Sister Marie: a fighter even when the odds are stacked against her
Forever Young • ADELE YOUNG
News that St. Joseph School in Keyport will close despite the valiant efforts of its principal, parents and alumni triggered a deep sadness in me.

As a Freehold Township resident, I don't have much personal knowledge of St. Joseph's, but I do know its principal, Sister Marie Agnes Connolly. And if she has faith in the school, it definitely is worth saving.

My two children attended St. Rose of Lima grammar school in Freehold under her wise and spirited leadership during the 1980s and early '90s.

When Sister Marie set her mind to something, there was almost no chance it would not be accomplished.

I doubt the diminutive dynamo worked less than 12 hours each school day, which was filled with all the things principals do to keep a school running smoothly. Her evenings as well were often filled — with PTA, school or church activities.

Her enthusiasm was contagious. I found myself volunteering to chair more fundraisers than I ever thought I could. Under her tenure, our PTA started the Holiday Bazaar, where members made, rather than bought for resale, many of the items. Joann Fiorilli and I added Children's Day to the bazaar over 20 years ago so students could shop for family members. Profits grew every year during Sister's tenure.

Sister Marie Agnes Connolly (r) with Joyce Engallena at the St. Rose of Lima PTA Holiday Bazaar in Freehold in 1986.

Whenever she thought of a new venture in the fundraising department, a crew was tapped, and they made it happen. She was also open to parents' suggestions. She gave us broad latitude on projects like an oldies dance (a sell-out — thank you, Kathy Shortmeyer and team) or Family Fright Night, another huge success and popular tradition. I would be remiss if I didn't thank my co-chair, Mary Ann Mulligan, and the dozens of parents like Leslie Daley, whose amazing creative skills turned the gym into a Halloween "spooktacular." You all worked so hard on everything, but it was so much fun and the kids loved every minute of it.

Sister knew instinctively it was that combination that raised the most money, and who among us is not willing to make

our children happy by spending a few dollars more. This is why I was taken aback when the Diocese of Trenton was not swayed by the plan the St. Joseph School team presented to save their school. Perhaps the diocese is not aware of the feats this woman is capable of when she champions a cause.

 

I got a kick out of seeing photos on the St. Joseph School Web site of a crowd engaging in the recent Polar Bear Plunge fundraiser. I really hate being cold and wet, but I probably would have been one of the first people in the water, dragging 10 more with me, if it were one of Sister Marie's special causes that either raised muchneeded funds or forged a special bond

among community members. Always humble, she once said she could never ask anyone for something for herself, but she had no trouble asking anyone and everyone for something for her school. I have such faith in her abilities and her kinship with the "powers above" that I still blame her for knocking the University of Notre Dame out of contention for the national football championship in 1993, when my son was a freshman there. Sister Marie left St. Rose to further her studies at Boston College about that time, and I firmly believe that it was more than luck on the side of Boston College that Saturday when the Eagles won the game during the last few seconds. After all, when it comes to football, most people don't even know BC's nickname, and almost everyone knows who the Fighting Irish are.

 

If worse comes to worst and the school closes, I would suggest private schools in need of a principal start an immediate bidding war for Sister Marie.

Adele Young is the news editor of Greater Media Newspapers.