By Gretchen Keiser, Staff Writer

ATLANTA—A task force composed of six archdiocesan representatives and six representatives from affected school and parish communities began meeting March 26 concerning the proposed closing of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Anthony’s schools, Atlanta, and a proposed consolidation with Sts. Peter and Paul School, Decatur.

At the same time, pastors of the three parishes expressed viewpoints on behalf of their respective parishes, seeking other solutions to the challenges facing the three schools and opposing the initial proposal.

The task force has been given a one-week time line and a mandate by Archbishop John F. Donoghue to provide him with viable recommendations or proposals by March 30.

Representing the archdiocese on the task force are Donald T. Sasso, Secretary for Education, Kathi Stearns, vice chancellor for special projects, Judith Mucheck, superintendent of Catholic schools, Gary Meader, chief financial officer for the Department of Catholic Education, Lloyd Sutter, senior administrator in the Department of Religious Education, and Gareth Jenner, a consultant from Independent School Counsel, Inc.

Bill Mulcahy, a member of the Archdiocesan Finance Council, is serving as a liaison to the Finance Council, which must advise Archbishop John F. Donoghue on any proposal which has a significant financial commitment.

Also asked to serve on the task force was Charles Prejean, director of the archdiocesan Office for Black Catholic Ministry.

Representing St. Anthony’s School and Parish are Dr. Barbara Naylor-Hill, formerly a member of the archdiocesan Board of Education who has been a public school principal, and Jerralyn Winston, whose children have attended St. Anthony School and are attending Our Lady of Lourdes School.

Representing Our Lady Of Lourdes are Mary Avery, school secretary at Our Lady of Lourdes School whose daughter attends the school, and Karen Allen, an alumna of Our Lady of Lourdes School, whose children attended the school.

Representing Sts. Peter and Paul are Paul Williams, the president of the parish board of education, and Dolores Spencer-Izegbu, a member of the parish board of education.

Sasso said that the agenda for the opening meeting would be to review the archbishop’s mandate; to review “the issues that have brought us to this point”; to review the proposals that the archdiocese has looked at already; to talk about the results of surveys done by ISC for the archdiocese; to review feedback from focus group and large group meetings that have been held since the proposal was made public in early March; to review any new ideas or proposals that have been brought forward; to summarize the meeting and determine if any actions are needed and then set additional meeting times.

“We want to get down to the facts and look at what if any proposals are spiritually, educationally and financially feasible and to submit them to the archbishop by Friday,” Sasso said.

“We certainly do appreciate that it’s a very emotional issue for some,” he said.

Father T. J. Meehan, pastor of St. Anthony’s Church, said that a prayer vigil was announced at the parish and at Our Lady of Lourdes Church to pray for good results. All three pastors said that giving six parishioners a one-week time line to come up with viable proposals seemed to make the task impossible.

However, Father Meehan said that he had brought a proposal to Archbishop Donoghue for consideration March 26. The proposal requests moving all students from St. Anthony’s School to Our Lady of Lourdes School for the 2001-2002 school year while physical renovations would be made to St. Anthony’s School. At the same time, the proposal would seek a solid Catholic educator to serve as principal of the combined school. The following year, all the students would be moved to the renovated facility at St. Anthony’s School under this proposal and Our Lady of Lourdes School would be closed. Father Meehan said he believes St. Anthony’s parishioners are willing to make sacrifices, along with archdiocesan support, if the end result is to improve the school and keep the school open.

A proposal made by Father Richard Wise, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Church, suggests making both St. Anthony’s School and Sts. Peter and Paul School regional Catholic schools serving different areas of the archdiocese, selling the new Our Lady of Mercy High School in Fairburn, which opened in 2000, and considering establishing a future high school at St. Paul of the Cross Parish in Atlanta.

Archbishop Donoghue said this proposal will not be considered.

“I am looking for viable community-driven alternatives to the plan that has been presented by the Department of Education,” Archbishop Donoghue said. “However, the sale or closing of Our Lady of Mercy High School is not a viable option from an educational, financial or spiritual perspective.”

Although Our Lady of Lourdes Church sent two representatives to the task force, the parish also issued a statement expressing a loss of trust in the archdiocese’s willingness “to work with us for the good of the households and children we serve at Our Lady of Lourdes School.”

The statement said that the archdiocese had been “in total control” of Our Lady of Lourdes School for the past seven years. “Various initiatives for improvements have been publicized during this period. However, these plans were never fulfilled,” it said.

“It is unjust to expect that two representatives from each of three parishes could possibly come together with archdiocesan education officials and devise a ‘viable proposal’ in four days,” the statement said. “What the archdiocese has been unable to accomplish during the last seven years cannot be remedied in four days.”

Father John Adamski, the pastor, said the statement was signed by 160 parishioners.

Lori Ashford, president of the Home and School Association of St. Anthony’s School, was among a group of people who took part in a sidewalk protest outside the Catholic education offices the evening of March 26.

“The Lord is going to work a miracle. I have faith in him,” said Ashford, who is the mother of two children at the school. She expressed hope that the school could be improved and kept open.