|
Pastors Corner
|
|
Clergy
|
From the Pastor’s Desk.....
The end of this academic year is especially poignant, as it brings with it the closing of our Urbana campus of Catholic Central School. As expressed in the numerous communications that were given to you last Fall by myself and by the school’s Board of Trustees and by the Archbishop, this has been a very difficult and painful decision for all of us. We are all saddened that there will no longer be school children on site here in Urbana. However, we are fortunate that Catholic education will still be offered in this region of the Archdiocese; and I am convinced that the quality of that education will only increase, as we consolidate our resources onto the two remaining elementary campuses. I am very pleased to report that for next year our registrations for pre-k through 6 are over 400 students! I am also very happy to report that all four of the full-time teachers and two of the aides who have been on the Urbana faculty have been offered contracts for next year. Of the 41 students on the Urbana campus who were eligible to register for next year, 15 have chosen to enroll in the Elementary division; and 3 of our 4 “graduating” 6th Graders will be at the Junior High next year. I am hopeful that in the future even more of our families will decide to take advantage of our Catholic Central School. For most, it’s only a 20 minute bus ride away! And for those from other school districts who cannot utilize the Urbana bus, the school is offering “transportation stipends” of $500. per family. Please understand that, despite the closing of the Urbana campus, our St. Mary Parish is obligated to on-going support of Catholic Central School. This school will continue to be a major ministry of our parish. We will continue to pay a parish subsidy for each active parishioner who attends the Elementary division or the Junior High division. And I will continue my personal involvement with the School. As most of you know, in addition to my service on the Board of Trustees, I have been present on the High Street campus (Jr. High & High School) each Tuesday this past year. Next year, I hope to also be present on the two Elementary campuses at least once a week. Lastly, I am pleased to announce that there will be two new members of St. Mary Parish who will begin terms on the school’s Board of Trustees: Bill Mullen, and Matthew Schaeffer. We are grateful to the two of them. To all of you parishioners who have supported our school children during this challenging time of transition, and to all our school parents, and especially to our wonderful faculty and staff, I extend my sincere gratitude and prayers.
Sincerely, Fr. Konerman |
|
send mail to
webmaster@champaigncatholic.org with
questions or comments about this web site.
|