STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Cardinal-designate Archbishop Timothy Dolan has appointed Monsignor Thomas Bergin, pastor of St. Charles R.C. Church, Oakwood, to serve as chairman of the new Staten Island Catholic Schools Board. Monsignor Bergin is a former vicar for education for the New York Archdiocese and also served as principal of Moore Catholic High School, Graniteville, and Monsignor Farrell...
Monsignor Thomas Bergin has been appointed chairman of the new Staten Island Catholic Schools Board.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Cardinal-designate Archbishop Timothy Dolan has appointed Monsignor Thomas Bergin, pastor of St. Charles R.C. Church, Oakwood, to serve as chairman of the new Staten Island Catholic Schools Board.
Monsignor Bergin is a former vicar for education for the New York Archdiocese and also served as principal of Moore Catholic High School, Graniteville, and Monsignor Farrell High School, Oakwood.
Eight other Island pastors were also appointed by Archbishop Dolan to serve on the board.
They are Monsignor Peter Finn, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church, West Brighton, and co-vicar of Staten Island; the Rev. Robert Dillon, pastor of St. John Neumann, Greenridge; the Rev. Louis Jerome, pastor of Sacred Heart, West Brighton; the Rev. Pancrose Kalist, pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace, New Dorp; the Rev. Liam O'Doherty, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Tompkinsville; the Rev. John O'Hara, pastor of St. Teresa's, Castleton Corners, the Rev. Austin Tutus, pastor of Holy Family, Westerleigh, and the Rev. Richard Veras, pastor of St. Rita's Church, Meiers Corners.
The archdiocese is also in the process of appointing lay members to serve on the Island board, and will provide training sessions for them beginning the end of February.
The new board will be responsible for managing the Island's Catholic elementary schools.
Monsignor Bergin said he hopes the new board will be able to bring more financial stability to the schools while preserving such "hallmarks" of the Catholic school system as academic excellence, discipline, a safe environment, and most importantly, the teaching of the Catholic faith.
Last fall the Island was named as one of three "pilot regions" for the archdiocese's shift from parish to regional control of schools. The shift in management of the Catholic elementary schools is part of the archdiocese's "Pathways to Excellence" initiative.
Instead of one parish managing and funding its own elementary school, the school system will be divided into geographic regions. All of the parishes in that region, even those that do not have a school, will pool their resources to help fund and manage the Catholic school system. Instead of the pastor managing his own parish school, management decisions will be carried out by a school board comprised of local pastors and selected lay members.
The new system is to become operational here in September. Remaining schools in the archdiocese system are to follow the pilot regions in 2013.
The shift to a regional system comes after the closure of some 30 parish schools across the archdiocese last year, including five on Staten Island, because of low enrollment and rising costs.