A $50 million regional Catholic high school, born of the merger of Cathedral and Holyoke Catholic high schools, is to be built where we went to school, on Surrey Road in Springfield. Mitchell Rozanski, bishop of Springfield, made the announcement today.

Also announced were the school colors and nickname. The Pope Francis Cardinals will carry the colors red, gold, white, and gray. (Personal comment: Seems odd to use a term that has an obvious religious connection to the name of the school and then have it refer to a bird. Trying to have it both ways? Do you like the new nickname? They could have been the “PF Flyers.” :))

The new school already has a website.

The two schools are to remain separate and in their current locations in 2015-16. Cathedral, with an enrollment of about 200, will continue in the former Memorial Elementary School in Wilbraham and Holyoke Catholic, with about 220 students, will stay at the former Assumption Elementary School in Chicopee. The schools are to merge organizationally in 2016-17 but remain in their current locations until the new school is completed.

Wow. Is that the whole class?

Today was graduation day for the Cathedral High School Class of 2015. And that class may well be the last from a school called “Cathedral.”

Ceremonies were held at St. Michael’s Cathedral for the 48(!) members of the class. They had spent their four years at Cathedral in temporary quarters at a former elementary school in Wilbraham, following the damage to the CHS structure on Surrey Road from the 2011 tornado.

The diocese of Springfield announced May 29 that the new name of the school resulting from the merger of Cathedral and Holyoke Catholic high schools would be Pope Francis High School. According to the report in the Springfield Republican, the two schools will operate under the new name beginning in the 2016-17 school year, but remain in their present distinct locations. Another article yesterday referred to Holyoke Catholic’s graduation this year as its last.

According to the news report, the name of the new school was recommended by a group of students from each school, “working with school officials,” and the recommendation was “accepted” by Springfield Bishop Mitchell Rozanski. (If you don’t sense my skepticism about that process, I’ve been too subtle.)

There is still no announced decision on the location of the new school, nor regarding school colors or mascot.

It appears Purple Panther High will Iive on only so long as our memories live.

The headline for the Springfield Republican article on last night’s “town hall” meeting about prospects for the new Cathedral-Holyoke Catholic high school said speakers expressed hope, cynicism, and frustration.

There are several related articles available from the website and, as always, the comments are “lively.”

Yesterday’s meeting was sponsored by the Committee for Cathedral Action. The diocese is holding a meeting for parents of students at Cathedral, Holyoke Catholic, and St. Michael’s Academy April 13 at St. Thomas the Apostle School, West Springfield.

The following is text of a March 22 statement from Alfredo DiLascia, chairman of the Committee for Cathedral Action, in response to recent decisions made by the Springfield bishop about the future of CHS.

(Mr. DiLascia also penned a March 23 op-ed column for the Springfield Republican offering insights and recommendations on a new Catholic regional high school in Western Massachusetts).

Cathedral at the 11th Hour
Prior to 2008, the Diocese had Holyoke Catholic all but closed. What prevented this were four heroic alumni who spearheaded a high energy grassroots campaign to save their school. The Diocese relented due to very strong pressure and built Holyoke Catholic on a residential street corner, with no campus, inadequate parking, no athletic fields, no gymnasium, and other high school facility shortcomings. That was their answer.

Regarding Cathedral, it was abundantly clear that a circle of high level clergy, lay people, and others who offer paid services to the Diocese wanted to close Cathedral. They encircle the Bishop and for the last several years have been allowed to exercise undue influence and power. They attempted to poison the water with a constant stream of negativism concerning Cathedral, and they still are being allowed to do so today.

Where are we today? They are going to combine Holyoke Catholic and Cathedral into a “regional high school.” What they don’t mention is that Cathedral was already a regional high school. They took information from a limited number of “stakeholders” and now have retreated to secret, non-transparent planning from which they will spring upon us their final decision. Remember, these are many of the same people who were dead set on closing Cathedral. After they announce their plan, it will be too late.

I had a chance to serve on a marketing committee for Holyoke Catholic. What I saw from alumni who served was a deep and vocal passion for THEIR school. I believe that much of this passion was stirred by the fact that they almost lost their beloved school. Even though we have prominent alumni on our CCA committee we frequently asked ourselves…. Where are the Cathedral alumni? Why aren’t they speaking up? Why aren’t they taking action? Well, now, more than ever before, this is the time.

Do you know where the new school will be located? Will it only be a ‘right-sized’ small school and not what we really need for the next 50 years? Will it have the full athletic and other facilities that the students deserve? Will the full ethical and moral amount of insurance and FEMA monies be applied to do the job right? How will the school be managed? Will we follow the same path as before or learn from the some 25 successful Catholic secondary schools that have been provided the Diocese. By their own admission, Catholic schools in the Diocese have been failing under their leadership. They don’t have to!

Now, more than ever, before they announce their plan that you may not like, is the time to speak up and voice your opinion. This includes all Cathedral alumni and Holyoke Catholic alumni … and everyone on this e-mail distribution. Send it to others, as well. Don’t complain later. Act now. You can make a difference if you act now…but not after they announce. It will be too late.

How much do you care about Cathedral? About Holyoke Catholic? About Catholic Education in the Diocese of Springfield?

Send a Letter to the Editor at:  letters@repub.com

or, with respect, send a letter to:
Most Reverend Bishop T. Rozanski
Diocese of Springfield
76 Elliot Street
Springfield, MA 01102

Thank you and God Bless,
Alfredo DiLascia

Work continues on the shell of CHS, damaged extensively by the June 2011 tornado, but to what end is unclear.

The future of Cathedral High School remains unclear, despite the recent announcement from the Diocese following months of study.

Cathedral will continue, but merged with Holyoke Catholic High School, according to an announcement Feb. 23 by Springfield Bishop Mitchell Rozanski reported in the Springfield Republican. The two may operate as a single entity at a temporary location as early as this fall. The Purple Gaels?

The bishop said he was continuing to study the question of whether the current CHS building on Surrey Road should be rebuilt.

The future of Cathedral High School remains in flux. While efforts by students, parents, and alumni to bring about a rebuilding of the school are underway, word from the relatively new Bishop of the Springfield Diocese is making those efforts uncertain.

The Committee for Cathedral Action has a Facebook page. It is undertaking numerous activities, including a “Keep the Momentum” event last Thursday that attracted more than 400 people. You can also contact the group by email — cathedralaction@gmail.com — for more information.

At the same time, the Springfield Republican reports that Bishop Mitchell Rozanski said the Diocese cannot sustain the level of financial support for Cathedral that it provided in the past.

The school building on Surrey Road was heavily damaged by the June 2011 tornado that struck Springfield and other parts of Western and Central Massachusetts. After federal funds and insurance money became available in early 2014, then-Bishop Timothy McDonnell announced at a March press conference that the school would be rebuilt on site. Demolition of damaged areas is underway, but Bishop Rozanski said the Diocese would rethink its decision following discussions with “stakeholders,” designated by the Diocese and not including the Committee for Cathedral Action, this coming weekend.

Diocesan officials told the Republican the Bishop would announce his decision by mid-February.

Matt Weber, a Purple Panther, Class of 2002, pens a love letter to CHS on the Huffington Post blog. Weber, a “digital strategist” at Harvard, says he did not like Cathedral as a student, but, a dozen years years later, can say, “I unabashedly love you.”

Check out “An Open Letter to My 131-Year-Old (Possibly Closing) Catholic School.”