By Rosemary Daniels and David Karas | Correspondents

It took less than a week after St. Mary Parish, Middletown, announced that it would close Mater Dei Prep at the end of the school year for a groundswell of support to coalesce into a plan to raise enough money to keep the institution’s doors open.

More than 500 supporters gathered Feb. 6 for an event geared toward discussing the school’s impending closure and what could be done to save it. And as a result, a coalition of alumni and parents have established a “Save the Seraphs” fund and are planning fundraisers intended to raise the $1 million necessary to keep the school open.

“We’re going to pick up that ball right now, and we’ll march into the future,” said Jim Shaw, a Mater Dei alumnus and an ardent supporter of the Seraphs, who led the meeting.

The meeting also featured Father Jeffrey Kegley, pastor of St. Mary Parish – the school’s sponsoring parish, as well as the school’s principal, Craig Palmer.

The parish announced Feb. 3 that it would close Mater Dei Prep at the end of the current school year after consultation with the parish finance council. In a message sent to the school community, Father Kegley cited a multi-year deficit as the cause for the proposed closure.

“Over the many years, Mater Dei Prep has been running large financial deficits and enrollment numbers have not stabilized to the point of sufficiently supporting the school’s viability,” Father Kegley wrote, noting that the projected loss in the 2014-2015 was expected to near $1 million.

“It had been the hope of the parish finance council and myself that these trends could be reversed,” he continued.

Father Kegley was encouraged by the tremendous outpouring of support from the school and parish community to keep Mater Dei Prep open — via social media messages, television news reports, phone calls and emails —  and consulted with the parish finance council before announcing the fundraising campaign.

He also asked Shaw to spearhead efforts to keep the school open – a movement that would require raising $1 million over the next 60 days.

Shaw is no stranger to fundraising efforts; he has demonstrated his abilities to raise money in his role as coordinator of the Ancient Order of the Hibernians Polar Plunge. The annual event, which Shaw says started “right here at Mater Dei,” raised over $140,000 in January, and each school involved retains 100 percent of the monies raised.

Proceeds that are contributed to the cause will go directly into the “Save the Seraphs” fund, which will have audit oversight, and should the campaign be unsuccessful, all funds will be returned to the donors.

The Save the Seraphs team has outlined several ideas for raising the funds. The alumni, numbering approximately 1,000, are being asked to pledge a “regular share,” which is a four-year pledge commitment of $1,000 or more per year for those who are able. They asked potential donors to check with their employers to see if donations could be matched. They also talked about “Fund a Need” programs, where people could ear-mark their donations for specific purposes.

Quoting Canon Law 800.2 that reads: “All Christ’s faithful are to promote Catholic schools, doing everything possible to help in establishing and maintaining them,” Father Kegley has encouraged everyone to work together to help keep Mater Dei Prep open.

Thus far, the coalition of support has extended beyond the school community itself.

The Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, has offered their facility for a future fundraising event, and the Harlem Wizards have offered to play for a charity event.

Declan Cassidy, a Mater Dei parent, spoke during the recent meeting and offered a $10,000 donation from a scholarship fund he and a few friends started after losing a friend in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

As of this writing, a “Gofundme” fundraising website started by junior Emily Morgan has amassed more than $21,000, not including the scholarship donation. Organizers have asked that all future contributions be sent directly to the Save the Seraphs fund.

Founded in 1964 by Msgr. Robert T. Bulman, Mater Dei Prep currently has an enrollment of 340 students and employs 48 faculty members and staff, according to a statement from the school.

“Catholic Education has and will always be central to the mission of St. Mary Parish,” wrote Father Kegley in the Feb. 3 release.

According to a statement by the Diocese of Trenton, the Diocese has provided support to Mater Dei Prep for the past five years, providing ongoing consultation and covering $3 million in the school’s unpaid health and life insurance premiums for its staff.

In his Feb. 3 letter, Father Kegley offered thanks to the school and diocesan community for its dedication to education and efforts to keep the school open.

“I want to extend sincere thanks to Mr. Craig Palmer, Mr. Steve Sciarappa, MDP teachers and staff for the years of dedicated service to the Mater Dei Prep school community,” he wrote. “I also want to acknowledge the consistent support of St. Mary Church parishioners and the Diocese of Trenton, who have helped over the past years to keep the school open. And mostly, I want to thank all of our school families who have worked so hard in support of our mission of Catholic education at Mater Dei Prep.”

Organizers created a website to accept donations, provide information on upcoming events, solicit volunteers and provide campaign updates. Those interested in learning more or lending their support can visit the site at www.savetheseraphs.org.

Diocesan Social Media Coordinator Brittany Wilson contributed to this report.