By David Karas | Correspondent

The remarkable turnaround that resulted in the saving of Mater Dei Prep, Middletown, from its planned closure next month, has caught the attention of folks in Catholic education across the country.

And in many ways, the well-organized, concerted efforts of the determined, faithful community that came together to save the struggling school are being held up as a standard, of sorts, for school communities facing similar challenges.

“The entire community was involved in this effort,” said Jim Shaw, a 1976 graduate of the school who spearheaded The Seraph’s Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization forged to house their efforts. “Volunteers handled every aspect of every fundraising event, while the core committees worked on creating the plan for Mater Dei Prep’s future.”

On April 30, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., gave his final approval for Mater Dei to be transformed from a financially struggling, parish-run high school to a private, Catholic high school led by an independent governance model – a move that promises to help ensure the economic vitality of the institution.

The coordination of the volunteer coalition – which had little more than two months to achieve its fundraising goals and plan for their school’s future – drew accolades from Diocese of Trenton leaders and others in the realm of Catholic education beyond central New Jersey, who looked on with wonder as the group accomplished what many would have considered impossible.

Reflecting on the effort with The Monitor, Shaw offered some advice to those in other school communities who might want to work towards strengthening the future of their institutions.

“I would tell other schools to plan. Gather support before an issue occurs,” he said. “Engage families, alumni, friends and the community to create a solid foundation for the future.”

The story of the school’s turnaround is nothing short of impressive.

It was only hours after Father Jeffrey Kegley, pastor of St. Mary Parish, announced the would-be June closure of the school in early February – owing to a severe, multi-year budgetary deficit and persistently low enrollment – that he was inspired to reverse his plan and allow for a roughly two-month window for a fundraising campaign to try to raise the approximately $1 million it would take to keep the school open.

The response came in the form of The Seraph’s Fund, along with a separate steering committee tasked with planning the school’s long-term viability through privatization.

Shaw said that the working groups included everyone from parents to alumni, students to faculty members – and many brought their individual skill sets to the table. The coalition included accountants, lawyers, business leaders and business owners: “basically, anyone who had a skill stepped in to fill a need.”

Volunteers were broken up into groups according to the tasks they would take on – ranging from communications to technology, research to planning.

“They in turn recruited more volunteers to help with their tasks,” said Shaw. “We benefited from the experience of a community of achievers. These people all had the knowledge we needed to accomplish our goal and they offered it willingly and tirelessly.”

Perhaps equally remarkable was the level of effort each member of the team put into achieving their goal.

“The goal was too important to clock in and clock out,” said Shaw. “Everyone remained focused on our goal—a private, Catholic preparatory high school that retained its feel as a family, was managed like a business and supported to ensure its sustainability.”

Shaw said that the approval of Bishop O’Connell, who provided guidance along with diocesan officials throughout the past few months of planning, brought “feelings of accomplishment, relief, thanksgiving and belief that nothing was impossible with God.”

Shaw and his colleagues are not about to rest on their laurels, however.

The Seraph’s Fund has redoubled its efforts in a forward-looking manner now, to manage enrollment for the fall and continue working on fundraising plans and strategies to ensure that the institution remains viable and keeps its doors open for years to come.

Reflecting on the overall effort, Rayanne Bennett, the Diocese’s executive director of communications, stated, “It was an impressive thing to witness.  The community truly rallied together, donating their time and talents to the cause of saving Mater Dei.  They harnessed a groundswell of support for the institution and achieved something that, to our knowledge, is a first in the 134-year history of the Diocese of Trenton.”