St. Hubert's students rallied outside the school in January a week after being told their school could close. Photo/Michelle Alton

Philadelphia’s arena football team has pledged to help St. Hubert’s high school stay open, but it will require work on the school’s part.

The campaign to help the all-girls school requires the St. Hubert’s community to purchase as many as 5,000 Philadelphia Soul tickets in exchange for a $100,000 donation to the school.

That’s the high end of the spectrum. If 1,000 tickets are purchased, the school will get $15,000. For 2,500 ticket sales, St. Hubert’s will receive $40,000. The math breaks down to $15 of each ticket being put back into the school, as Chicke’s and Pete’s owner and Soul co-owner Pete Ciarrocchi explained in the press announcement yesterday. Tickets must be purchased by Feb. 15. continue reading »

For four years of our lives – definitely some of the most formative years of our lives – high schools become our second homes. In addition to classes, we might spend additional time there for extracurricular activities. Then when we go home, we do additional work for school that essentially permeates into the rest of our lives. With so much time dedicated to school, we doubtless have an endless amount of stories and other memories, many of which are hopefully positive.

If we are ever forced to part ways with our childhood homes – whether due to moving, foreclosure or something more negative – we would feel like a part of us has been destroyed. We feel as if our identities are being stripped away, identities that soon exist as nothing more than memories.

I believe the case is the same in terms of how we view our school years. Now I am lucky enough to have gone to a high school, Archbishop Ryan, that will hopefully be immune to closure for a long time due to it being co-ed and its accessible location with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia – right on the edge of Northeast Philadelphia and almost right down the street from the suburbs.

Not everybody is so lucky. Take my parents, for instance. My father graduated from Northeast Catholic, which closed in June 2010. And the Archdiocese suggested at the beginning of the month that my mom’s alma mater, St. Hubert’s, be one of nearly 50 schools to close at the end of the school year. The future will be certain once the Archdiocese announces its official decision in mid-February. continue reading »

Facebook Image/St. Basil Academy

St. Hubert’s has raised more than $500,000 since announcing plans to fight to stay open, but for parents and students facing the reality that the Torresdale Avenue doors might shut for good in June, St. Basil Academy is hosting an open house.

The private, all-girls school in Jenkintown will host the event tomorrow night for potential transfer students from the  four archdiocesan high schools the Blue Ribbon Commission has recommended for closure. continue reading »

Past, present and future Bambies gathered early Friday morning outside the school ahead of an announcement the community will try to raise $1.2 million to keep St. Hubert's open. Photo/Michelle Alton

As has been a common scene on Torresdale Avenue since word came that St. Hubert’s High School is set to close at the end of the school year, faculty, staffers and current and former students lined the sidewalks in brown and gold Friday morning for a rally and an announcement.

Flanked by city and state politicians, school leaders vowed to fight. Messages of support and offers of donations came pouring in soon after the Blue Ribbon Commission’s recommendation, but the fight to save the all-girls school began in earnest with Friday’s event.

“In response to the Archdiocesan statement today that raising funds is not a prerequisite to an appeal hearing, the St. Hubert’s Advisory Board and Alumnae Association gratefully accept this recent news and will redouble their efforts at fundraising,” reads the statement from the board and association following the news that the school’s appeal will be considered regardless of whether the community can secure $1.2 million cash beforehand. continue reading »

As soon as word came the the Blue Ribbon Commission has recommended St. Hubert High School for closure, the community began an effort to fight back.

The commission, which made recommendations Friday that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia close or consolidate 48 schools, tapped the Torresdale Avenue all-girls high school for closure at the end of the school year. Students and administration were given the news at noon Friday ahead of the commission’s afternoon news conference. continue reading »

Archbishop Ryan Director of Admissions Pam McPeak discussds the school's shadow program with students Christopher Gatton (L) and freshman Julio Polanco (center) as the school prepared to take on displaced North and Dougherty students in 2010. Photo/Morgan Zalot.

UPDATE: It’s being widely reported that St. Hubert’s is among five archdiocesan high schools recommended for closure. The others are West Catholic, Archbishop Prendergast, Monsignor Bonner and Conwell-Egan.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will hold a news conference this afternoon to discuss the future of Catholic education in and around Philadelphia. For many, it could mean saying goodbye to their schools.

At 4 p.m., the diocese will livestream the event, which is billed as an announcement of the findings of the Blue Ribbon Commission. continue reading »

This month’s a column is going to be a bit different than usual. Instead of discussing something I miss about the Northeast, I thought a long time and decided I wanted to write a little bit about an issue – one that has reared its ugly head again once more in the Northeast, as well as the entirety of the Archdiocese – affecting the area and discuss something that I miss that comes as a result of this issue.

Now I’ve never liked discussing issues, and I absolutely despise taking stances on topics. Therefore, I won’t get into any opinions on the topic or what sort of actions should be taken. I simply choose to look at this through the lens of this column, and I hope you all keep that in my mind before you rush to the comments section at the bottom of this page.

The simplest way to begin is to say that I miss innocence, the innocence that comes with being young and simply enjoying life and being a kid. continue reading »

John Doe, courtesy of CBS3

A second man has filed a lawsuit against a former Our Lady of Calvary priest, claiming the priest sexual abused him. Lawyers for the man announced the suit yesterday, which also names cardinals Justin Rigali and Anthony Bevilacqua, Monsignor William Lynn and employees of the Archdiocese’s victim assistance office. continue reading »

Image courtesy of IndyPosted.

A priest working for St. Timothy’s in Mayfair and the Immaculate Mary Home in Holme Circle is among the 21 suspended by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for allegations of sexual abuse. continue reading »

This post has been updated to include the letter that was sent hom to parents of St. Jerome students yesterday.

Three priests with connections to St. Jerome Parish in Winchester Park and one former teacher have been charged with various counts of rape, indecent exposure and sexual assault.

District Attorney Seth Williams has charged Fathers Edward Avery, 68, Charles Engelhardt, 64, and James Brennan, 47, and former teacher Bernard Shero, 48, with rape and indecent sexual assault. continue reading »