PARSIPPANY Less than a year after its grammar school closed permanently, St. Pius X Parish in Montville took the opportunity to recommit itself to supporting the mission of Catholic education by signing up this month as a partner of All Saints Academy (ASA) here — joining the three Parsippany parishes that had come together to establish the school 10 years ago. Roughly 60 former St. Pius School students already had enrolled in ASA last fall.
On April 12, Father Mark Olenowski, St. Pius’ pastor, signed an agreement at the Paterson Diocesan Center in Clifton that pledges his parish’s support of ASA financially, spirituality and pastorally with the three Parsippany parishes that founded the school in 2009: St. Peter the Apostle, St. Christopher’s and St. Ann’s. Also ratifying the document that day were Msgr. Herbert Tillyer, St. Peter’s pastor; Father Joseph Buffardi, St. Christopher’s pastor; and Father David Pickens, St. Ann’s pastor. The pastors promise to work together with ASA and their parish communities to help finance the school, oversee its operations and promote it. Also, they will take turns offering pastoral support, such as celebrating Masses and hearing Confessions, at ASA, which has cultivated a stellar reputation as a nationally certified STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math] School.
“This new partnership will help promote and preserve Catholic education in the Diocese,” said Mary Baier, diocesan schools superintendent, at the signing of the agreement. She helped draft the agreement, which was reviewed by Kenneth Mullaney, diocesan general counsel, in a process that was overseen by Father Stanley Barron, diocesan vicar for education and pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Flanders, who also attended the signing. “This agreement could be a model for other pastors to help Catholic schools in the Diocese maintain their solvency,” she said.
Efforts to start formulating an agreement for ASA started after St. Pius X School, which opened in 1963, had closed its doors permanently in June last year, because of declining enrollment. Most former St. Pius students — about 60 from pre-K to 8th grade — headed for ASA — a “logistically convenient” choice, because the Parsippany school is located about 3.7 miles from Montville, Father Olenowski said.
“The St. Pius X Parish family has always recognized the importance of Catholic education and has a long history of generously sacrificing its time, talent and treasure to enhance Catholic school children’s faith development. St. Pius X’s participation in All Saints as a sending parish will help strengthen and sustain the mission and goals of Catholic education,” said Father Olenowski. He noted that St. Pius students and families, who enrolled in ASA last year “have adjusted well” and are “achieving successful results.”
To accommodate the St. Pius students last fall, ASA hired new staff and faculty, including from St. Pius and St. Catherine of Bologna School in Ringwood, which also closed last year. The school divided its fifth-, seventh- and eighth-grades into two classes each, while teachers re-worked their class schedules, said Judith Berg, principal of ASA, which now educates 294 students.
“With the new St. Pius students, All Saints is noisier — but a happy noise. It’s been a smooth transition. It’s been a good year with the new students,” Berg said. “For the past 10 years, this model of sponsorship has been working for All Saints and has been keeping Catholic education strong here. The three Parsippany pastors have been working together effectively and will work well with Father Mark,” she said.
During a Mass on Nov. 1 last year — appropriately on All Saints Day, ASA celebrated 10 years of continued success, since its establishment in 2009, following the closures of St. Christopher and St. Peter the Apostle schools. A merger of the two schools enabled the three Parsippany parishes to develop a model of co-sponsoring a school — as a separate entity — that is housed in St. Peter’s former school building. As part of the initial agreement, the three parishes had helped support the school financially, while each pastor oversaw an aspect of ASA’s operations, Berg said.
Through the school year, ASA students, pre-K to eighth-grade, engage in the study of STEM and undertake STEM-related projects, using an approach that requires them to use their knowledge in various subjects — such as language arts, history, math and science — and critical thinking skills to complete these projects. ASA continually updates its STEM curriculum, teaching methods and equipment. In 2016, AdvancED assessed the school and named it a nationally certified STEM School — one of the first three AdvancED-certified Catholic elementary schools in the U.S. and the first STEM elementary school in Morris County, Berg said.
“Since we adopted STEM in the spring of 2010, it has transformed teaching, learning and the students at All Saints. STEM has given the school its identity,” Berg said. In addition, ASA offers core curriculum and enrichment subjects, houses an Early Childhood Center and forms the faith of its young people through religious instruction, liturgy and prayer and service projects, she said.
Before Father Olenowski signed the agreement, each Parsippany pastor took on a specific role in ASA’s operations with Msgr. Tillyer overseeing the areas of finance and business, Father Pickens overseeing the Education Council and Pastor’s Board and Father Buffardi overseeing the home and school activities. Father Olenowski’s role will be determined through consultation with the other pastors, Berg said.
“It has been a pleasure for the St. Pius family to have become part of All Saints this past year. We look forward to a long and blessed relationship with the parish,” said Father Pickens, also ASA’s canonical pastor: the priest, who most closely oversees the school’s operations.
At the Diocesan Center on April 12, Msgr. Tillyer called the agreement “a big plus” for ASA, because now St. Pius can recruit students on behalf of the school within the parish and in the wider Montville community. That afternoon, Bishop Serratelli stopped into the center’s meeting room to greet the participating pastors and Schools Office personnel.
“Now, St. Pius X Parish will become full partners in determining All Saints’ future,” Msgr. Tillyer said.
Also that day, Father Buffardi told The Beacon, “Having St. Pius X Parish and Father Mark together in this collaboration has been great. He adds another view and new ideas to make All Saints stronger. While it was a sad situation with a school closing, coming together makes us stronger. We are very pleased to have St. Pius X.”