By Lisa Gentes

Teens, parents and alumnae of Monsignor Ryan Memorial High School (MRM) gathered at the Boston Teacher's Union Hall on Monday evening to rally support for their closing school. Speakers called on the community to help them found a new, independent girls high school elsewhere in the neighborhood to keep MRM's mission alive.

On June 1, the Catholic school on Mayhew Street in Dorchester will officially close its doors after 85 years of educating the city's girls. This year, 44 seniors will participate in the school's final graduation ceremony.

Guidance counselor and math teacher Susan MacDonald said MRM faculty is trying to maintain normalcy for the remainder of the school year. The students will receive their yearbooks and the juniors will receive their class rings. However, MacDonald said the closing has been a bit of a shock. She said there are many emotions students are feeling, from wondering where they will enroll in the fall, to and frustration. "It's just hard on all of our kids," MacDonald noted.

On February 2, the Archdiocese of Boston announced that MRM would close at the conclusion of the school year. The archdiocese cited "rising costs, changing demographics and declining student enrollments" as factors that determined the decision to permanently close.

Sister Kathleen Carr, CSJ, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese, said in a statement that the archdiocese is aiding current students who need to find a new high school for September.

"Every effort will be made to assist students in these schools in relocating to neighboring schools," she said, adding that the archdiocese will also assist faculty and staff in finding new positions at other archdiocesan Catholic schools.

However, MRM is not closing quietly. Essentially, the students, teachers, alumnae and supporters of MRM want to keep their school open and that is what they are fighting to do.

Christine Regan, director of development for MRM, and a member of the MRM advisory board, said the goal of the board and its supporters is to continue the mission of the school by providing an independent all-girls high school in the Catholic tradition. The school would be independent of the Archdiocese of Boston, similar to the way Boston College High School operates, Regan noted.

Sister Esther Plefka, SC, co-chair of the MRM advisory board, detailed the business plan for this new, independent all-female high school, that would continue the MRM tradition. She said the board hopes to establish an all-female Catholic high school in the Dorchester, Roxbury or South Boston neighborhood. Much is to be determined, but the board is seeking immediate funding for the school and a building to lease for this proposed four-year college prep school. The board needs financial backing and a building by May 2003 in order to press ahead and have the school opening in September.

The future school would also need the approbation of the Archdiocese of Boston, in order to operate in the Catholic tradition, and also accreditation by the state.

The current school, which is named after the first pastor of St. Margaret Parish in Dorchester, may change its name to Elizabeth Seton Academy, to honor the inspiration of Elizabeth Seton, a founding mother of the Sisters of Charity who was devoted to education and activism. The Sisters of Charity of Halifax have served MRM since its inception and played a key role in the school's educational legacy.

State Senator John A. Hart addressed the crowd and expressed his strong support for this project.

"We can't fail; we can only succeed," Hart said. "It's our duty to provide for the education of young girls in the city."

Ray Flynn, former mayor and Ambassador to the Vatican during the Clinton administration, said he knows the value of a Catholic education and the importance of keeping schools open despite tough economic times. He said the closing of MRM is "a loss for the quality of life for this great city. If it loses its Catholic schools, it loses its soul. With God's help and your help, we will not lose it."

Margaret O'Meara, a 1968 MRM graduate, spoke of her experiences at the high school. She said the reasons girls attend an all-girl Catholic school have not changed since she was in school. The diversity, community, sense of belonging and development of women is what draws the students, she said.

Two current students, both sophomores, also spoke at the rally. Kasey Ryan read a letter she wrote and sent to the archdiocese. Elise Rae spoke of how MRM has given her self-confidence, deepened her faith and helped her discover who she is. She said her friends have become family and her teachers have become friends. The sophomore said the closing is horrible.

"Right now, in my heart, I know nothing will replace MRM," Rae said after her speech. "I never realized what an opportunity I had until it was gone."