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	St. Agatha Making Itself over By Shurley Sterling Chicago Defender July 27, 2007 http://www.chicagodefender.com/page/local.cfm?ArticleID=9685 Chicago (IL) — The historic 114-year-old Our Lady of the Westside will enter into the 2007-2008 school year with a new name and principal. The announcement was made during Sunday services, July 22. The Catholic powerhouse has been an anchor in the African-American community on the West side since the 1960s, and the new pastor, Rev. Larry Dowling, said he felt it was time for the school to move into a new direction. The new name of the school is St. Agatha Catholic Academy with two locations, 3151 W. Douglas Blvd., and 3900 W. Lexington St. the new principal is Charlemeine Zemelko, long time administrator over Edison Longwood Charter School. Dowling, 54, has been at the church for five months and replaced previous pastor Rev. Daniel Mccormac who left due to charges of child sexual abuse. He pleaded guilty in July and was sentenced four years in prison. "The change had been in motion for four or five years, and I felt now was the right time because we were receiving new administration," Dowling said. The Archdiocese closed three parishes on the west side in 1976.and Our Lady of the Westside became the area school for the displaced students. The school belonged to the St. Agatha Church,3147 W. Douglass Blvd., so Dowling decided it was time to match the name of the school to that of the church. "St. Agatha has always been a part of the school, it was just the elementary name was different," Dowling said. Dowling said he feels the new name will signal to the community that they are trying to move away from the previous troubled years. Due to the allegations that were raised, 15 families left the parish. The congregation has 250 families. "We are beginning to get some of our families back," Dowling said. "We are trying to win our community back, so this is why we are promoting it they way we are." Susan Burrit, director of media relations for the Chicago Archdiocese, said the new name signals a new beginning. Originally, Our Lady of the Westside was named St. Agatha School in the early 20th century. The name changed after several parishes were consolidated into one school. "What Dowling wanted to do was to take the tradition of the St. Agatha but by adding academy, he is giving the school its own new beginning," Burrit said. Dowling said so far the response to the new name as bee well received. He said church members are excited for the new direction. "We want to get back to educating our students and continuing our community outreach," Dowling said. Classes begins Aug. 22. The church first opened in 1893 with the school following two years later. At that time, the surrounding community was made up of Irish and Jewish Americans. In the fifties and continuing on today, the parish along with the surrounding community has been African-American.
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