I attach a few thoughts as we await the future of a part of our past.

      I understand that the Catholic Church has to sell the property on which my old high school stands.  It’s not like hundreds of years ago when the Church was strong and rich and could hold on to its properties without a problem.  Today, the Church has been ravaged by a lack of attendance, lawyers’ fees and restitution for abuse scandals, rising taxes, and catastrophic losses in the stock market.  An old church and a residence for some old priests never had a chance…

      However, I think back to those high school days with such fondness.  Those years, spent being taught by some of the greatest minds I have ever met, were unbelievable. These men were shining examples of the true meaning of ‘priests’.  The enthusiasm with which they shed light on every subject they taught was invigorating.

      To this day, I can still see Fr. Anderson acting out ‘The Taming of the Shrew’… and he played every part!  I got an A in college calculus thanks to Mr. Scordato’s wealth of patience.  When I stood in the Roman Forum picturing Julius Caesar’s assassination, I was taken back to my freshman year at Pius when Fr. Guarino introduced us to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

      When one thinks of all the young boys who turned into men and who passed through those hallways at Pius X, it seems amazing that there was never any accusation made about impropriety or abuse of any kind on the part of any priests or staff at the school… That’s because these were great men – true representatives of Jesus Christ on Earth. Their behavior was always above reproach, even to this day.

      If one believes that Pius X was built to prepare young men for the priesthood, it is true that the school wasn’t a great success.  However, I believe that all of its teachers and staff helped the majority of graduates of Pius X to become good, successful Catholic men.  And isn’t that important in the times we find ourselves today?

      If for no other reason, I believe the Church should keep Pius X as a monument to a group of priests and teachers who were charged with shaping the lives of young boys and who carried out their responsibility in a most noble and honorable fashion…

                                                                                    Angelo S. Paola  ‘78

                                                                                    December 2008