One by one, the children at St. Nicholas Catholic Church school got up from their seats to greet Father Urey Patrick Mark. As he crouched down to their level, the children began latching onto his legs, hands and shoulders – until there was nothing left uncovered by their hugs but Father Mark’s head.
“They are such an inspiration for me,” he said. And he doesn’t want to take away their joy, he said, to tell them that their school is at risk of closing.
Father Mark, who was born and raised in the West African nation of Liberia, came to the 142-year-old church two years ago. It’s the oldest Catholic Church serving the African-American community in St. Louis.
Many well-known families in the community, such as the U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay’s family and Gateway Classic Sports Foundation founder Earl Wilson Jr.’s family, have been part of the parish for more than 75 years. The Clay family has been with the parish since 1889.
Community members, such as Wilson, attended the school. Families have spent their weekends roller-skating and playing sports since the 1960s, when the church built the large gymnasium.
The church, located at 701 N. 18th St., is a place the community feels safe, Father Mark said.
However, like many African-American parishes, it’s struggling for survival, said parishioner Alice Prince, also a school board member. When Father Mark came to the church, it was at a breaking point. The buildings were in poor shape, and the playground was caving in. The parishioners were starting to dwindle.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis was considering closing St. Nicholas’s preschool, which has 108 children, due to bad debt and the inability to financially support itself.
“I cannot sit here and allow the school to close,” Father Mark said. “I’m here because God has blessed me with true education. I cherish my education. I saw there was so much we can do to keep school open.”
Father Mark knew he had to come up with a master plan to empower parishioners to rebuild their own church. He created a flow chart of all the major projects he wanted to accomplish and all the team members who would be involved. The chart was color-coded and looked like a spider web with various arms and legs – meaning that all the projects would require teamwork and involvement from the community.
“I saw that we needed to work on parish unity and parish identity,” he said.
Door to change
Father Mark decided the church doors should be the first to be replaced. “The image of the door represents Christ,” he said, “so the entrance of the church is an important thing.”
In two months, the parish raised enough money to replace the doors. When the new doors arrived, he told the parishioners that he wanted everyone to help put them in, symbolizing the parish rebuilding their faith community.
“He’s the right person, for the right place at the right time,” said Earl Wilson Jr. “He’s done remarkable things for the church, and not only for the church but also the community. He’s getting people involved.”
Then they repaved the parking lots, put new flooring in the gym and built a better playground. All of his goals were being accomplished quicker than expected because the people were so willing and ready, he said.
Then this fall, regional church administrators told the church that in order to save the school, they needed to raise at least $75,000 on their own by the end of January. Saving the school has become Father Mark’s main focus for the past month and a half because he knows how much it means to working families.
As a single mother, Alice Prince sent her children to the school when she was struggling to find balance between work, school and providing an enriching environment for their children.
“When life’s pressure seems to be overwhelming, our families find comfort in knowing their child is in a safe environment,” Prince said.
“If the parent gets in a bind financially, St. Nicholas will try to subsidize their childcare payments. We never want a mother to choose between going to work, paying a heating bill and paying for quality childcare.”
So far, one family donated $10,000. Another anonymous donor committed to match every dollar the church raised up to $25,000. “I tell you with God all things are possible,” he told the church members.
The church had a Skate for Education event, where more than 200 people showed up to help the school.
“Our family looks to Father Mark for his spiritual advice and guidance,” said U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay. “We also strongly support his efforts to save the early childhood development school.”
St. Nicholas is one of the only black Catholic preschools in the city. The early childhood development center is attached to the church and serves children up to 5 years old.
“Father Urey Patrick Mark is a true crusader,” Prince said. “He said he would die before the preschool closes. I believe Father Mark symbolizes and embodies the true spirit of our community.”
