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Thursday, July 02, 2009
New Principal of Saint Saviour Elementary School: Maura Lorenzen
On Thursday a letter went out to parents and guardians of Saint Saviour Elementary School from Fr. Murphy. Here is a text of the letter, which was emailed to me by one of the school's parents.
Dear Parents and Guardians:
It is with joy that I announce to you that Maura Lorenzen is the new principal of St.
Saviour Elementary School.
Maura is a life long parishioner of St. Saviour. She is a graduate of both our elementary
school and our high school. Currently, Maura is a member of our Parish Council, our
Welcome Team, and our Hospitality Committee as well as being a catechist in our School
of Religion. Maura is also one of the lay leaders representing St. Saviour at the cluster
meetings of our local parishes.
Maura has been an educator since 1982. After graduating from St. Joseph's College she
started her career as a classroom teacher at St. Francis Xavier Elementary School,
teaching 5th and 6th grade children. She then went on to teach at Congregation Elohim's
Early Childhood Center. Her experience in administration began in 1989 when she was
named Lower Day Camp Director at CBE. In 1995 she became a director of the entire
Early Childhood Center, including the nursery school, toddler program and the summer
day camp program.
Gail Harvey, our assistant principal, assures me she will work closely with our new
principal in order to provide a smooth transition.
In the 5 years that I have known her, Maura has consistently demonstrated to me all the
skills and qualities that are essential to lead our school into the future. Please join me in
praying for God's abundant blessings upon Maura Lorenzen as she assumes this
important position.
Enjoy the summer.
God Bless You.
Sincerely,
Fr. Murphy, Pastor
July 2, 2009 in Religion | Permalink
Comments
Catholic school girl....I appreciate all of your respect and admiration for Mr. Flanagan. He is a dedicated Principal who has positively influenced so many of our children. You also share your saddness in seeing him be cast aside like he has been. I would hope that if your children were still at Saint Saviour, as my children are right now, you would also be appalled at what Father Murphy has done given his admitted complete lack of interaction with the school. I didn't send my children to the Saint Saviour accepting that the parents input would be virtually ignored nor do I expect Mr. Flanagan to be influenced by my "whims". I do, however, believe that to simply accept a decision that is wrong and unjust, because it is what my pastor has decided, would be wrong. Many of the problems that have effected the Catholic clergy and our children over the last several decades continued because people weren't willing to speak up. While I understand that not everyone would be willing to speak out, please don't be offended because so many of the parents and parishioners of Saint Saviour have decided to stand and let themselves be heard in opposition to Father Murphy unfortunate and wrong decision.
Posted by: John H | Jul 31, 2009 11:23:07 PM
Having sent all our kids to SSES, we have always had great respect for Mr. Flanagan. However, parents never held sway with Mr. Flanagan on his decisions as principal (remember how he derided the "sidewalk PTA?"), so I’m bewildered that parents expect to hold sway on the decision to let him go. Mr. Flanagan ran the school in an autocratic fashion because that's the way the Church is run. For generations there's been an academically successful system in place in the Catholic schools – a system chock-full of autocracy. By sending our kids to SSES we expected to be buying into a system where our input about how the school was run was going to be virtually ignored. Mr. Flanagan staying above the fray of parental opinions and emotions all those years wasn't democratic, but maybe that’s why Catholic schools are historically so successful. If we had wanted our kids' school to be run as a democracy, with a principal influenced by parents’ whims, we wouldn't have sent them to a parish school. We wanted our kids to have the time-tested Catholic education, and that's exactly what they got at SSES. It's sad to see Mr. Flanagan go. He has served his community well. But it's the pastor's decision because that's just how the Church operates.
Posted by: catholic school girl | Jul 31, 2009 11:17:43 AM
To Peter and Linda - I respect very much your opinions on this. Your expressions of support for Fr. Murphy are sincere but I must strongly disagree because of the known facts in this matter. Jim Flanagan has committed himself to Catholic schooling for 40 years. We know that the Diocese found that Fr. Murphy violated his contract (I've seen the statement). We know that Fr. Murphy charged him with insubordination with not providing an accounting of the $90,000 fund raising when Fr. sent an email acknowledging the said accounting, and had access to the bank statements. Even today, the Catholic News Agency ran a story that has more bad news for all of us - Fr. grossly misinterpreted Bishop Caggiano's public statement that St. Saviour was not ready to be an Academy as a put-down of the the principal and used that mistaken thought as a basis to remove Flanagan. In fact (as I'm sure you know) the Bishop's statement very clearly meant that St. Saviour, as the only successful school in its cluster, did not need to be combined with another school - it was too successful to be an Academy. The Bishop made this clear to Mr. Flanagan after Fr. stated this in his reasons for removal. I feel sorry for all who have to have this spelled out - Fr. Murphy made a serious, serious error here, and goes directly to the heart of the issue - if Fr. Murphy can't figure out what an Academy is, what else can't he figure out? Also, Holy Child Jesus was not in better shape after Fr. left. In the 12 months after Fr. Murphy left, his successor sent out no less than 7 statements to parishioners asking for more money, and stating in one of them that the parish was facing "severe" financial distress.
Posted by: Jim | Jul 29, 2009 8:37:31 PM
My View
Maybe Fr. Murphy’s heart and mind is still at St. Andrew’s because I don’t see any such devotion to St. Saviour. Any event we have, he makes a cameo appearance, at best, and disappears to other more important events on his calendar. You can count on it!
Furthermore, no one has disputed the fact that the Pastor has the right to hire and fire. What we protest is the method employed and the way Fr. Murphy has shown arrogant distain for the parents. Not even to mention the pin the tail on the donkey process of selecting the replacement.
Many parishioners have joined the protest that have no children in the school because they see the injustice done to both parents and Mr. Flanagan.
Posted by: Gertrude | Jul 29, 2009 10:11:36 AM
saint saivor alum....I am sorry that your experience at Saint Saviour's was so horrible. It must have been hot in those dark halls. I hope the teachers and Ms. Harvey at least helped you get an amazing education like all of the other Saint Saviour Alumni. As for the lawsuit, many of us do know about the unfortunate accident that resulted in Ryan's injury. His lawsuit was settled (though not for millions of dollars)and thankfully was covered by insurance.
Posted by: Patrick | Jul 28, 2009 6:09:17 PM
Let sleeping dogs lie....clearly you must be joking. So now Father Murphy is protecting Mr. Flanagan? And he is standing up for the good of the School which he admits he hasn't visited and admits that he does not have the "gift" of being comfortable in an elementary school setting? Perhaps those blinders you are wearing are what allow you to see the grace and poise you mention because its clearly not the realty of what has unfortunately occurred to our Parish over the last three months.
Posted by: Joe | Jul 28, 2009 5:58:36 PM
this is so crazy. you do realize unless you went to this school you do not know what happends behind closed doors. Mr.flanagan is not a good leader he did NOTHING. Any events or changes were through parents and teachers and even mrs. harvey thats it. you should not pull your kids out of this school in reply to 1 blogger because things can only get better from where he left them with this new principle.so everyone relax and come to saint saviour highschool bishop ford bishop kearney fonnt bonne and find the alumns and ask us and we will tell you that he sat in his office all day in a.c and let the rest of the school make productive changes. we will tell you how he shuts all the lights off in the hallways to "save money". and we will tell you how he lets the children play in the gym when theres pools of water on the floor which resulted in a major lawsuit from my classmate when he broke his collarbone and was in a wheelchair for the enitre summer besides the fact that it cost the school millions of dollars.bet you didnt know that =) thank you
Posted by: saint saivour alumn | Jul 27, 2009 11:00:35 AM
Surely Father Murphy had just cause to let Mr. Flanagan go and maybe keeping the reasons private was a way of protecting Mr. Flanagan as well as his supporters. Decorating decisions & dining companions are not the issues at hand, are they? Kudos to Father Murphy for standing up for what he believes is right for the betterment of the school, the parish and people of the community. It's the way you have handled this, with grace and poise that has gained respect and admiration.
Posted by: let sleeping dogs lie | Jul 27, 2009 8:42:11 AM
Peter...you are obviously not a member of our Parish and have no children in our School. I appreciate your devotion to Father Murphy and understand there are several members of St. Andrews who follow him everywhere. Unfortunately, Father Murphy's "success" at St. Andrews did not follow him to Holy Child Jesus nor Saint Saviour. I suspect your long history of working in the TV NEWS business has not resulted in learning how to offer an unbiased opinion. At least you readily admit that you stand by your old friend and support him on all matters. Since your children and your parish are not involved, such blind devotion may be acceptable to you but it is not acceptable to me and many other parents and parishioners at Saint Saviour.
Posted by: John H | Jul 27, 2009 7:14:41 AM
To ALL BLOGGERS
I realize I'm repeating much of what has already been said, but here goes.
I am PROUD to be honored with Fr. Murphy's friendship. He has been a fantastic counselor, spiritual supporter, and UNSELFISH PROVIDER of HIMSELF to me and my family for many years.
The Church, like any corporation, is not a democracy, and the decisions of upper management are their own. I'm sure Fr. Murphy had very good reasons for replacing the principal, and that his actions were FAIR and JUST.
He has done nothing but try to increase the numbers of the congregation attending at every parish he has been, and has been quite successful. This last desicion regarding the principal was surely made with consideration of the benefit to ALL.
Instead of defaming him with gossip, support him, and have FAITH in your pastor as does the BISHOP himself.
I have worked in the TV NEWS business for almost 30 years, and I assure can you, believe very little of what you read, and nothing of what you hear.
I stand proudly by my old friend, Fr. Dan Murphy and support his judgement in all matters.
-Peter Maran
Posted by: Peter Maran | Jul 26, 2009 7:09:57 PM
Regardless of various opinions, this GOSSIP is not Christian, whether in favor or against Fr. Murphy's decision regarding not renewing Mr. Flanagan's contract. Speaking about having a hand in the till - disgusting accusations! And where Mr. Flanagan dines and with whom - nonsense!
Years back, a pastor I know fired all the employees at a parish and hired all new people when he took over. Were parishioners upset? Yes, some were, esp. the ones fired. Was it a crime? No! Did they protest in front of church, have blogs about it and slanderous articles? No!
Looking for so-called "dirt" on your pastor and the people who work for him is so very opposite of Christian behaviour. To make negative accusing statements and smear a person's reputation that way, is truly unbecoming of any church member of any church. Yes, we all gossip, but to air it online and put unfounded accusations out there, is horrendous and does great harm more so than good.
I pray for all involved there...that James Flanagan accepts his situation and moves forward to something new in a positive light, that the new principal does a great job and has the support of all the parents there, and that Fr. Murphy is forgiven (by those who deem he needs pardon) for making a decision he felt he had the right to make, and also is given the support that a pastor needs. Wishing you all the very best outcome with this.
Posted by: Linda Maran | Jul 26, 2009 9:19:48 AM
Looking for a new school for my kids now. I've had it with both sides.
Posted by: I give up | Jul 24, 2009 3:48:31 PM
One more comment to FED UP -- seems your comments are merely being vindictive on a personal level and they have no relevance. Enough please.
Posted by: Steve | Jul 23, 2009 10:50:10 PM
This is getting out of control! While I am no longer a parent of a student at the school, I am still a lifelong parishioner and resident of Park Slope for that last 65 years. My wife and I have seen many pastors come and go and I have seen the elementary school thrive under the leadership of Mr. Flanagan. But really, I could not care less who eats at LaVilla - how many times they dine there - and with whom they are eating. Moreso, if Mr. Flanagan is spotted with teachers...WHO CARES?! FED UP - you struck a nerve with more people that just "Christine". Shame on you. The fact that you refer to cryonism - or anyone else who dares destroy the reputations of innocent teachers with such slander - is shameful unCatholic behavior. And why don't we all get over ourselves and decide to leave everyone alone -- Mr. Flanagan, the teachers, Fr.Murphy and Maura...enough is enough. Anyone guilty of any shameful behavior will face the Ultimate Judge someday - why don't we leave it at that?
Posted by: Steve | Jul 23, 2009 1:00:40 PM
To Fed Up:
LOL! I am so glad you caught on – I was hoping you would! I knew that despite the fact you hide behind a user name, you couldn’t be that ignorant not to get my point. You see, I finally figured out the strategy at play here. The strategy of many of Fr. Murphy’s supporters is as simple as this – DIVERT THE ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE FACT HE HAD NO VALID REASON TO FIRE MR. FLANAGAN AND BRING IRRELEVANT PEOPLE INTO THE ARGUMENT! If we start looking at those irrelevant people, then suddenly everyone will forget that Fr. Murphy is wrong, and will forgive and forget. You are trying to force people to sneer at Mr. Flanagan and all those with whom he socializes. It doesn’t matter that in reality this bears no weight on the topic at all – it doesn’t matter that those people have nothing to do with the war Fr. Murphy waged against Mr. Flanagan. This whole strategy is weak and pointless – it really makes you and all the others who are doing this, look ugly and pathetic. Most importantly, it really drives home the point you don’t think Fr. Murphy had valid reasons either, because you are choosing to bring up these inane suggestions that mean nothing to the overall discussion.
I will try to get Mr. Flanagan’s dinner schedule out to you – I don’t think anyone is going to LaVilla this week…try Sotto Voce instead. Although it is restaurant week in the city, so maybe you will need to branch out of Brooklyn.
I am not going to continue blogging with you Fed Up - as much fun as I have been having, I have said my peace. Good luck in your fight.
Posted by: Christine | Jul 23, 2009 11:51:47 AM
Shame on you....shame on you for your complete lack of knowledge. The galas were run by Friends of Saint Saviour (of which Father Murphy is on the Board) not the School. Everyone paid and apparently only you and Father Murphy seem to be upset about it. Do you both share the same pedestal ?
Posted by: John H | Jul 22, 2009 11:07:16 PM
To Chriss: Judging from your comments, seems the issue with Mr. Flanagan dining with the mother/daughter teachers has struck a nerve with you..
Posted by: Fed Up | Jul 22, 2009 10:27:03 PM
Fed Up Alum....the information concerning the percentage of Catholic students at Saint Saviour's is available at the Diocese website. Perhaps you can go and visit it and see. Saint Saviour's is 81% Catholic. Which is the highest in our cluster. I am sure most of the other 19% also value a religious curriculum for their children. I hope you realize these statistics, as well as the unquestioned success of Saint Saviour's Elementary School do not "justify the idea" of a non-religious public charter school being "tossed around". Were you on the Parish Councel that decided to toss it around ? While you apparently do not value a Catholic education despite being a Catholic parent and a former alum, we all do.
Posted by: John H | Jul 22, 2009 1:20:36 PM
To Fed Up:
You have placed yourself in a very laughable position because visions of whomever you are, sneaking around corners and watching the teachers and Mr. Flanagan when they are eating at La Villa or anywhere else, is ridiculous. Dinners take place AFTER SCHOOL and people are allowed to eat with whomever they want. Mr. Flanagan did not appoint the daughter to the church position (that was Fr. Murphy) and Mr. Flanagan did not appoint the president of the home school board (that was about 300 parents who voted in a democratic election). Again, stop the petty jealousy. Have you been to Bay Ridge? It is a virtual who's who of the teachers eating out together and enjoying themselves - WHAT A CRIME! Maybe it was the good relationships formed among the faculty and administration that have helped the school succeed.
No one has needed to dig up dirt on Father Murphy - his previous parishioners are more than happy to provide facts and figures. He has worked hard on creating his own reputation.
Thank you - you have actually given many readers of this blog something to laugh about, despite the ongoing tragedy.
Posted by: Christine | Jul 22, 2009 12:08:21 PM
To James: $90,000 raised and you charged a man of the cloth for admission to these galas, SHAME ON YOU.
Posted by: Shame on You | Jul 22, 2009 10:55:50 AM
In response to comments posted by Chriss: As a Catholic parent I believe the question as to how many non-catholic/out-of-parish are enrolled in the school is a valid one..those statistics would justify the idea of a charter school being tossed around.
There was no need to spy/follow Mr. Flanagan and the mother/daughter teachers around weekly..I was simply commenting on how often I would see them dining at Lavilla as I was dining there as well..
Besides, the spies have been busy trying to "find something" on Father Murphy's past, haven't they?
One of the "real issues at hand" brought to light by Mr. Flanagan supporters was a charge of cronyism. Maura Lorenzen's relationship with Father Murphy is characterized as cronyism. Yet, Mr. Flanagan's relationship with mother/daughter teachers, including one who held a church position and a sister who is president of the Home School Board is portrayed as "jealousy" Interesting..
Posted by: FED UP ALUM | Jul 22, 2009 8:26:37 AM
To Concerned Alumni - I think the serious issue that is being looked into is real alumni raised $90,000 in support of the school in 2 galas. Fr. Murphy sent an email stating he had looked at the accounting of the galas, had the bank account statements reflecting both galas, and was on the fund raising committee and had access to all of the data. Why did he charge Mr. Flanagan with insubordination for not giving him an accounting of the gala? Perhaps you could think about that as a serious issue when you are looking at no fund raising next year - I see the result of my efforts raising money for the school -- The petty pastor did not get full access to the funds, and he is furious. Never again will I raise money for anything connected to this awful priest.
Posted by: Jim | Jul 22, 2009 12:35:18 AM
To concerned alum,
FYI - The parish data base is public knowledge - it is printed in the parish directory 2006 which went out to all parishoners in preparation for our parish's 100 year anniversary celebration under the leadership of our pastor, Fr. Murphy. Too bad that with all the apparent lies and lack of transparency in the parish, that you only focus on getting letters and the legalities of that. Oh boy, another lawsuit! Just what the church needs! When is the diocese going to wake up and smell something fishy coming out of St.Saviour's rectory.
Posted by: dlcb | Jul 21, 2009 7:17:40 PM
To Fed Up:
In response to your comment on July 15 - you clearly have issues with the mother/daughter teachers and the acting president of the Home School Board, and don't care one iota for the real situation at hand. First of all, it is not your business how many students are not Catholic or live out of parish - the decision of parents to send their children to a school no matter where it is located or what religion it teaches, shows that the parents feel strongly about the education being offered at that particular place. Secondly, the parents and others routinely asked and invited Fr. Murphy to the school - there were no protests, just repeated attempts to bring him in. Everyone hoped he would come to something at some point. Thirdly, it is not your business who Mr. Flanagan eats dinner with - I find it odd you felt the need to spy on him and/or follow him around, weekly no less!
Please try to keep focused on the issue at hand -of Mr. Flanagan being treated unjustly - rather than your jealousy for the mother/daughter teachers and acting president of the home school board. This is not the forum for your issues with them.
Posted by: Christine | Jul 21, 2009 1:16:24 PM
Enough Already: I too have received the letters in the mail.. Who is dipping into the database with alum's names/addresses and other privy information? This is a very serious act as there are so many privacy/confidentialty laws today.. Obviously the person doing so was trying to be clever by not revealing their identities by failing to leave a return address. Rest assured this matter is being looked into..
Posted by: concerned alumni | Jul 18, 2009 2:08:54 PM
