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A Sydney priest says he was not consulted on the decision to close his parish’s school as parents and students fight for greater transparency around the controversial change.
North Harbour parish priest Father Michael Belonio took aim at the decision to close one school and restructure others without consultation in a letter to his congregation on August 17, describing it as “a concrete example that Catholic Schools Broken Bay and our parishes are not journeying together”.
St Cecilia’s pupils Serafina Volpe (left) and Sadie Holmewood addressed Northern Beaches Council and spoke out against the closure of their school.Credit: Wolter Peeters
The following week, the northern beaches priest pledged to advocate for transparent communication and sensitivity as the parish “moved forward” with the major change.
In August, the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay, which stretches from the north shore to the Central Coast, announced drastic changes to 13 schools, including closing St Cecilia’s primary school at Balgowlah and merging it with St Kieran’s at Manly Vale.
St Cecilia’s, established almost a century ago, will be turned into a new year 5 and 6 campus for St Paul’s Catholic College, a formerly all-boys high school at Manly that transitioned to co-education this year.
The decision shocked parents and community, with Belonio revealing the decision happened “without consultation with our parish or myself”.
“This is not just a strategic shift. It is a deeply personal loss. St Cecilia’s has served Catholic education in our community since 1930. In just a few years, she would have celebrated her centenary – a milestone that now feels bittersweet. The memories held within her walls are sacred, and the pain of her closure is real,” he wrote in the parish newsletter.
Parents were originally given a fortnight to decide if they would transfer their children to St Kieran’s. Following pressure from families, that deadline was extended to mid-September.
St Cecilia’s school captains Serafina Volpe and Sadie Holmewood, both 11, spoke against the closure at a Northern Beaches Council meeting last month.
Sadie, whose little sister attends the school and is battling leukemia, said the decision has been devastating.
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“St Cecilia’s has been [my sister’s] safe place, close to home with teachers and friends, friends who understand and support her in the hardest moments of her illness. The support of the school has given her a sense of normal life,” she said.
“Now, at times when she most needs support, she is being forced to move schools, to lose her teachers and her friends and her routine, while she is still fighting for her life.
“All the families of St Cecilia’s are feeling the same heartbreak.”
Sadie’s mother, Bridget, said Belonio spoke “the truth parents have been thinking and feeling”.
“It’s been a huge support to have someone of his stature fight for a valid, transparent process,” she said.
A Catholic Schools Broken Bay spokesperson said: “Our five-year growth strategy is not about closing schools but about maximising the use of our resources to support and sustain growth and meet the evolving needs across the diocese.”
North Harbour parish did not respond to the Herald’s request for comment before publication.
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