OPENING DOORS

Move to former St. Pius X secured in ceremony

The Rev. Joseph Maloney, pastor of St. Aloysius Parish, has a story to tell — one that began 51 weeks ago and ended March 24 with the keys to the former St. Pius X High School being ceremoniously handed over as the new home for the parish school.

The change-over became official March 24 as St. Aloysius officials took possession of the building with a 99-year lease and issued a flood of thanks to the many who helped make it happen.

Discussion about the possibility of the move began in June, when Maloney called a special meeting of the parish and revealed the possibility of a deal with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Foundation for Catholic Education, which offered to buy the St. Pius X building for $1.2 million and lease it to St. Aloysius indefinitely for $1 a year.

For the deal to go through, the foundation required that the parish raise the more than $500,000 it is estimated it would take to repair the former St. Pius building to make it usable for the St. Aloysius students.

But it all really started before that, 51 weeks ago to be exact, Maloney said.

That’s when school Principal Sarah Kerins asked him to look into information that the former Pius building, located in North Keim Street just outside the borough, was about to be sold.

Maloney emailed the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which owned the building, and was surprised to get an answer back two minutes later, he said.

“Three days after that, Sarah and I are in Washington with the students on their annual trip and Bishop Fitzgerald calls and says I may be getting a call from Jerry Parsons,” who is the executive vice president of the Foundation for Catholic Education.

“An hour later, Jerry calls and we’re on the bus home, and he says ‘do you think that if we

“We’ve now secured our future and ensured the legacy of St. Aloysius while cradling the legacy of St. Pius.” Sarah Kerwin, St. Aloysious Parish School Principal

buy the building, your people can come up with the money for the renovations?” Maloney recalled.

And so the ball started rolling, said Maloney, who thanked Parsons for “how shall I put this? Gently forcing the issue with me.”

Parsons, who was on hand for the ceremony said “at one point, this building was two days away from being sold to another school.”

“By August, we knew it was time to take it to the people and that’s our real story, the people listened and responded,” Maloney said. “We’ve raised $410,000 in cash and another $150,000 pledged with a 100 percent collection rate on pledges. It’s all thanks to this amazing community of St. Al’s.”

“When I first came to this parish, I was immediately struck by how proud the parishioners were of the rich history and tradition of the school,” said Kerins. “We’ve now secured our future and ensured the legacy of St. Aloysius while cradling the legacy of St. Pius,” she said.

St. Aloysius School, currently located next to the church of the same name on North Hanover Street, was founded in 1912 and has occupied the same brick building since it was founded.

It has expanded into other buildings on the campus, but has run out of room and has no place to make more.

“We’ve now realized the dream we all had, of having all those children together under one roof,” said Debra Brillante, supervisor of education for the Office of Catholic Education.

When the new St. Aloysius opens in the fall, there will be about 250 children under that roof.

St. Pius X was closed in 2010 in the wake of the opening of Pope John Paul II High School in Upper Providence.

There have been no decisions announced about how the current St. Aloysius campus buildings will be used once the students move to Lower Pottsgrove.

“The best is still ahead of us in September when the kids are here wearing their smiles.” Jerry Parsons, Executive Vice President of Foundation for Catholic Education

In the meantime, renovations will get underway at the Keim Street campus in order to prepare for September.

“The best is still ahead of us in September when the kids are here wearing their smiles, and I hope some of them have a few grass stains on their knees,” said Parsons.

Maloney said the story of the move closed the fundraising chapter “51 weeks to the day that I sent that first email.”

“Who would have thought we could accomplish this in 51 weeks?” Parsons said.

MARIAN DENNIS – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Jerry Parsons and Monsignor Joseph Marino hand the key to the school to Rev. Joseph Maloney and Sarah Kerins. The Foundation for Catholic Education recently purchased the former Saint Pius X High School building located on North Keim Street in Lower...

MARIAN DENNIS – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Monsignor Joseph Marino (left) and Jerry Parsons prepare to hand the key to the school over to its new owners. The school building at 844 Keim Street will be the new location for St. Aloysius Parish School, currently located at Beech and North Hanover...

MARIAN DENNIS – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA From left, Jerry Parsons, co-chair of the Foundation for Catholic Education, Monsignor Joseph Marino, Rev. Stephen Paolino, Sarah Kerins, principal of St. Aloysius Parish School and Rev. Joseph Maloney cut a cake at an event Friday celebrating the...

EVAN BRANDT — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA After posing for all those photos, students from St. Aloysius Parish School were finally able to enjoy some cake.

MARIAN DENNIS – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Sarah Kerins, principal at St. Aloysius Parish School, talks about the process of moving to the new building located at 844 North Keim Street.