Catholic education must remain affordable to all families.
By Bruce J. Stewart
Today, the media, meaning hundreds of channels of television programming of all varieties, instant messaging, thousands upon thousands of questionable internet websites, are all threats to a positive school culture. Catholic Education has evolved, and has been transformed in the past 50 years, as it has adapted to the educational needs of our students and our families, especially as we teach the Catholic faith in light of the powerful influence of popular culture. Fifty years ago, and I speak from first-hand experience, the only perceived threats to a positive culture were Mad Magazine and a few movies such as Goldfinger, and The Graduate, and rock and roll music, specifically the Beatles. Today, Mad Magazine of the 60’s is nostalgic, and the Beatles are remembered for their love songs.
As Catholic schools across the nation struggle to maintain financial health, our communities need Catholic education more now, than any time previous. Today, there is an urgency for Catholic Education to be a leader, for us, as educators in Catholic Education, to be leaders. As we live our faith through our examples of love and service within each of our school communities, and even globally, we are teaching our children to be responsible, to be respectful, to become future leaders, whose positive actions are a direct result of today’s educational experience.
This is Catholic Education. Catholic Education demands that we study Catholic Theology and apply it to our lives. Catholic Education is reaching out to our classmates whose medical emergencies required them to spend many days in Children’s Hospital. Catholic Education is reaching out to our parent community whose medical and family emergencies have taken them away from their families.
Catholic Education is learning to celebrate the Eucharist and give thanks to God every Wednesday at our school Mass. Catholic Education is the privilege of learning, and for those of you who attend Wednesday Mass, participating in the Pastor’s weekly homily during our school Mass.
Catholic Education is being a 6th grade student and taking the hand of a Kindergarten student and walking with them to Mass. Catholic Education is performing with your classmates in a Christmas Program. Catholic Education is praying during the Stations of the Cross as we learn to appreciate the importance and significance of the Passion of Christ.
Catholic Education is a third grade classroom donating over $100 of their hard-earned money to the March of Dimes. Catholic Education is a coat drive to provide warm clothing for children and adults during cold winter nights. Catholic Education is a class of 2nd grade students singing at a home for the elderly.
Catholic Education demands that our students learn that the greatest gift we can give our children is an education, an education that inspires them to live our faith. Quoting from the Reverend John Jenkins, President of Notre Dame University, “the challenge of wrapping together our faith-based heritage while further strengthening our academic excellence is a rare opportunity and for me a special dream.” Through our partnerships with our parent communities, we will be able fulfill our promise to deliver an outstanding educational experience, and further our academic excellence because we are teaching our students to live the ideals of Catholic Theology in a Christ-Centered community. We are all children of God.
However, there is a significant threat to Catholic Education that challenges us to redefine our legacy and to create a financially sustainable school model. Catholic Education must remain affordable to all families. The roots of Catholic Education in the United States were formed several hundred years ago as an important alternative to secular education that became increasingly unkind to an increasing number of Catholic immigrants. Catholic Education has always sought to provide a faith-based education to all its church members, especially the children of poor immigrants, and oppressed minority populations.
While the national and local economic outlook has been improving, we must choose to view the current reality as an opportunity to improve our delivery of educational services; as an opportunity to seek a greater base of financial support. We must view the financial threat as a call to action to ensure that Catholic Education remains affordable and available to all families.
As we endure a turbulent economic climate, we are, unfortunately, experiencing an increasingly violent society. Creating a vision for the future that provides hope, opportunity, and self-fulfillment, rather than despair, violence, and self-indulgence, requires us, as a community, to continue to provide ethical leadership by example, as the Gospel implores us. Catholic education is a true partnership with its constituents. Catholic education works because of its nature of reciprocity and therefore, the leadership our students experience at home and at school, creates harmony. As we nurture the souls and intellect of tomorrow’s leaders, we must be daring in our approach and courageous in our actions, and continue to seek our inspiration in the Good News that is our Faith.
Support the urgency that is Catholic Education.