OLPH Pastor's Resignation Stirs Strong Emotions

Father Anthony Trapani announced this past weekend that he's his post as pastor of the in Lindenhurst.

However, since his last day will be and the 99-year-old is slated to a few days later, many parents have speculated that the timing of his arrival in 2007, and now the timing of his departure, is no coincidence.

(Read more about Father Trapani's resignation .)

Strong Emotions
According to Maggie Gallagher-Lilly - a Lindenhurst native, an alum of the school, the organizer for the recent and the creator of the Friends of O.L.P.H. - Save Our School Facebook page - many parents have their that the school "seems to have been systematically driven into the red and hence, slated to shut down."

And that Father Trapani is at the center of that.

"At the Friends of OLPH - Save Our School meeting [at the Knights of Columbus-OLPH Council in Lindenhurst last] Wednesday night, we had a group discussion about what people feel happened to bring the school to these dire straights," Gallagher-Lilly wrote in an e-mail to Lindenhurst Patch this past weekend.

"Overwhelmingly the comments pointed to the pastor as being the responsible party. In the post conversations many pointed out that the principal [Carmela Lubrano] did not have the wherewithal to deal with him," she said, adding that the meeting was attended by approximately 100 people.

And some of the comments from that Gallagher-Lilly pointed to on the Facebook page regarding Father Trapani's announced departure seemed to support that sentiment, as well.

One person wrote, "Very disturbing! Does he even care that the school is closing? Guess he won't be joining the fight to keep OLPH School open!"

Another wrote, "The Diocese is as much to blame. They allowed this to happen. Our cries fell on deaf ears."

Still another posted, "It just proves that he was here for one reason. Hopefully his next parish won't have a school attached."

Gallagher-Lilly also shared that, in support, a few parents are putting together "a timeline on lucrative fundraising ventures that were point-blank shut down by the pastor - which includes the pastor not allowing the school to accept a new playground, which the school had won in a national competition."

This is in an effort to get at the truth, she said.

She told Patch after Mass on Sunday: "There's no point in hiding the truth. Things don't add up. Just tell us so we could understand and move forward. Whatever the truth is, it shall set us all free."

Burt Koza, a former OLPH teacher who retired after 40 years last June, agreed, also telling Patch on Sunday that, "A few different decisions here and there, a few adjustments, and the whole thing could've had a different outcome."

However, according to Father Trapani in his letter to parishioners, it was growing negativity directed at him surrounding the school's closure that prompted his decision to seek another post in the Diocese.

In any case, however, it continues to be clear that collectively - parishioners, parents, teachers and students - continue to be "shell-shocked and utterly disheartened" by the school's impending closure, said Gallagher-Lilly. And now the news of the pastor's departure is stirring even more mixed emotions.

Those emotions also continue to stir over what they feel is a lack of perceived transparency on the part of the Diocese.

So much so it prompted two fliers to be distributed on cars on Sunday that questioned Bishop Murphy's decision to close OLPH School and that compared the Diocese to other Dioceses across the country.

(See the above image and PDF file.)

Moving Forward
However, OLPH parents are trying to move forward, and are considering the idea of opening an academy, Gallagher-Lilly indicated.

It was discussed at the February 1 meeting at the KoC following an academy proposal that was submitted to the Diocese by representatives from LaSalle in Farmingdale.

A response from the Bishop has not come yet, but all of the other schools on the closure list, including OLPH, are moving forward with the idea, Gallagher-Lilly said.

"A concerned parent from LaSalle, who's involved with the academy process*, spoke about LaSalle’s plan to open an academy, and gave pertinent information and advice as to how OLPH can move forward with their academy plans," Gallagher-Lilly said.

"We're in the process of assigning special duties to individuals and groups within OLPH talent pool," she added.

Editor's Note: *This story was updated, and now better reflects this person's role at the meeting on February 1.