Videos, Photos: Rally to Save OLPH School

Close to 200 people - including parents, students, alumni and Lindenhurst residents - turned out to protest the by the to close the Catholic school that's seen generations of children pass through its halls.

The school has been a fixture in the heart of the Village for decades, and when it's slated to it doors for the final time at the end of this school year in June, it'll be one year shy of its 100-year anniversary.

That caused - a Lindenhurst native living in Manahattan and graduate of the school - to start a Friends of O.L.P.H. - Save Our School Facebook page this past week and put together a rally for supporters of the school to fight to keep it open and get their voices heard by the Diocese.

The Diocese, she Lindenhurst Patch, has been fairly tight-lipped about its decision, always referring back to its Strategic Plan, she said.

The plan's purpose, according to the Diocese, was to chart a future for Catholic education on Long Island, and the criteria used to measure each school in its purview were enrollment, the age of students in the area, the financial situation of the school and reviews of each school building, its technology and other programs offered.

The protesters were also joined on Sunday, by Burt Koza, a former teacher at school who retired last June.

And they were joined by representatives from the five other Catholic schools slated to close - many of whom have already had rallies at their schools, such as in and in .

The peaceful protest, which garnered honks of support from cars that drove by on South Wellwood Avenue on Sunday, and from the Lindenhurst Fire Department across the street, lasted for a little more than an hour.

This Saturday OLPH School supporters/protesters will gather with supporters/protesters from the other five schools the Diocese has decided to close this June for a larger rally at the in Rockville Centre.

That's scheduled to take place, according to the flier handed out at this past Sunday's rally, on .

Take a look through the for video and photo highlights of the January 15 rally in front of .