The St. Augustine story just won't go away; how will this end?

Josephites, local St. Aug. board still at odds after meeting . wwltv.com
Posted on July 15, 2011 at 10:24 PM

Dennis Woltering / Eyewitness News


NEW ORLEANS -- The chairman of the St. Augustine Board of Directors, Troy Henry, in an exclusive Eyewitness News interview said that a private meeting between members of the local board and leaders of the Josephite society has failed to resolve their dispute.

The local board of directors has defied the Josephite society and rejected its orders for Fr. John Raphael to step down as president of St. Augustine and to remove six members of the board of directors.

The Josephites, based in Baltimore, say they own the school, and in a lawsuit they have accused local board members of "attempting a coup" by replacing the school's bylaws.

But Henry says St. Augustine is a not-for-profit corporation, and he says the Josephites don't own it.

“There are no owners to it. It is governed by an entity,” he said. “So the Josephite society today contributes less than 1 percent of the operating income to the school on an annual basis.

“So 99 percent of the income revenue and everything comes from parents, alumni, contributors or what have you. And they need to have a voice and they need to make sure that there representation is properly reflected in the leadership of the school."

The leadership feud grew out of the school's refusal to stop using corporal punishment for discipline.