Miraculous recovery

It’s no secret that, with a reported falloff of more than 180,000 Catholics registered at parishes throughout the city of Philadelphia, many of the Archdiocese’s schools have struggled to keep their doors open in recent years.

In these parts, the latest victims are St. John Neumann and St. Maria Goretti, South Philly’s only two Catholic high schools — now reduced to one. Several parish schools and churches also have disappeared over the last decade.

More than spiritual guidance, these institutions need Wall Street-quality financial planners.

Or plenty of generous parishioners, a few commercial donors and a pretty savvy pastor.

The Rev. Gary Pacitti, pastor of Annunciation BVM Parish, can tell you that blessings — even miracles — do happen, especially when you’re determined to make something work.

"I got here last June and started to find out all sorts of bad news financially," he said. "We had been in the red for about seven years, and for the last couple have been withdrawing money from Annunciation’s trust in order to make up for the shortfall. We had almost exhausted that completely last year."

Pacitti was referring to an annual shortfall dating back to last July that increased from $218,571 that year to last year’s high of $244,000. With only $249,331 left in the trust, things were looking grim.

By December, Annunciation’s elementary school at 12th and Wharton reported that it likely would close down at the end of the 2004-05 academic year.

Big changes can happen in six months.

After conceding that the school would have to close, the pastor went public with the church’s finances, divulging information in the church bulletin.

The response has been overwhelming.

"We reversed a seven-year trend in one year," said Pacitti. "We’re in the black by a couple thousand. We proved we can run a small school without bringing the parish down.

"It was really a combination of bringing the right people in and cost-cutting," the pastor added. "We’re really running a bare-bones operation here."

Father Pacitti points to strong community backing combined with an alumni association that has become heavily involved with raising funds for the school. The onrush of support has afforded Annunciation the opportunity to advertise on television as a way of combating declining enrollment.

"Value Kia has been a big part of this," said Pacitti. "They donated a car that we were able to raffle off. The proceeds were split between us and a couple of other parishes. They run a half-hour infomercial on the PAX Network and they’re giving us a few minutes every time."

Good ad strategy works, too.

"We’ve been playing up the safety angle, showing the school residing between a fire station and a police station," the pastor noted. "It has been a great partnership between us and the businesses."

The car dealership has offered another vehicle for Annunciation to raffle. Pacitti plans to split the proceeds with other local schools.

After the pastor went public with the parish’s financial problems, many of the parishioners who work in trades volunteered their services and their free time. One parishioner donated $50,000 to set up a new trust on the condition that the parish matches the funds.

The local church also has initiated fundraisers. One of the most successful moneymakers is the sponsor-a-brick program. For each $50 donation, a brick will be displayed in the church steeple. Donors will have their names included on a replica steeple to be displayed in the church vestibule, said Pacitti.

Annunciation also is expanding plans for its annual carnival. Normally held near the school, the pastor managed to obtain permission to use the large ground at Broad and Washington.

Meanwhile, the donors are not limited to parishioners and businesses. Other local Catholic school alumni also want to help a positive cause — especially if their own schools no longer exist.

"Tons of people that went through the schools want to help," said Pacitti. "Too many of our schools in South Philly have closed down in the last couple of years. It’s the first time [Annunciation parishioners] have had good news about the school in six or seven years."

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 2329 S. Third St., hasn’t reached the critical point of Annunciation last December, but the Rev. Kenneth W. Sharp acknowledged the parish school is feeling "the pinch."

"Our elementary school is relatively stable," said Father Sharp, the parish’s pastor. "While enrollment has dropped a little, we have had about 400 students enrolled since I arrived here in 1999."

Sharp believes the worst could be ahead, but talks about plans for stemming any potential hemorrhaging of funds.

"We’re trying advertising to try and keep up enrollment," he said, adding that the church is making every effort to encourage a strong word-of-mouth, door-to-door-type campaign.

The pastor also cited a concerted attempt to increase fundraisers and obtain more alumni involvement, as well as the church’s efforts to build an endowment for the school.

"We’re having an alumni event that will be a fundraiser," said Sharp. "It will be an all-class reunion. We’ll be holding it at Lighthouse Pointe in Wildwood on July 24. It’s a buffet and will cost attendees $20. We’re hoping to raise as much as possible, but our goal is $15,000. Another parish did a similar thing with great success last year."

The pastor said he believed the Catholic schools west of Broad Street were struggling more due to the impact of charter schools in that area, but was quick to add, "We’re all feeling that pinch."