Video: Nativity Holds Vigil in Response to Archdiocesan Appeal Decision

Emotions were high at a candlelight vigil Friday night held outside Nativity BVM Church in response to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia decision to grant St. John Chrysostom appeal earlier in the day.

Archbishop Charles Chaput announced Friday morning that St. John Chrysostom, in Wallingford, won its Blue Ribbon Commission appeal to host a regional elementary school after it and Nativity BVM School merge next school year.

The Nativity school building will close, according to the Archdiocese press release.

The Blue Ribbon Commission had recommended that St. John and Nativity merge into a regional school at the Media facility, however, St. John appealed that recommendation in January saying their facility was better equipped to house the regional school.

At Friday's vigil, more than 75 parents, students and parishioners voiced their concerns of the Archdiocese decision to move the regional school to the Wallingford location.

The Nativity community wanted answers and an opportunity to tell their side as to why the regional school should stay in Media.

Jim Pace, a parent of two children at Nativity, said the Nativity community supported the original decision to merge the two schools at the Media location and he wants to know why the decision was reversed.

"We trusted the original decision and unless there was overwhelming evidence (to reverse the location), there was no need to defend it," Pace said. "We felt it was the right decision. We want to know why it was overturned."

Richard Thomas, of Fenwick Island, Del., heard about Friday's vigil and drove to Media to show his support for his grandson's school.

"Nativity should have the right to appeal, the appeal," Thomas said.

Jeff Elefante, a parent and member of the joint implementation committee regarding the merger, said the Nativity community was advised not to speak publicly about the appeal's process, thinking they were safe.

"We tried to take the high road," Elefante said.

He said they were told an appeal would only be accepted if the Blue Ribbon Commission was found to have misinformation in its recommendation.

"St. John's simply said, 'We have a better location,'" Elefante said. "The Blue Ribbon Commission picked us for a reason."

According to the Archdiocese Faith in the Future website, Nativity has seen an enrollment increase of 9 percent between 2005 and 2009 and St. John saw a decrease in enrollment of 49 percent between the same years.

Between 2009 and 2010, Nativity had $157,150 in school fundraising while St. John had $20,872, according to faithinthefuture.com. (See the included PDF files of each school's report above).

Mario Bacchia, a parent and member of the parish finance committee, said Nativity is clearly the superior school, on an educational, fundraising, enrollment and subsidy level.

"We smoke them in every category," Bacchia said.

The Nativity community waits to see if their voices will be heard.

Click here to read an All Things Media, Pa. post on why the Media community, as a whole, should have done more.