Father Murphy has yet to
formally advise the parents of his decision and when
asked for the reason of his decision he has refused to discuss it. He did, however, send a letter to the faculty to inform them of his decision.
With the exception of one teacher the entire staff wants to see Mr. Flanagan stay on. They have signed a petition and sent letters to the Monsignor.
A very large number of parents have also been very vocal about their opposition. At a recent meeting of parents opposed to the actions of Father Murphy, 100 parents were there. Many have participated in low key protests in front of the school.
Father Murphy did tell Channel 12 News on May 20, 2009 that parents have no say in what happens at the school and that if the
parents do not like the new principal they can just take their kids and
go.
Nice.
It is true that under Catholic canon law, the pastor is king but it is very irksome to parents and teachers that Father Murphy refuses to take into account the almost unanimous desire of parents and teachers to keep Flanagan as their principal.
Saint Saviour parents have found support and encouragement from a parish in Cincinatti, Ohio that went through a similar struggle in 2003. Those parents were able to convince the leader of their parish to rescind his decision and reinstate their principal.
The Saint Saviour parents hope to have the same outcome here in Park Slope. The following was written by an OTBKB reader and a parent at the school
decision not to renew Principal James Flanagan's contract, putting aside the
intense hurt and disbelief, many parents felt like we were all alone in our
struggle.
We also feared that, although our cause was clearly moral
and just, we might not have much chance of success given that we were
up against Fr. Murphy, who has autocratically ruled over Saint Saviour's Parish
since he arrived in June 2004. I know I certainly had felt at times
that the battle was too great and wondered whether it was even worth
fighting. Thankfully, when I am at my lowest, I am reminded of
how important this struggle is every time I see my children. Knowing
how truly fortunate we all are to have such a dedicated and compassionate
Principal, whose success cannot be questioned, leading our school and our
children helps to get us through the periods of doubt.
We also have found inspiration in an unlikely place…Cincinnati,
Ohio. In the days immediately following Fr. Muphy's illogical
decision, one of our parents found an article about Nativity Grade School, a
Catholic School in Cincinnati, Ohio. On November 24, 2003, the Wednesday
before Thanksgiving, Pastor Fr. Sherlock of Nativity Parish fired the Principal
of the Grade School, Robert Herring. Like Mr. Flanagan, Mr. Herring was a
very successful principal who was beloved by his students and the parents.
Immediately following his termination, a large group of parents went to Fr.
Sherlock and asked him to reconsider and rescind the termination. As with
Fr. Murphy, who is also in his fifth of his six year term at Saint Saviour's,
Fr. Sherlock refused to give any reason for his decision and refused
the parents request to rescind the termination. Also like Fr. Murphy, Fr.
Sherlock had limited to no involvement in the school. Over the
Thanksgiving weekend, many of the parents got together to discuss what to
do. In the weeks that followed, they prepared protest signs and
picket lines appeared outside the church and school. Parents, students and grade
school alumni also demonstrated outside the archdiocesan.
The struggle
continued for weeks with Fr. Sherlock refusing to budge. Finally, after
approximately four weeks, Fr. Sherlock agreed to
rescind the termination of Mr. Herring. Over five
years later, Mr. Herring remains the Principal of Nativity, and in 2006 was
named as one of the five National Distinguished Principals for the entire
United States.
For a more detailed discussion of the struggle that Nativity's parents went
through in 2003 please see http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/archives2/2003d/121903/121903k.htm
Reading about the successful campaign run by the parents of Nativity
encouraged us. What happened next was even more inspiring.
One of the
parents in our group reached out to one of the leaders of the Nativity group to
advise them of our struggle and to request any guidance or advice they
could provide. We received several lengthy e-mails, as
well as a 20-minute phone call, which provided not only advice but
were filled with such compassion, encouragement and
understanding. In one e-mail, the gentleman from Nativity advised
that, upon reading our e-mail he immediately recalled the shock and
frustration that the November 24, 2003 discharge of long-time and
beloved Nativity School Principal Robert Herring by Fr, Sherlock and
empathized with the writer, the writer's family, Mr. Flanagan, the St.
Saviour parishioners, the school parents, the students, and the faculty.
Based on the information provided, he noted that
there were a number of similarities in Mr. Flanagan’s and Mr. Herring’s
situations. Both men were excellent and experienced principals
of thriving Roman Catholic elementary schools, respected and well-loved by their
parish communities. In each instance the pastor has refused to discuss the
reasons for his decision on the grounds of privacy. In each instance, the
pastor did not consult with, or even inform, any parish lay leadership, such as
the Pastoral Council or School Board, prior to executing his unilateral
decision. In each instance the parishioners are the subjects in an
essentially feudal system of church governance in which the bishop or the
archbishop is the overlord, the pastor is the vassal or lord of the manor, and
the parishioners are the serfs, urged to pray, pay and obey. It was noted
that this system, an autocratic one, rather than a democratic one, is a far
cry from the way in which citizens govern themselves in a democratic republic,
and publicly-traded corporations run themselves. The system, although
archaic, works until the pastor stops acting in a pastoral and benevolent way.
Unfortunately, in both Mr. Herring and Mr. Flanagan's situations, the
pastor has clearly not acted in a pastoral and benevolent
way.
The gentleman from Nativity further advised that
he believed that the efforts and prayers of hundreds collaborating in an
organized way, contributed to Mr. Herring’s reinstatement. He noted that
he was uncertain if the Archbishop of Cincinnati or his Auxiliary Bishop
reached out to Fr. Sherlock to either order or urge him to engage in the
ultimately successful mediation or to reinstate Mr. Herring. We
advised him that we hoped that our Bishops, Bishop DiMarzio and Bishop Caggiano
would investigate this matter and, upon realizing the unfortunate
decision made by Fr. Murphy, would either order or urge Fr.
Murphy to offer a new contract to Mr. Flanagan.
He stress that he believed it was
totally appropriate that the lay members of the Church, including your parish
community, express their opinions about Fr. Murphy’s decision, as prayerfully,
respectfully, and effectively as possible, just as we had done in
our letters to Bishop DiMarzio. He also noted that, throughout the
storm of controversy, Mr. Herring maintained an inspiring Christ like
approach and attitude. Mr. Flanagan has conducted himself
similarly despite how he has been
treated by Fr. Murphy.
The gentleman stated that he
was proud of his lay parish community for having chosen to
challenge the unilateral and truly lousy decision by Fr. Sherlock. He
believes that his Parish is stronger, more vital and more engaged than if
they had just accepted what seemed like a nonsensical, tyrannical
decision. In closing, he commended us for
our efforts to reinstate Mr. Flanagan as Principal and advised that our mission
is in his prayers. He also advised that he and his fellow Nativity
members would provide us with any assistance needed.
At a meeting held with
approximately one hundred parents of Saint Saviour's on May 28, 2009,
the e-mail from the gentleman was read aloud to the parents. We could not
put into words how inspired and moved we were to know that others have walked the road that we have now undertaken and worked together
for a successful result. We have written to our fellow parents at
Nativity to let them know how inspiring they are and how much their
encouragement means to us. With their continued support,
assistance and prayers, we too can hope for a proper outcome to this
unfortunate situation.
At difficult times in our
lives like this when we face such daunting tasks, we all need the love,
support and encouragement of friends. The parents of Saint Saviour's
Elementary School have now found many new friends 637 miles away at
Nativity Parish in Cincinnati, Ohio. And for that, we are truly
blessed.