St. Damian, John Paul II schools grow stronger through multi-parish communities

Metro Detroit — At first glance, St. Damian School in Westland and John Paul II School in Lincoln Park don’t seem very similar.

One school community came about through the clustering of three parishes, and the other came about through the consolidation of three schools belonging to independent parishes.

St. Damian School is open to students from the “tri-parish” cluster community of Divine Savior, St. Theodore and St. Damian, led by Fr. Patrick Casey.

John Paul II School in Lincoln Park operates under the guidance of Christ the Good Shepherd, led by Fr. Tony Richter; the two churches of St. Vincent Pallotti in Wyandotte, led by Fr. Michael Cremin, SAC; and Our Lady of the Scapular, also in Wyandotte, led by Fr. Mark Borkowski.

But despite their differences, St. Damian School and John Paul II School nevertheless are both examples of schools flourishing thanks to the support of their multi-parish families.

 



Westland cluster

Lori Slevin, a second-grade teacher at St. Damian School whose daughter currently attends the school and whose son graduated its eighth-grade last year, said despite the challenges involved with clustering the parish communities, “I’ve really seen it working,” especially with regards to the school.

“It’s really God’s hand in it all,” she added.

Slevin and her husband, originally from Ohio, moved to Michigan in the late ‘90s, and quickly made St. Damian Parish their home.

In 2012, St. Damian Parish clustered with Divine Savior Parish and St. Theodore Parish, forming what the community calls a “tri-parish” cluster. When current pastor Fr. Casey arrived that year, he announced that families from all three parishes would qualify for “in-parish tuition” at St. Damian School.

Slevin said parishioners have gotten a bit more used to experiencing life as a “tri-parish,” and the school presence has been helpful.

“The children are really important in a cluster because the children are your future,” said Slevin, adding that she has grown closer with the families of Divine Savior and St. Theodore as a result.

“There are people we know from St. Theodore who come over to see my children play basketball,” she said.

Slevin said a plan is in the works for the First Communion class and the confirmation class to go on tours of all three church sites, and sacramental celebrations rotate among the three parishes.

“We hope to build on that by doing field trips by showing how things are similar but maybe a little different” inside each church, she said.

 

Downriver partners

Mariann Lupinacci, principal of John Paul II School, said that before her arrival, the pastors of three nearby parishes were re-evaluating the $300,000 each was spending to support their individual parish schools.

Lupinacci said the pastors worked with Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron and decided that Christ the Good Shepherd School, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Elementary School and Wyandotte Catholic School would be consolidated.

All three schools had been experiencing declining enrollment and were in debt, and with the new plan, each participating parish would only need to contribute $100,000.

The new entity, John Paul II School — residing in the former building of Christ the Good Shepherd School — opened in fall 2011.

“Fr. Richter, Fr. (Walter) Ptak and Fr. Cremin put together a committee of parishioners of their parishes, and planned for a whole year what they would need,” Lupinacci said.

Lupinacci said the principals of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Wyandotte Catholic retired, and she, the principal of Christ the Good Shepherd, was hired as the new principal of John Paul II.

Committees formed to make the merge as smooth as possible, Lupiniacci said, including “committees for uniforms, handbooks, transportation, finance (and) school advisory.”

A town hall was held with Auxiliary Bishop Francis Reiss to answer questions from the community.

“The big thing, no matter how the process is done, (was) ‘what are the traditions you’re going to keep from our school?’” she said.

Parishioners “came out of the woodwork and brought statues” and artifacts from different parishes, and Sacred Heart Major Seminary even donated a portrait of St. John Paul II.

Lupinacci said John Paul II School had accreditation for the first two years based on the merged schools, which all were accredited. The third year, 2013-14, John Paul II received its own accreditation.

“The children celebrate the sacraments at their parish,” said Lupinacci, explaining that she and the faculty attend the sacraments, wherever they are held. “The pastors take turns being pastor delegate; Fr. Richter is delegate this year.”

Today, the school has approximately 200 students, she said, calling John Paul II “a healthy school environment.”

“The first year people cried … it was a tough transition, but these kids were just fabulous,” Lupinacci said. “We’ve had significant growth in IOWA scores and terrific teachers,” adding that when the merger occurred, teachers of the merged schools had first priority to apply as John Paul II teachers.

“The parents just rallied for the school,” she said. “When you’ve got parents who support, you have students who succeed.”

 

Alive and growing

Fr. Casey said that for the second year, an anonymous parishioner from Divine Savior donated the amount of a full tuition for one St. Damian School student, available through a fundraising raffle at the 2015 tri-parish May Crowning.

Additionally, he said, “the schoolchildren participated in collecting goods (food, clothing, etc.) at all three parish sites for various seasonal collections by way of the Christian Service Commission,” he said.

Jacqueline Mojeske, principal of St. Damian School, said the three communities of the tri-parish have been “extremely supportive,” and she is grateful for “a constant flow of donations” to the school coming from all three parishes.

In 2013, the students performed “Godspell Jr.” and held the musical at all three parish sites.

“As you grow, you keep improving,” she said.

Sr. Mary Alexanne Rutecki, CSSF, who teaches junior high at John Paul II School, said teaching in the new school environment was “a great opportunity to meet so many of our good Catholic priests, teachers, parents and students that I otherwise would not have met.”

“I hope and pray our Catholic schools may remain open as our children are so in need of a good Catholic education in the times in which we are now living,” she said.