By Bill Forry

Call it the calm before the storm.

With just weeks left until the anticipated announcement of widespread parish closings, there's little for anxious Catholic parishioners to do but wait for the bad news to break.

Although there is no firm date in place, several signs point to a "mid-May" revelation. For one thing, the Cardinal's Appeal - the archdiocese's largest fundraising drive of the year - is set for the first weekend in May. The following Sunday is Mother's Day, not the best time to wreak heartache on the flock. The following Sunday, May 16 may be D-Day for several Dorchester churches.

According to one Dorchester pastor this week, news on the fate of the neighborhood's parish grammar schools is likely to come down at the same time and - in most cases, it's thought - the schools will be spared the fate of parent churches, at least for the next year. That's good news for many parents who are hoping that they won't be left in the lurch by the Archbishop.

Evidently, many parents are wagering that the schools will remain open. At Saint William, for example - which was included on a list of Dot churches "recommended" for "suppression" in February - the enrollment for next September is already at 185, just a couple of dozen beneath this year's numbers. Saint William pastor Chris Hickey says he's told staff at the school that he's almost certain classes will go on at the Savin Hill Ave. schoolhouse, even if the namesake church gets bad news next month.

City Councillor Maureen Feeney, who quizzed archdiocesan officials at a hearing last week on the matter, says that everyone "is very much in the dark" on the closings. Feeney says that Archbishop O'Malley's request that pastors submit lists of all upcoming weddings and other special events does little to relieve anxieties.

"It's nice that they're paying attention, but to so many people that are attached to their parish, it's very unsettling," says Feeney, herself an active parishioner at St. Brendan's. "I think it behooves them to do it as soon as they can, because everyone is on pins and needles right now."

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The Mother's Walk for Peace, initially cancelled by organziers earlier this year, is back on, according to Tina Chery, the dynamic Fields Corner woman who started the annual charity stroll back in 1997. The event and organization is named for her son, who was killed in a 1993 shooting on Geneva Ave.

Chery says that news reports of the walk's demise led civic leaders to call on her to keep the tradition alive, despite a funding shortfall. This year's walk will be more modest - but will essentially follow the same route and schedule as in years past.

"This is truly a blessing and a testament to our work with survivors," Tina wrote to the Reporter. "Coca-Cola got wind of this and has decided to take it on at no cost to us. While we may not raise the funds needed because of time we are hoping that you and your organization will participate by forming a team and walking with us to publically reclaim our streets."

The 3. 6 mile walk begins and ends at Town Field, following a path through Peabody Square, Codman Square, Four Corners and Geneva Ave. Registration begins at the field at 7 a.m and forms will also be available in next week's Dorchester Reporter. For more information call 617-825-1917.

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Another Dorchester cause is picking up steam after a surprisingly sluggish start. The Daniel J. Londono Memorial Fund - set up in memory of the 22-year-old East Cottage Street man slain in Iraq on March 13 - has passed the $4,000 mark, according to one recent count. Organizer Phil Carver says the fund was started in hopes of eventually covering the college tuition expenses of Londono's younger sister, Diana.

This week, Londono's alma mater, Braintree's Archbishop Williams High School, pitched in with a donation. The students there raised more than six hundred dollars during a "dress-down" day in Londono's honor.

"We had 100 percent participation," said Dan Tarpey, a dean of students involved in the fundraiser. "Even students who stayed in uniform contributed," he said.

The school held the event on April 23rd, which would have been Danny's 23rd birthday.

Contributions can be sent to: The Daniel J. Londono Fund, c/o Members Plus Credit Union, 782 Adams Street, Dorchester, MA 02124.

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The Dorchester Day Parade Committee scooped up some much-needed bucks at last week's annual $10,000 drawing. Two winners split the grand prize, according to Karen Crowley, who organizes the Florian Hall fundriaser - not to mention the parade - with her husband Eddie,. A group of employees from the city's code enforcement department and a second group from Boston Water & Sewer contractor P. Gioioso & Sons walked off with five-large each... Karen, who works as an aide to Sen. Jack Hart and as a crossing guard, says that plans for the June 6 parade are coming along well, with 28 bands already on the roster ... And the other big fundraiser for the Dot Day parade - the Mayor of Dorchester contest - is heating up this week, with both candidates, Peter Sasso and Ralph Cooper, holding fundraisers in the neighborhood. Cooper's rounding up the troops and the ducats on Thursday evening (April 29) at C.F. Donovan's on Savin Hill Ave. Sasso has a silent auction planned for his time at the Great Hall in Codman Square this Saturday from 7-11 p.m.