St. Elizabeth Catholic School community calling for answers as president is cut

It came to them as a letter.

The St. Elizabeth School community was informed earlier this month largely by email that the president of their Wilmington-area Catholic grade and high school would be let go by the end of the fiscal year. The move by a new pastor came across to many as unceremonious, as a step in an ongoing unclear direction for their parish.

And, it brought nearly 200 people out on a Monday night to pack a meeting hall.

"This is about the future of the parish," said Kevin Kelley, while families and parishioners alike filed into a Cranston Heights Fire Company ballroom looking for answers. The fourth-generation of St. E's stepped in as an organizer and spokesperson for a group of concerned parents called "We Stand With Saint Elizabeth," which formed soon after the decision.

The group invited Pastor Roger DiBuo and sitting President Joseph Papili to the meeting, as was the Diocese of Wilmington's Bishop William Koenig and Lou DeAngelo, superintendent of Catholic schools. Only Papili made an appearance.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the diocese called this a "local decision" within the powers of a pastor, with diocesan support. The diocese said there will be future opportunities to connect with St. Elizabeth Parish.

Back in an emotional room, filled also with alumni and many in the parish for generations, people called for transparency and clarity on the school's direction. They discussed a walkout, holding their donations, peacefully protesting on a Sunday, organizing a petition to call for the ousting of their pastor.

"For us Catholics in the room, for far too long we've listened to people in leadership who sometimes haven't made the right decisions for us — but we still went to church every Sunday; we still gave; we still followed," Kelley later told the crowd.

"I think those days are over."

Sports: 19-1 regular season earns top seed for St. Elizabeth in DIAA Boys Basketball Tournament

What's going on at St. Elizabeth?

Really, that's what most people in attendance wanted to know.

Leading the parish for less than two years, Father DiBuo announced his decision to cut Joseph Papili's position on Feb. 9, the same day he told the president. It comes as high school enrollment is down, as the "last working-class Catholic school" feels the struggle to compete with charter and private options across the area.

"Look around us!" said one voice, before passing mics made it his way. Murmurs moved in crescendo across the ballroom. The attendee noted many Catholic schools have closed in the city, with just four high schools remaining.

Papili has worked within the school for a decade, called a St. E's "legacy" as he grew up a few blocks away, and his Italian family roots have connections since 1921. He was a Viking, along with his three brothers and one sister. Papili also sent his two daughters to the school in the Benedictine tradition, per previous reporting. The former U.S. Marshal basically worked at St. Elizabeth as a retirement position, after leaving behind his work as a Delaware marshal and career with the Delaware State Police for 25 years.

Opinion of the packed room may divide on the president and former athletic director, but most seemed shocked at the sudden dismal.

"There's no plan," Papili told the meeting, claiming he was also unable to get any reasoning of his own. The president said he remains confident in the current principals of both grade and high school levels, but he doesn't see the path ahead.

A recent survey, conducted by We Stand With Saint Elizabeth, took the temperature of nearly 200 concerned parishioners. Shared at the meeting, results showed about 76% were concerned Papili's removal will have a negative impact, while 72% indicated they don't believe their pastor has brought a positive impact at the school overall.

Father DiBuo is relatively new, bringing his own style to the 116-year-old parish. In his letter, the pastor born and raised in Wilmington said the move falls in line with continued efforts "to refine St. Elizabeth's organizational structure" and move forward with hiring "director of advancement" next.

"A reorganization is not the end of the world," said Robert Krebs, director of communications for the diocese. "We certainly support St. Elizabeth, as we do all of our schools. We want to see it succeed both the high school and the elementary school — and that's the primary reason why we have the administrative restructuring."

The most recent strategic plan for the school was released in April 2023. The diocese on the whole has been struggling with enrollment and school closures for years. St. E's grade-school enrollment may be up, near 300 now, but the high school is about to graduate 45 students this spring. That's less than half as many as 2017.

Several speakers Monday claimed their new leader since summer 2022 — formerly at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish, in Bear, for some two decades — has pushed some parishioners away with a more strict, reserved style. Back in Bear, DiBuo was described differently, credited with a "welcoming atmosphere" for different backgrounds in 2015 reporting.

"I've been a parishioner of St. Elizabeth for 70 years. ... When I know 10 people out of all the other people in the parish or in the church, that sends up a red flag. Where are the people that I grew up with? That went there, that belong there?" posed one speaker who declined to share his name after his comments. "And what I hear the most is: 'He's driven us out.'"

Several attendees shared similar sentiments after the meeting, while feeling uncomfortable with speaking on the record. One man worried about any impact to his grandson at the high school. Another worried for her son in sports. A few others worried they shouldn't speak since their daughter and sister works as a teacher.

"People need to give him a chance," Krebs said. "And yes, it might take a little getting used to because management style, liturgical style might be a little different from what people are used to."

Discomfort with change is typical, organizer Kelley would concede, as many missed the style of former pastor Father Norman Carroll. But one thing was clear across tables — families do not see the plan ahead, and are worried about the future of their parish.

Any next move for the group remains in the works, from protest to walkout, with hopes leadership will start listening.

Some mentioned this isn't a first for their diocese. Back in 2018, Padua Academy students launched a campaign that led to the school's bringing back Principal Cindy Mann after she had been fired for insubordination.

"People talked about, 'What can we do for the parish?'" Kelley said to the crowd as he closed the meeting. "How can we revive the parish? That's the important thing. Because our families, our forefathers, everybody who stood ahead of us bled for that church — and that's what we need to keep into account."

Flashback: Padua Academy Principal Cindy Mann urges students to both love and forgive

Got a story? Contact Kelly Powers at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191, and follow her on Twitter @kpowers01.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: St. Elizabeth School community demanding answers as president is cut