Here is an email from one of the Saint Saviour parents, who has been protesting the decision by Fr. Murphy not to renew the contract of the school's principal James Flanagan.
Saviour's Church from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Over 130 parents, children, alumni and
parishioners took part.
"Despite the fact that our line actually
extended beyond a city block, the protest was peaceful, well
organized and hopefully did not cause to much inconvenience to our neighbors who
were walking along 8th Avenue. Many stopped and asked questions about out
the unfortunate situation at Saint Saviour's and we were able to provide them
with information and our handout detailing why we are protesting.
"Deputy
Inspector Argenziano of the 78th Precinct again joined us to observe
the protest. With the exception of checking on the cars that were
parked in front of the Church, the police officers and the deputy inspector
had a relatively quiet evening at the protest as we only marched and carried our
signs while ensuring that we did not completely block the sidewalk.
"After
marching for about an hour, we all gathered and said a few prayers for our school and our Parish. We then sang together. Mr. Flanagan attended
the end of the rally and thanked us all for our dedication and
support. I find it ironic that he is thanking us for our dedication
and support when it is his dedication and support of our children and our school
that has caused us to take action on his behalf.
"Knowing
the difficulties he has been forced to go through as a result of
Father Murphy's decision, it brought immense pride and a new found spirit
to all of us to see a smile on his face. He is a truly admirable man
and the sincerity of his appreciation of the support he is receiving, especially
from the children from the school, is evident.
"Having spoken with
him, I know he was very upset that the school year was ending on Friday, June
19, 2009, this matter has not been resolved and, while he remains
confident, he is uncertain as to whether he will be able to return to Saint
Saviour's in September.
"Friday will definitely be a very emotional day for
Mr. Flanagan, his faculty, the children and us parents. Not to sound like
I am whining but, it didn't have to be this way and the fact that our own Pastor
is causing so much pain and anguish to the children and his Parish is
unfathomable."
Former parent….I assume your children were still at the School when the School had to pay for the replacement of the old and leaking roof which the Parish refused to pay for despite the fact that the Parish owns the Building and is responsible for all capital improvements. Hope that answers your inquiry. Nice try though.
Former parent….perhaps it went for the new roof that the Parish refused to pay for despite its ownership of the Building and its responsibility for all capital improvements…good try though
Exit question for Mr. Flanagan: whatever happend to the funds raised for the roof-top school yard???
Dear Concerned Alumni
You are sadly mistaken when you say that the children wave signs as people come out of mass. I have been to every mass and not one child waved a protest sign in anyones face. We are also alumni who are proud to send our children to St. Saviour. Do your children attend the school? Both of my children do and they proudly held up their signs not shoving them in anybodies face. They are proud of the school and of Mr. Flanagan. We have been very respectful to everyone, we have our hadouts and we carry our signs peacefully just ask the Community Affairs people who are with us for every protest thanks to Father Murphy.
Kathy
Having st. saviour children wave protest signs at parishioners as they leave mass? That is not the school I went to. Sounds like Brooklyn Friends or Packer parents tactics to me.
Former parent, or am I correct in saying Bernadette. I am sorry that your children’s time at Saint Saviour’s was so terrible. Most of the people I know share in my wonderful experiences at the School. Have you now re-registered your children for Saint Saviour’s for September since you are apparently so pleased with Father Murphy’s decision ?
Dear Former Parent, I guess having a fax machine at the school would have really resolved a lot of your problems at St. Saviour’s!!?? I don’t think anyone is saying that St. Saviour’s Elementary is perfect, or that Mr. Flanagan is perfect. Parents merely want to highlight an injustice being committed and a lack of due process.
I reject your characterization of Mr. Flanagan as “hand-picking” parents and if you were enrolled at the school, I guess he hand-picked you. Curiously, cronyism is one of the major complaints that parents and parishioners have about Father Murphy and how he chooses who gets hired and fired. He prefers the company of employees from his former parish rather than those with a history at St. Saviour.
Parental involvement is vital to our kids’ education, and I am pleased to see such caring about schooling! The common denominator in all our efforts to teach our kids is always parental care and involvement. As soon as I learned of the recent situation at St. Saviour, I knew it was important to support those involved. In that spirit, I have spoken to some members of the St. Saviour community and am enthusiastic about my collaboration with parents. Education is so very important, and working together to maintain a successful institution like St. Saviour is fundamental to our efforts to provide superior instruction for our children.
– NYS Senator Eric Adams (D-20)
I applaud Father Murphy’s decision to not renew Mr. Flanagan’s contract. Mr.Flanagan has been running a dictatorship for quite some time & its time for a change. I transferred my child a few years a go & I haven’t regretted it one bit. Times of having relatives of teachers sit on school& tuition boards should come to an end together with Mr. Flanagan’s decision not to have a fax machine in the school as it would just provide an avenue of communication for parents (other than the ones that have been hand-picked by him)and the mission statement of once you leave here, you may never come back. Does that sound Christian-like to you?
Sounds like Father Murphy realizes its time for a change and that could only happen if Mr. Flanagan is removed from his position.
Wishing Father Murphy good wishes and prayers.
It is hard to believe that in the middle of a crisis that is dividing his parish Fr. Murphy took off for a 2 week vacation.
As a parent of 2 children in St. Saviour I applaud everyone who has stood up for Mr. Flanagan. I try to teach my children to do the right thing, and Mr. Flangan has consistently given our children a positive example of someone who does the right thing, even when it is not the easy thing to do. I hope my children can follow the example he sets by his actions and his concern for the greater good. He deserves at least one more year after all he has given to our families and our community!
I am appalled Fr. Murphy has never given even one reason for his firing.