Mater Dei Academy sits shuttered, blue drapes pulled across its
windows, atop a hill in this working-class city. From its steps, you can
peer across the mist-shrouded expanse of the Meadowlands to the distant
spires of Manhattan.
For
generations, this blond brick Catholic elementary school tossed a
lifeline to the immigrants who, wave upon wave, washed ashore here. The
Archdiocese of Newark closed it two years ago. Church officials offered
deep regrets; the church’s wallet is thin to the touch these days.