turned my back now. I urge you, my NC brothers, to do the same and offer any help that you can to help the people in the neighborhoods where you were raised. It’s who we are. We Are, and always will be, NC!

10 comments:

gakski said...

Written from the heart!!! I'm there also if & when North continues to provide an excellent education to those who choose to become Falcons.

Unknown said...

Wow. Someone finally said what so many have been thinking. I heard a few weeks ago that West was going to be the new Cristo Rey school rather than North. It is more in line with the Cristo Rey network model, it's closer to center city, it's already co-educational and West's closing would be the end of Philadelphia catholic secondary education on the west side of the Schuylkill. And that without an infusion of former North and Dougherty students, Father Judge's days were numbered; at least as an all male school.

Markert said...

WOW... How cold can they be. I love how they gave all the family's a chance at both schools. Did they even think of the other family's that still have little one's that need to go to high school? Yea we can send them to Judge. Were I live my Son's would have to up at 5:30 in the morning to make the first bell. And God knows what time they would get home. So I'm glad they made there bed. Now its time to sleep in it. I will not be sending any of my Son's to any Catholic school. This will come back to them 10 fold. The Church is in trouble, wait and see, they will need our help to bail them out. I wonder how many of us will be there to help them. Norht Catholic forever!!!!! Class of 86

dave said...

It's no surprise that once again business trumps doing the right thing. What's sad is that there are people out there trying to do the right thing for the kids that are left in the wake of the adult decisions. In my efforts to help a young man try to get funding to go to another Archdiocesan school in Phila., The answer I keep getting is NO due to the anger that's being directed towards the Archdiocese. I absolutely agree that the underhanded dealings that went on through this whole process has tarnished the value of a Catholic education. Unfortunately, the ripple effect is damaging to a kid who's already been dealt a cruel hand early in life. I am all for a kid achieving great things in the face of adversity but sometimes the weight of such adversity at a young age can be overwhelming. I also had the advantage of having parents who cared for me even when I strayed and one of the things they did for me was to keep me enrolled at North. There were times when I wanted to go to a public school because I felt I could get away with some things that I wouldn't at North. You could call it taking the easy way out but fortunatly I ultimately graduated from North. I didn't realize it until much later on in life that North instilled some values that helped me persevere through some tough times. The world in which we live in is hard enough for a kid growing up today. I just hope that the anger we direct at the Archdiocese doesn't have a "collateral damage" effect on some of these kids.

Unknown said...

The way this was handled was disgusting to say the least. We are supposed to have faith and hope in what? Lies and deceit are the only lessons learned. This whole experience has been an eye opener for many and especially our sons. They are hurting yet I heard how "well the boys are adapting to the closing". Well, they don't see the boys outside of school. I see my son carrying a lot of anger that he wasn't carrying before the announcement. They feel abandoned and betrayed. Who can blame them, they were and by the same institution that is shocked so many are not registered at archdiocesan high schools. I am amazed how easily the church leaders turned their backs on the boys, many who NEED that school. For some it is the only home they have. What happened to "the least of our brothers"? The church hierarchy lost the mission of the church, not the people. I know this is something I can never forgive or forget. It has had a tremendous impact on my family. Personally I would like to thank all of the people who worked so hard for our boys and the future of North. You definitely live by the message that you were taught as Falcons. Too bad the ones who were teaching it couldn't live it too.

Anonymous said...

I am currently sophmore at North and have an oblate as a teacher. I want everyone to know that it is not true they are not trying to persuade us in any way to go to judge. The Oblate teacher i have went to Judge and told them off saying we have a better curriculum then they do even with less students. This oblate teacher is also not even transferring to judge he wants nothing to do with the Archdiocese and actually tried telling us about cristo rey and tried persuading us to go there. So please get the facts right

Tom Crossett said...

Falcon Forever,
I like your spunk kid, you are indeed a North kid. No where did the article portray the Oblates of trying to sell Judge to the current students. What it said was that the Oblates "seem" more interested in preserving Judge than doing the right thing by the students or you. Now is there one couregeous Oblate out there, sounds like you might have found one. The facts are right my friend, and I am sorry that these facts impact your next two years. Unfortunately, none of these groups cared as much as we do, or you.
Tom Crossett

gakski said...

Fr. Vince Smith has recently been named pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in High Point, NC. This is probably the most affluent parish of the 20 or so the Oblates staff in North Carolina. It is considered a plum posting for an Oblate.

gakski said...

Correction. The Oblates have 11 parishes in North Carolina.

JohnnyO said...

I hate what happened to OUR school. It's all about the money in the Archdioces, both in Philly and across the country. We were taught Charity, Hope, and Faith. I have tried to live my life this way. I wish the powers to be would look in the mirror and see that they have forgotten these improtant traits. I will always be a Flacon! Seeing Mike's name on this article made me stop and read it. We played football together, and had classes together. Glad not all of us have lost out way!


John Owens Class of '82