Video: Catholic school parents protest bishop's decision

Parents and families deserve more.

That's what Mike McDougall, a parent from The Good Shepherd Catholic school in Henrietta, said in response to the Bishop Matthew Clark's decision to uphold a plan to close 13 Monroe County Catholic Schools. Parents gathered at Sacred Heart Cathedral in the city on Friday to voice their opposition.

"We're here today ... asking for accountability, more than anything" he said. "Whether the decision will be reversed or not, who's to say, but now you have a bishop who's in hiding. You have a bishop who's not willing to share the details of a plan to save the entire system."

After careful review of proposals by parents, Bishop Matthew Clark has determined that the plan to close 13 Monroe County Catholic Schools will proceed, the Catholic Diocese announced on Tuesday.

"While I greatly appreciate these proposals, I remain confident that the Task Force recommendations to close these schools and focus our resources on 11 remaining schools is the best chance we have of stabilizing our financial pressures in the long term and preserving Catholic education for the future," he said.

Re-opening a school or schools would jeopardize retention and enrollment goals for the 11 remaining schools, thereby impacting financial stability of the system as a whole, he said.

Colleen Parent of Williamson said "I think if his system is that fragile, they need to look at other alternatives."

Although St. Monica's in the city will remain open, John Fien, a father of children in that school, came out to voice his opposition to the Diocese' decision.

"It's such a good alternative to the city public schools," he said of Catholic schools.

src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-RBeSHmvaMorel=1" width="425" height="355" scale="ShowAll" loop="loop" menu="menu" wmode="transparent" quality="1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed> Caitlin Grow, a fourth-grader at St. Rita's, came out to Sacred Heart Cathedral with her mother, and a show of support from her classmates to those students being impacted by the closings. "My school and most of my friends and me don't think it's right that the Bishop's closing all these schools because all these kids are, they like, don't have any school to go to close to their house," she said. Caitlin had several posters which she and the other students at St. Rita's made during their winter celebration at school on Friday. Living in Wayne County, Parent said, Holy Trinity was her daughter's only viable option for attending Catholic School. The next closest one is in Newark, which would be a 45-minute to an hour bus ride each way. McDougall said the Diocese decision is rash and reckless, and he thinks the Bishop should share the details of the plan in place to save the Catholic school system in Monroe County. "I really think the families and the students deserve better than just a thanks, sorry, and moving on from there," he said. "It's a bit rash and a bit too easy of an answer."<em>Messenger Post