There is still no official word from the good folks at Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast as to whether the schools will appeal the ruling of the Blue Ribbon Commission that they be shut down.
Word on an appeal could come later today, or early this week.
If the two schools were looking for a show of support in making their decision, they got one yesterday.
More than 1,500 students and alums from Bonner and Prendie took part in a rally on the school athletic fields in Drexel Hill.
The archdiocese reacted to rumors that were sweeping the region on Friday that there was a huge fee associated with getting a hearing on appeals of the commission’s ruling. That was not the case, the archdiocese assured the faithful.
That is not to say that money will not play a huge part in the decision-making process.
The archdiocese is not terribly interested in hearing about the tradition or sentiment connected to the schools. They are interested in numbers.
That’s why Bonner and Prendie alums also are raising money – lots of it.
Bonner-Prendie President the Rev. James Olson indicated he would like to have as much as $5 million in hand if and when he goes downtown for his appeal hearing.
To that end, Bonner alum Dan Praz, the Delco businessman who joined our panel to talk about the schools on last week’s Live From the Newsroom show, took out a full-page ad in the Sunday Times to urge alumni to help with the fundraising effort.
The problem is not just raising the money for year one, but it’s all the years to come as well.
It’s a huge financial burden to carry. But it’s one that local alumni are taking up.
That’s called Keeping the Faith.
Comments