Dear Parishioners,

Ever since I announced that our Catholic School is closing, people have been asking me what we plan to do with the school building. Some people assumed that we would sell the building or it would somehow go to waste. But, in truth, the school building is a great resource for the parish and many different groups have been interested in renting the building. This is great news since the parish can always use extra money to pay down our debt to the Diocese and to make improvements to our campus. (I’m particularly interested in lighting improvements and paving our parking lot.) So, keeping this all in mind, I am glad to announce that beginning this upcoming school year, we will be renting to College Achieve Greater Asbury Park.

College Achieve Greater Asbury Park is a public charter school. They already have several school buildings and are looking to expand in the Asbury and Neptune areas. They are even hoping to open a high school. Their principal Jodi McInerney has experience working in Catholic Education and understands how to work well with parishes. They not only wish to rent but have promised to make annual capital improvements on the building itself beginning this year with a new roof for the school building. Overall, they seem to be a great fit for what we already do here and look to be great renters. So, after consulting with the Pastoral Council and Finance Council, I have signed a lease agreement with them to rent our school building to them for five years with options for renewal. One concern people might have is how this will impact the parish’s use of the building especially for meetings and Religious Education. We have a shared use agreement with College Achieve that allows us to use our building in the evening and Sunday and we should be able to work around each other’s schedules. We have already informed them of when we have Religious Education classes and those times are definitely reserved for that in the school. Ms. McInerney the principal of College Achieve has worked with Religious Education before in other parishes and knows that we definitely need the school for those times. Religious Education is not moving and it should continue like it has in the past. Other meetings will be scheduled on a case by case basis and we may have to work around each other if necessary. But, since the school does not have any consistent evening programs, I really do not foresee this as an issue.

However, there will be one big change that we will announce more thoroughly as we plan out the details. In order to give the charter school as much room as possible, we will be moving the Parish Office into the Rectory, which is the priest’s residence. (But, not the Religious Education Office. That is remaining in the school building.) College Achieve is giving money to renovate half of the first floor of the Rectory and making it handicapped accessible. We have enough space in the Rectory to have 4 offices and a conference room. So, even if certain meetings may not be able to meet in the school, we may still be able to accommodate them.

A lot of changes have been happening in our parish over the last year and I thank you all for your support and prayers. I am as sad as anyone that we are losing our Catholic School. However, I still have the responsibility as Pastor to plan for the future and to do the best with the gifts God has given us. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at my email toddcarterpriest@gmail.com or call the office 732 922-4242 x114.

God bless!

Father Carter