The snowy weather Saturday afternoon didn't deter a determined group of parents and children from staging a rally at St. Agnes Cathedral to protest the Diocese of Rockville Centre's decision to close six Catholic schools across Long Island after the 2011-12 school year.

Upon announcing the closures, Diocese of Rockville Centre Bishop William Murphy said the reasons include "changing demographics and difficult national and local economic conditions."

Parents and students from Sacred Heart in North Merrick and La Salle Regional in Farmingdale joined the rally where families hoped to gain an audience with the diocese in order to find a way to save their beloved schools.

(Jaime Sumersille contributed to this report.)