Reinstate Dr. Jerzy Cichocki as Principal Conductor of St. Michael's Choir School

SMCS Alumni. Class of 2013

My son love studying with Dr.

Does anyone know what happened?

Just bring him back for the boys

This is so dissapointing for a great great great Choral conductor to leave just like that. The Choir School will not stay the same without Doc. I am sure the boys are feel the same as many other people. Really sad and bad news to hear this.

#FreeDoc

Former Student Irrespective of the cause, the handling of this dismissal was completely unprofessional. This is not how you treat a long standing member of the community.

His classes were always interesting, be it his sons of humor, or his ability in teaching, love to have him back.

Earlier today, I sent an email to His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins. I have just left a voice mail message.

Reposting below from a previous reply to a comment: In addition to the withdrawal of parental and alumni donations, the only other way to affect change is to write directly to the Cardinal himself (I have experience with "regime change" at SMCS, and this is the only effective way to get it done). The Cardinal is the only person who maintains official oversight on Mr. Handrigan (it is not, as commonly thought, the Rector of the Cathedral). With the volume of work the Cardinal must undertake, it's no surprise that the Director's decisions are often "rubber-stamped" without much thought. Mr. Handrigan will not reverse this decision – only the Cardinal has that power. And so, there are two courses of action to get what everyone who's signed this petition wants: write or phone directly to the Cardinal to get him reinstated, or write or phone directly to the Cardinal to have Mr. Handrigan removed as Director in order that someone may take his place who understands the value of the tireless work Dr. Cichocki has done. Please write. I certainly will be doing so. *** For ease of access (these are found on the Archdiocesan website, and so are public knowledge): His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins 1155 Yonge St. Toronto M4T 1W2 (416) 934-0606 ext. 609 [email protected]

Supporters of the cause, A few minutes ago, a comment was posted under the name of SMCS Principal Barry White expressing his solidarity with the cause and adding his support. A few supporters were suspicious of this message, so we contacted Mr White and he confirmed the message was not posted by him. I wish to reiterate that illegitimate means of fighting this should not, and will not, be condoned. Resorting to fraud to garner support for our cause is no better than firing a notable staff member over the Christmas break. I, like many of you, am feeling a range of emotions regarding this decision, and I completely agree that we need to take decisive action, but impersonating a member of SMCS administration is not something I can condone. Such actions will only delegitimize our cause to the powers that be.

Bring him bakv

We need Doc back!

We shouldn't dismiss years of service and dedication without some opportunity for mediation.

An utterly shameful coup

The reasoning of the petition says it all. What is the SMCS administration thinking? There was the inappropriate actions metered out by the previous incumbent as Administrative Director, desperate to conduct the choir, that stripped away the Saturday Mass and the “Gentlemen of the Choir” (now called the Tenor Bass Choir under TD’s questionable direction) and now this. What gives? If change is considered desirable and the Strategic Plan is worth more than the paper it is printed on then one expects to see a competition. A competition seeking a candidate of a calibre equitable with the current and previous holders of this post. Bring that person in to work alongside Dr Cichocki to learn as he himself did from his mentor. One can only wonder what will happen at the Epiphany. Will the music Dr Cichocki programmed for the feast day months ago (as he will have surely done) be sung or a new programme? If new can it hope to resonate with the same attention to detail; the same correlation to the tenets of the Church, the lectionary and the breviary and reflect on the achievements of composers by singing their music as their anniversaries fall. The music at the Epiphany, and any time, is the work of a consummate academic and artist, there is none on the horizon who can easily replace him.

In response to Chee-Kong Leong, none of us wish to be malicious. We only wish to affect positive change for the school – if Mr. Handrigan is short-sighted enough to remove a dedicated member of the staff who has amassed decades of service to the Archdiocese and to the school, we should not be supporting the school with our money. In addition to the withdrawal of parental and alumni donations, the only other way to affect change is to write directly to the Cardinal himself (I have experience with "regime change" at SMCS, and this is the only effective way to get it done). The Cardinal is the only person who maintains official oversight on Mr. Handrigan (it is not, as commonly thought, the Rector of the Cathedral). With the volume of work the Cardinal must undertake, it's no surprise that the Director's decisions are often "rubber-stamped" without much thought. Mr. Handrigan will not reverse this decision – only the Cardinal has that power. And so, there are two courses of action to get what everyone who's signed this petition wants: write or phone directly to the Cardinal to get him reinstated, or write or phone directly to the Cardinal to have Mr. Handrigan removed as Director in order that someone may take his place who understands the value of the tireless work Dr. Cichocki has done. Please write. I certainly will be doing so. *** For ease of access (these are found on the Archdiocesan website, and so are public knowledge): His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins 1155 Yonge St. Toronto M4T 1W2 (416) 934-0606 ext. 609 [email protected]

Jerzy is one of the finest most humble servants of God I have ever met. I am in shock over this current event. May God Bless him & Frances as they discern their journey.

Dr. Cichocki’s contributions to furthering the school’s mission and developing the talents of its students cannot be measured by the arithmetic of his ‘years of service’. He has devoted his exceptional talent, knowledge, dedication and drive to the goal of achieving excellence in sacred music at SMCS, and has inspired hundreds of young musicians to do the same. The school and the parish will be poorer for the loss of a musician and educator of his calibre. MT (class of ’96)

Dr. Cichocki was an inspiration to me. He instilled a respect for sacred music within me that I would have never have found without his guidance. He was passionate about his work, and remains one of the greatest staff members of SMCS that I have had the pleasure of interacting with. Despite our differences, I have great respect for Dr. Cichocki as a musician, a teacher, and a man.