Name of new school required the wisdom of Solomon

Date: 6/5/2015

The Old Testament tells us about the wisdom of Solomon and how he solved the issue in which  two mothers claimed to have custody of the same child.

Some of that style of wisdom could have been used to solve the issue of the name of the new Catholic high school.

In this case, the supporters of both two existing schools – Cathedral and Holyoke Catholic – wanted to have a name that reflected at least in part the name of their school.

Initially all the Cathedral supporters wanted was to see their high school rebuilt on its location in Springfield. The issue quickly escalated into greater complexity when it was announced the two Catholic secondary schools operated by the diocese would be combined and possibly housed in a location other than the one in Springfield.

Last week the diocese announced the name of the school would be Pope Francis High School.  The name came out of a discussion between 16 students from both schools who serve on the new school’s student advisory committee.

The name signals a new era for the school as well as a strategy to ensure that none of the supporters will get any sort of reference to the previous schools. The schools are essentially destined to be historical institutions, rather than living ones.

The press release from the diocese noted, “‘This was the result of much thoughtful discussion among the 16 students who have been working with Msgr. John Bonzagni,’ said Paul Gagliarducci, who is overseeing the creation of a new regional Catholic High School.”

It continued with a quote from Bishop Mitchell Rozanski, “I am very excited about moving this project forward,” he said. “I want to thank the students for their excellent work and I will review their other recommendations soon.  We have done much work over the past two months and I look forward to sharing this progress with our parishioners and the western Massachusetts community.”

Not everyone shares the bishop’s viewpoint. Al DiLacia, one of the key members of the Committee for Cathedral Action, wrote in a letter to the press, “With the announcement of a new Catholic high school you would think that there would be a great joy throughout the Catholic community and the Greater Springfield area. Just the opposite. There is deep sadness, and I really mean a deep sadness. It is beginning to sink in; we are on the verge of losing one of the most beloved and storied, one of the premier Catholic high schools in the nation – Cathedral High School. A school with a 132-year history that has been part of the very fabric of the community. It is much more than a nostalgic and an emotional attachment, it is a school that has had a priceless and tangible value to the entire community, and to society, no matter where graduates end up.”

He continued, “Finally a decision made and a decision to do what? A decision to combine two schools. An easy way out, while at the same time ignoring the potential of fully supporting and growing the two schools by using proven successful Catholic high school approaches. A clinging to the negative rather than planning for the positive. Some say it was nothing more than a backhanded way of closing Cathedral, something that was desired from the very beginning. A ‘close and pocket’ strategy. Prolong and fight for the maximum insurance benefit, close Cathedral, and pocket the money. Many really believe that.

“Where we are today is not a place that we had to be. Four years later, people put through four years of hell, where they currently are in a state of deep sadness. Yet today, with really easy and rational decision making, most importantly good intent for our children, we could now be experiencing overwhelming joy over a commitment to a new Cathedral High School,” he concluded.

With the decision to give a combined high school a new name  – despite the name honoring a popular pope – the diocese has managed to flame the fires of criticism, instead of extinguishing them. The decision underscores for some people a certain lack of caring for the way people feel and support their schools exhibited by the diocese.

I wonder how Solomon would have handled this situation?

Agree? Disagree? Drop me a line at news@thereminder.com or at 280 N. Main St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. As always, this column represents the opinion of its author and not the publishers or advertisers of this newspaper.