Church of the
Annunciation

Jesus says to his disciples and to us: “You are salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” We are surprised that what we say of Jesus, he applies to us! How are we to be or how do we become “the light of the world?” Isaiah speaks to the Jewish people: “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the homeless and oppressed, cloth the naked…remove malicious speech…then light shall rise for you in darkness.” Light shines in us when we come to deeper understanding and insight. After we received news that Bishop Malone decided to close both St. Vincent de Paul and Annunciation Elementary schools in Elma, parish and school leaders from St. Vincent de Paul asked to meet with us and proposed that we should work together rather than be in competition. Together we agreed that we should respect the Bishop’s authority; children are our highest priority; we are committed to one new Catholic school in Elma; we need objective third party consultation to assess the best facility; and we are resolved to work closely with the Diocese. We asked Sr. Regina Murphy, Diocesan Director Research & Planning, to help us. Sr. Regina Murphy and Sr. Ann Louise Sheridan visited our school and met with parish/school leaders and they also visited St. Vincent de Paul. Michael Sullivan, Diocesan Director of Buildings and Properties, and his assistant, made onsite visitation and evaluation of both schools. On Friday, February 7, parish & school leaders from both faith communities met with Sr. Regina to receive her recommendation of the concept proposal of one new Catholic School in Elma. After listening to her explanation and asking questions, we collectively accepted the concept proposal that she will present to the Bishop for his study and determination. Today, at weekend Masses, Fr. Rob Wozniak and I are reading this statement to parishioners in our two respective parishes: