Sacred Heart parents plan rally to save school

Parents at the Sacred Heart School in North Merrick are planning to rally at the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Saturday, Jan. 21, to protest the closing of six Long Island Catholic schools in June.

The rally is a joint effort by parents at the six schools, said Shane Pallotta, a leader on the Save Sacred Heart Committee who has two daughters at the school. The rally will be held in Rockville Centre, across from St. Agnes Cathedral.

“If we get six schools, then there’s no reason we can’t have 1,000 people,” Pallotta said, “and 1,000 people would definitely make a statement.”

In December, Bishop William Murphy announced that four Nassau County schools –– including Sacred Heart, St. Catherine of Sienna in Franklin Square, St. Ignatius Loyola in Hicksville and St. John de Baptist LaSalle in Farmingdale – and two Suffolk County schools –– Prince of Peace in Sayville and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Lindenhurst –– would close following the 2011-12 school year.

Terry Dennelly, an Oakdale resident who has two children at Prince of Peace Regional Catholic School, has been a vocal leader in the effort to keep the school open, and said that parents at all six schools have been in contact with one another. “The six schools that are targeted to close are now in communication,” Dennelly said. “Going forward, we are going to be combining our efforts.”

As was the case at Sacred Heart, Dennelly said, Prince of Peace parents sent 1,000 sealed petitions to Murphy, but have yet to speak with him. In addition, Dennelly said that he has requested a meeting with the papal nuncio, who oversees all bishops and cardinals in the United States, and who resides in Washington, D.C.

Dennelly said that Sacred Heart and Prince of Peace were two of the first schools to coordinate their efforts. “Sacred Heart and Prince of Peace are very similar,” Dennelly said. “Both of our enrollments are increasing, they’re both profitable, they both have huge early-education programs that the diocese did not consider.”

While the Murphy has yet to meet with parents, Pallotta said a select group of Sacred Heart parents did meet with Sister Joanne Callahan, the diocese’s superintendent of schools, in December.