Archdiocese Not Changing Mind About Closing Incarnation School

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL -- Archdiocese of Chicago officials held an emotional meeting with parents to discuss the closing of Incarnation School in Palos Heights. Both Incarnation and neighboring Our Lady of the Ridge School in Chicago Ridge are slated to close in June, leaving parents scrambling to find seats for 200 children at other nearby parochial schools. Parents left Thursday’s meeting without getting a direct answer about why Incarnation couldn’t absorb Our Lady of Ridge’s student body. The two schools are among five that are being closed in June by the Archdiocese.

Before the meeting started, Archdiocese officials kicked out the news media.

“This is a sad private time,” said Tom McGrath, chief operating officer for Chicago Catholic Schools. “This is a moment just for our community.”

When a TV news reporter revealed himself in the pews, he was ordered to leave the church. A man jumped up and told the reporter to stay.

“He is my guest,” the man said. “We are a welcoming parish.”

>>> Archdiocese To Close Incarnation and Our Lady of The Ridge

Other parishioners waiting to hear about the school closing wanted the reporter to stay. One of the Archdiocese representatives ordered him out.

“The Archdiocese is a private organization,” she said. “This is a closed meeting.”

Palos Heights police escorted the reporter out of the church.

McGrath said the Archdiocese met with the pastor and parish board in September and told them the Incarnation had four months to raise the required amount of funds needed to keep the school open. The closing of Incarnation school was not the fault of the pastor, parishioners, faculty or staff.

“I’ve done too many of these meetings,” McGrath said. “The low enrollment is driven by not enough demand to fill Catholic schools.”

Throwing a barely readable slide up a screen showing Chicago-area Catholic schools’ declining enrollment trends over the past several years, McGrath set out to correct “misinformation” that’s been reported by news media.

“”We’re not interested in numbers,” a woman shouted from the back of the church. “I want to hear what I can do with my child now.”

McGrath revealed that Archdiocese officials meet in 2015 with the parish’s leadership, although a parish board member sitting in the audience said she was not included in the 2015 meeting. Parishioners said it was the first time they were hearing about it and asked why families and parishioners weren’t called together then to discuss declining enrollment.

“It was up to church leadership,” McGrath said.

Parents challenged the pastor, Rev. Arek Falana, who was sitting in the audience. They demanded that he get up and address them throughout the meeting.

“Are you telling me you didn’t have the guts or conscience to tell us? That you sat there and knew,” a woman shouted.

“He’s not going to speak,” McGrath said.

“Then if Father Arick doesn’t want to address us, there is no point to this meeting.”

Parents repeatedly asked Archdiocese officials why they couldn’t take Our Lady of the Ridge students that would put Incarnation’s enrollment over the required 225 benchmark. Parents at another North Shore Catholic school that is closing, Holy Cross in Deerfield, are being encouraged to send their children to St. Norbert’s School in Northbrook. Families asked why children at Incarnation and Our Lady of the Ridge weren’t being given the same chance.

McGrath said the $154,000 raised by Incarnation parishioners would be returned to donors, including money raised at a recent Bourbon Street fundraiser.

“How are we going to find the people who bought tickets for the raffle baskets,” someone shouted.

Parents were told it was time to start shopping for schools. McGrath said the Archdiocese would help families find new schools and if necessary, open sections at nearby schools to make room. The Archdiocese would also assist teachers in finding new positions.

Chicago Catholic Schools spokeswoman Anne Massali said in an email that even if Our Lady of the Ridge students transferred to Incarnation School, the school would still have a large operating deficit. Neither the Archdiocese or the parish is able to pay the schools operating deficit.

Incarnation parent Monika Vysoky said the school was told to raise $600,000 to cover expenses over the next three years. She said the school doesn’t take a subsidy from the Archdiocese of Chicago, but receives a subsidy from the parish..

“I thought the decision would be different tonight and go in our favor with all the publicity,” she said. “How dare they close two schools within a six-month radius. We’re out.”

Chicago Catholics Schools Chief Operating Officer Tom McGrath addresses parents at Incarnation Church. | Photo by Patch Editor Lorraine Swanson