Parishioners at an East Valley Catholic church with roots dating back nearly 100 years are pushing beyond the power of prayer to help save its school.
Officials at Queen of Peace Catholic School, 109 N. MacDonald St., Mesa need to raise $125,000 by March 15 in order to keep the school open for another year or it could close at the end of this school year, according to Betty Nardelli, assistant principal, who has taught kindergarten there for 23 years.
Queen of Peace school officials were told last month by the church's pastor, the Rev. Charles Goraieb, that the parish no longer could afford to help subsidize the school. The school, described by those closely connected with it as a tight-knit, family-oriented facility, was formally established at its current location in 1942 and constructed in 1945, according to a dedication plaque near its entrance.
"We've got to do something," Nardelli said. "I don't want to see it close. I love this place. There's a lot of second- and third-generation families here. We're reaching out to constituents and alumni to help raise funds and try to keep it open. Because of hard economic times and demographics, a lot of families cannot afford a Catholic education anymore."
The school, which has 155 students in pre-K through eighth grade, 10 full-time teachers, a part-time librarian and a gym teacher, is independent of the diocese and has been facing declining enrollment for the last several years, Nardelli said. Last year, Queen of Peace had 178 students - down from 200 three years ago.
The school and church are multicultural, with a large Hispanic population among its 2,600 families. The school also provides English-immersion and tuition assistance to students through the Catholic Tuition Organization.
Queen of Peace Church's roots go back to 1912, when the Franciscan brothers started Sacred Heart, a mission church on North Country Club Drive south of Main Street. Sacred Heart merged with Queen of Peace decades later.
In a heavy push to reach their goal, the school will hold its annual dinner and silent auction at 6 p.m. March 19 in the Madonna Hall adjacent to the church. The silent auction will feature dinners for two at Valley restaurants, autographed sports memorabilia and vacation packages.
Two years ago, the school proposed an expansion for the 10-classroom campus, and has raised $400,000 since then as it partnered with the Shea Foundation on a capital campaign. However, with the possibility of the school shuttering its doors, the fund's account has been frozen. If the school were to close, the funds would be returned to the parties who donated the money. Since the school is independent of the diocese, the diocese would not be eligible to get any of the funds, Nardelli said.
Joe Kostur, who lives in Apache Junction and volunteers in the school's kitchen, said he has been driving his daughter, a fourth grader, to attend school there since she was in the first grade.
"This really took us by surprise," Kostur said of the announcement of the school possibly closing. "This is a good school. I'm hoping we can come up with the finances to keep it open."
Alex Villalobos, 18, a freshman taking film classes at Mesa Community College, was walking around the school campus on Thursday with a video camera. Villalobos, who was baptized at Queen of Peace, had his first communion there and was confirmed there, said he plans to produce a four-minute video about the history of the school and post it on YouTube so more people know about it. He also attended the school from kindergarten through the eighth grade.
"I know every kid here and all the teachers," Villalobos said. "This place is a family. I wouldn't want to see it close."
deserty03 posted at 6:00 pm on Wed, Jan 26, 2011.
it doesnt surprise me. How many illegal immigrants kids attend this school and are being supported by us citizens, You get what you reap
queenofpeaceschool posted at 8:36 pm on Tue, Jan 25, 2011.
Correction to the Price of the Dinner and Auction, It is $45 a ticket and $350 dollars for a table of 8. Which is still on March 19th at 6pm. The event is called "Knights: Survive and Thrive" Dinner and Auction. For more information email avillalobos@qop.org or 480-969-0226.
azmesa posted at 12:11 pm on Fri, Jan 21, 2011.
Or, the school could just raise tuition by 500 bucks netting half of it. Others would see the students doing their part and contribute the rest.
desertan posted at 6:36 am on Fri, Jan 21, 2011.
I agree with those who say the church should pay its own bills. For centuries, the Vatican has exploited the ignorant and poor by promising a great afterlife. There is no life of leisure that even comes close to matching those lifestyles enjoyed by the Catholic heirarchy. Stop whining. We're up to your ploys!
evtrib posted at 8:32 pm on Thu, Jan 20, 2011.
Mister Bator: The author's name has been on the article all along. At the top, where it says, "By Mike Sakal, Tribune."
mesateacher posted at 7:06 pm on Thu, Jan 20, 2011.
devils66: you're wrong. The church does not pay their leaders well. Holy smokes, priests barely make the poverty level of income. Catholic teachers are paid way below public school levels. The problem is the QoP has for too long sought out the Hispanic community, and many of them cannot pay for tuition. Also, when I was in Catholic school ages ago, our teachers were priests and nuns who basically worked for slave wages (is that PC?). Now, you have to pay lay teachers a better salary. It will be a shame if the school closes and real loss to Mesa.
EmperorSmith posted at 6:45 pm on Thu, Jan 20, 2011.
The city has taken tax assessment on the property they want 125,000 dollars.
devils66 posted at 6:15 pm on Thu, Jan 20, 2011.
the Catholic church has loads of money and pays their leaders well. They could keep the school going if they really cared too. Guess its just not a real priority to them.
loubator posted at 5:26 pm on Thu, Jan 20, 2011.
FYI to the East Valley Tribune: the Rev. Charles Goraieb is the Pastor of Queen of Peace Parish. Your authorless article described him as "the church's priest". It would have been more accurate for the authorless article to state: Queen of Peace school officials were told last month by the church's pastor, the Rev. Charles Goraieb, that the parish...
Here's hoping that the Trib gets a good editor soon.
It would also be nice if the reporters names were on the articles, unless...you're not proud of your work?
Freethinker posted at 4:47 pm on Thu, Jan 20, 2011.
So much for the power of prayer.
Talking to yourself rarely solves anything.
And as far as funding goes, why don't they ask the Vatican?
They're a Catholic school, right?
The Pope could part with just ONE of his many golden calves (jewelry) and pay for this...but we all know that won't happen.
So now the Church is begging for MORE money...and money that would have gone to local charities and nonprofits will wind up in these snake oil salesmens' hands.