Cathedral High School Supporters Rally at City Hall

SPRINGFIELD — Hundreds of students, parents, staff, faculty, and other supporters of Cathedral High School took to the steps of City Hall yesterday in an effort to persuade the Diocese of Springfield to rebuild the tornado-damaged school on Surrey Road. The rally capped off a day of “Save Cathedral” events around the city.

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno attended the rally and pressed the diocese to use available money, including millions in disaster aid awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to rebuild the school.

According to Monsignor John Bonzagni, the diocese has received more than 1,500 alumni responses and more than 250 parent responses to requests for input on the fate of the school, running the gamut from rebuilding Cathedral to rehabbing it; from building a more accessible location to combining area Catholic high schools into one regional school, or even possible privatization.

A final decision by Bishop Mitchell Rozanski may not come until February, according to Bonzagni. Since the June 2011 tornado, Cathedral has been operating at the former Memorial School in Wilbraham.