A few months ago, one of our Catholic Herald reporters was assigned to a story looking into the effects of the Milwaukee Parental Choice program on our archdiocesan schools. Legislation passed late last summer allowing the program to expand into Milwaukee and Racine counties, and we were curious as to the effect it was having on the Catholic schools involved.
In researching the story, Ricardo Torres not only learned that five archdiocesan schools had embraced the opportunity to welcome Choice students, but he learned that for the first time in 13 years, Catholic school enrollment is on the rise in our archdiocese!
And interestingly, that’s not solely due to the increase in the number of schools accepting Choice students. Of the 50 Catholic schools that saw enrollment increases, 27 of the schools are suburban and rural schools that do not participate in the Choice program!
Catholic school enrollment in our archdiocese is 32,193, a 1 percent increase over last year.
For those of us who believe in the value of a Catholic education, that’s certainly something to celebrate. Actually, for anyone, that’s reason to celebrate. Even if you choose a public education for a child, a strong Catholic school system benefits all of us. Catholic school graduates will likely have a positive impact on our community with their sound educational background, rooted in Christian values.
Are Catholic schools closing because Catholicism is in decline, or is Catholicism in decline because Catholic schools are closing? That’s just one of the questions Lynn Doyle asks of her guests in this 24-minute program. She begins her show with guest Jerry Davis, one of the members of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Blue Ribbon Commission on Catholic schools, and ends it with a panel that includes Bob McCarty, executive director at the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry. Most provocative soundbyte? “Catholics have contracepted and aborted themselves into a decline.”
What do you think is responsible for the decline? And how do Catholic schools and dioceses respond to it?
Six Dominican “foundress” nuns stepped off a flat-bottom boat on a freezing New Year’s Eve in 1851 to start St. Agnes Academy, the oldest continuously operating school in West Tennessee.
On Friday, the spirit of their service and faith was chiseled in every detail of the school’s 160th anniversary celebration, including a Mass that echoed their Catholic and feminine commitment to a city that was later besieged by Civil War and yellow fever.
“They were the first to establish an orphanage in 1852; it was in the attic of the school,” said Sister Marina Gibbons, president of St. Agnes from 1980 to 1995 and one of several nuns who made the trip to Memphis for the celebration from their Dominican base in St. Catharine, Ky.
Which Philadelphia Catholic schools will close? That’s the question on the minds of many Catholics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia this week. The results of Philadelphia’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Catholic Education will be made public on Friday, January 6. The members of the Commission were appointed by Cardinal Justin Rigali just over a year ago “to undertake a comprehensive study of Archdiocesan elementary and secondary schools, as well as the schools of special education and religious education programs.”
The study is expected to bring about a dramatic change in Catholic education in Philadelphia, strengthening it for the future and ensuring the long-term existence of Catholic schools in the archdiocese. That change is not going to be without cost, however. According to a local Philadelphia news report, “all elementary schools with fewer than 125 students are expected to be closed. Some secondary schools will also likely be closed.”
This week, as we celebrate two American saints with strong ties to Catholic schools, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. John Neumann, we ask their intercession to guide the Commission and Cardinal Rigali to make decisions that lead to stronger, more viable Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
“The Church worldwide is in the midst of a Catholic education boom,” writes Jeff Ziegler in a new article from The Catholic World Report. But, he continues, “In the midst of this Catholic education boom worldwide, the Church in the United States has suffered a dramatic decline in its education apostolate.”
Ziegler’s article offers a fascinating analysis of where Catholic education has been, where it is now, and where it’s going. A few more quotes:
Catholic school culture, in general, is thus strongest near the Ohio River, the central Mississippi River, and parts of the Gulf Coast; it is weakest in portions of Texas, California, and in Alaska.
“Despite research that indicates that Hispanic students in Catholic schools are dramatically better prepared academically for postsecondary education and productive careers than Hispanic students in other kinds of schools, only 3 percent of school-aged Hispanic children are enrolled in Catholic schools,” Marie Powell, executive director of the Secretariat of Catholic Education at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, told CWR.
…the average elementary school tuition [is] now at $3,383 and the average secondary school tuition [is] at $8,182….In contrast, the average per-pupil cost for elementary and secondary students at the nation’s public schools is $10,297.
“What is the greatest challenge facing our Catholic schools today? Providing just compensation for our staff while protecting our families,” says Daryl Hagan, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Evansville.
The abandonment of the practice of the faith by large numbers of the nation’s Catholics also poses a significant challenge to the future of Catholic schools.
…education leaders in the dioceses with the most successful Catholic school programs have repeatedly emphasized the importance of a strong Catholic identity.
“More than crucifixes displayed on the walls and students wearing plaid, a Catholic school must invite its students into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ,” added Dan Peters of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
In Wichita, all Catholic primary and secondary schools have been tuition-free for Catholic students since 2002.
Are Catholic schools closing because Catholicism is in decline, or is Catholicism in decline because Catholic schools are closing? That’s just one of the questions Lynn Doyle asks of her guests in this 24-minute program. She begins her show with guest Jerry Davis, one of the members of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Blue Ribbon Commission on Catholic schools, and ends it with a panel that includes Bob McCarty, executive director at the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry. Most provocative soundbyte? “Catholics have contracepted and aborted themselves into a decline.”Six Dominican “foundress” nuns stepped off a flat-bottom boat on a freezing New Year’s Eve in 1851 to start St. Agnes Academy, the oldest continuously operating school in West Tennessee.
