The archdiocese says any expansion or relocation of St. Pius would be just one part of a comprehensive plan to serve the Roman Catholic population of Montgomery and Bucks Counties. But some here say the loss of the school, a community institution for 50 years, could only further hurt this already struggling urban area. Balancing shifting populations with the Roman Catholic Church's mission of serving poorer, urban communities is a national issue facing many dioceses. Farther east, in Montgomery County, Lansdale Catholic High School alumni are lobbying the archdiocese to keep their landmark school at its current location, all the while acknowledging that a school might have to be built to accommodate growth in nearby Bucks County towns. In New Jersey, the Diocese of Camden is considering moving Gloucester Catholic High School from Gloucester City to the suburbs.
Some alumni say the church has a moral obligation to stay in the city.
Pottstown author Thomas Hylton, an advocate of development policies that both preserve older communities and save open space, said moving St. Pius would be a blow. If the school isn't there anymore, there is less reason for people to go to Pottstown. It sits on Keim Street, which connects to downtown's main street, the focus of heavy revitalization efforts. Unlike their counterparts from Lansdale Catholic, thus far no St. Pius alumni have organized to keep the high school in Pottstown, according to the high school's president, Salvatore DiNenna. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia's school board will weigh its social responsibility as it deliberates the future of St. Pius, said Catherine Rossi, director of communications for the archdiocese.