NEWS AND VIEWS: Cultural and religious treasure in Newark must be preserved (02/02/03)

NEWS AND VIEWS

Cultural and religious treasure in Newark must be preserved

by Rostyslaw Robak

NEWARK, N.J. - This city has been the home of a Ukrainian cultural and religious treasure for the past 63 years. This treasure is not a stone monument, nor a wooden museum piece that may be occasionally admired. The treasure is a school that has been a vital part of the Ukrainian community in the United States. St. John the Baptist School has educated and molded the lives of over 4,000 Ukrainian Americans since its humble beginnings in the early 20th century.

It has been part of the young life of individuals who went on to be American military heroes in every war since World War II. Its Ukrainian Catholic values have been at the very heart of the personal, family and civic lives of several generations of Ukrainian Americans. Its long list of graduates includes prominent professionals, scientists and educators.

More importantly, its graduates include the very backbone of America: the hard-working, upwardly striving people of Ukraine and their children who came to this country believing that to be an American is the greatest honor a person can attain.

St. John's is about to be closed. The current pastor and his parish trustees have determined, with the recommendation of their advisory Parish Council, that it simply is no longer profitable nor financially feasible to maintain the school. On January 23, they set a sum of $250,000 to be raised by the school's parents before March 1, 2003, in order to keep St. John's school open for one more year.

There is not one parent or student in the St. John's school community who agrees with this short-sighted decision. They are willing to do whatever it takes to keep their school open. A large committee of about 40 parents and friends has been raising funds furiously since the end of December 2002 after their first meeting with the pastor and the trustees. This group, the Committee for the Development of St. John's School, is also creating a formal structure and legal entity in preparation for assuming the school's administration.

Currently, our school is a beacon of hope for newly arriving immigrants. This school has been a haven where generations of both children and parents have made a transition to American society and have quickly become productive citizens. To close the school is to stop ministering to the neediest among us and thus to ignore the teachings of Jesus Himself. Jesus was the Shepherd who was willing to give up His life for His sheep. Each of us should only try to follow His teaching. This is the moral, Christian reason to save St. John's school.

At this time, funds are being raised through various programs. The children themselves are contributing, such as going "on tour" with their Christmas concert.

With a new philosophy of the school that completes its original mission statement, with an administrative board, and with modern fund-raising and financing techniques, we are determined to save the school and elevate it to new heights of excellence. The Committee for the Development of St. John's School appeals to the Ukrainian community at large for financial support. Throughout North America and Europe, it is the moral response of everyone of Ukrainian descent to help us save our living cultural treasure.

Please help ensure the future of St. John's School with a donation to: Committee for the Development of St. John's School, c/o Selfreliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union, 734 Sandford Ave., Newark, NJ 07106.

Rostyslaw Robak of South Orange, N.J., a professor of psychology at Pace University, is a member of the executive committee of the newly created Committee for the Development of St. John's School.

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