Monday, January 29, begins Catholic Schools Week. It’s a time to honor the unique value of Catholic education. Here in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, we have a long record of dedicated service by the women and men who teach in our classrooms and run the “business” of Catholic schools. That record includes the legacy of thousands of women and men religious and diocesan clergy. In the single academic year of 1963-64, more than 4,100 religious and 1,600 laypersons taught more than 263,000 students enrolled in our schools. Today, scores of our pastors make extraordinary commitments of parish funds to keep our schools open and excellent.
Unfortunately, schools run on resources, not simply good will and heroic service. Our schools can no longer count on unlimited Church support. The resources simply don’t exist. Many of our parishes are financially strained. The archdiocese itself faces serious financial and organizational challenges that have been developing for many years and cannot be ignored.
So where does that leave us? We can honor Catholic Schools Week this year by actually doing something about the fiscal problems hurting our schools. We need to press our lawmakers, respectfully but vigorously, to pass school choice.
First, we need some clarity: School vouchers do not mean “government support for religious schools.” That argument is flatly false. No vouchers go to any school, religious or otherwise. Vouchers do, however, return the power of educational choice to parents, where it belongs. In doing so, vouchers make all schools more accountable for the quality of education they deliver. Parents get the voucher. Parents choose the school. This makes perfect sense. And if a school offers a poor education for young people, parents will rightly vote with their feet — and their vouchers. Of course, most Catholic schools do the opposite: They offer a strong education, in a safe environment, with a focus on developing good moral character. That’s why parents are so upset when they close.
Some people argue that school choice legislation only helps families in poor areas. Helping the poor is obviously vital, and vouchers would accomplish that. But vouchers would also assist many more families than the poor. If vouchers are approved, they will free up what’s known as EITC funds — Educational Improvement Tax Credit funds — along with other grant and scholarship monies for many thousands of other school families. In effect, the positive impact of vouchers translates to millions of dollars of additional educational resources potentially available to a wide range of school families each year — including Catholic school families.
Now here’s an unhappy fact: In 2011, the bishops of Pennsylvania made the passage of vouchers one of their priority legislative issues. People like Bob O’Hara in our statewide Catholic bishops’ conference and Jason Budd in our archdiocesan Office of Catholic Education worked hard to mobilize Catholic support. Their efforts failed — and not because they didn’t try, but because too few people in the pews listened. Very few Catholics called or wrote their state senators and representatives. Even fewer visited their offices to lobby as citizens. Despite this, vouchers passed in the state senate, before stalling in the house. One non-Catholic school choice activist — who has poured years of his time and millions of dollars of his own resources into fighting for vouchers as a social justice issue — was baffled at the inability of Catholics to mobilize around an issue so obviously vital to the public interest and so clearly helpful to the survival of their own schools.
In the coming week I’ll be writing every state senator and representative in the territory of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to press them to support school vouchers. And I’ll continue doing it until vouchers pass. I hope my brother bishops and pastors across the state will do the same. More importantly: Our Catholic people need to do the same. Elected officials do listen, and they act when the noise gets loud enough. If nothing else, the crisis of Philadelphia’s Catholic schools is an unpleasant but finally very healthy wake up call. The bill for our failure to pass school choice over the past decade has come due. Now we’re paying for it.
When vouchers stalled, yet again, in the Pennsylvania house last fall, a frustrated Catholic school teacher friend of mine said “Catholics are suckers.” I don’t believe that. But then, I’m new in town. If we Philadelphia Catholics love our Catholic schools, and we obviously do, then the time to get active and focused is now. We need to begin pressing our state lawmakers to pass the school choice legislation — including vouchers and expanded EITC credits — that’s currently pending in Harrisburg. And we need to do it this week, today, right now. I plan to do that. I hope you’ll join me.
For more information on school choice, and to contact your legislator, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/PASchoolChoice
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Stephen McGill:
“….Remember EVERYONE is accountable to someone….”
Ask yourself this: Does this principle apply to the leadership of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia? Does it apply to the Finance Council of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and its Board Members?
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. If you want more immediate action, write to Democrat and Republican Party leadership, not to government officials.
Hold voter registration drives for Pro-life rallies for the Republican party. If you can’t stand the Republicans to that extent, then hold petition drives aimed at Democrat Party leadership to change the party plaform plank on their rigid pro-choice statement.
Send them to party leaders, not elected officials. Remember EVERYONE is accountable to someone.
To those who say that government is bankrupt, I say you get the government you work for! How much do you contribute – or do you simply scream at the evening news host each night?
How hypocritical!!!! We should push our legislators on school choice, but no such right for the families affected by the recent school closing announcements.
To All Concerned in The Archdiocese of Philadelphia,
Think revenue stream, think Spirit & Sport (www.spiritnsport.com). Think skill building and character building, think Spirit & Sport. Think intergration of the ages, think Spirit & Sport. We have perfected it at a local level, if rolled out through your schools in Philadelphia with the support of the local church we believe it can be a revenue stream of millions and help the archdiocese and the schools. Pray about it, watch the video at http://www.spiritnsport.com, and pray again. Coach Krzyzewski from Duke calls it an “excellent idea” – maybe the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will call it a lifesaver- we prefer to call it Jesus Christ in action. Are you ready?!
Vouchers are a trap. Vouchers will not bring choice; they will give the government an excuse to force Catholic schools to be less Catholic. They will eliminate choice by converting our Catholic schools into public schools. The only way to make the Catholic school system more affordable for the poor would be to raise private funding or get an influx in vocations which would reduce the salary costs. You may disagree, but look at what the government is attempting to do to Catholic institutions via healthcare. The civil authorities are an obstacle to be avoided. Besides, our public institutions are in worse financial shape than our Catholic Schools. Our governments at all levels are bankrupt. You do not want to get dependent in any way to the public trust.
The key to the “New Evangelization” is: PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH. Or, to use the words of Pope Paul V1: “Modern people listen more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if they do listen to teachers, it is because they are Witnesses.” For an example, the following should apply to our Catholic Schools:
A “preferential option for the poor” should be maintained in our Catholic Schools. If we find that we cannot afford to keep our schools open to the poor, the schools should be closed and the resources used for something else which can be kept open to the poor. We cannot allow our Church to become a
church primarily for the middle-class and rich while throwing a bone to the poor. The priority should be given to the poor even if we have to let the middle-class and rich fend for themselves.
Practically speaking, the Catholic Schools must close and the resources used for “Confraternity of Christian Doctrine” and other programs which can be kept open to the poor. Remember, the Church managed without Catholic Schools for centuries. We can get along without them today. The essential factor is to cultivate enough Faith to act in the Gospel Tradition, namely, THE POOR GET PRIORITY. The rich and middle-class are welcome too. But the poor come first.
I could not agree with you more! We must make sure that our Catholic Schools are authentically Catholic and serve all that desire an authentically Catholic education, especially the poor adn the weak. If they do not serve the poor then they are far from Catholic! However, the reason the poor have been excluded from Catholic Education is not because of the Cahtolic Chruch’s bad will or negligence but because many areas in the antion do not offer school choice! Parents should have the freedom to choose a faith based education! This is the land of Religious Freedom! Our American School system started in Churches! Our public school system used to include Bible Reading and moral instruction.Why should parents be forced to send their children to an educational system which is ammoral (eliminates faith and morals) or immoral (teaches contrary morals to our faith)?
In the past our Catholic School system had a tremendous history of helping the poor and the immigrant succeed! Why? Because we believe in human dignity and see that every human being is created in the image of God! Our secular/atheist culture does not! We also believe and teach with God all things are possible! The answer is to fight for school choice and the right for all parents to choose a faith based education.
Take a look at the public school curriculum and you will observe many instances of agendas which are contrary to the teaching of our Catholic faith! The more we immerse our children in a system that teaches a morality contrary to our faith, the more we will see a moral decline in our society.
Our God asks us to put Him first in all things, especially in the formation of the next generation! To place them in a system for 35-40 hours a week which teaches a morality contrary to our faith and then expect them to accept and live the faith by
sending them to a 2 hour after school CCD class is very unreasonable and is based on false hope and flawed reasoning!
Home Schooling has been a very powerful option for parents and we have seen some very fine results. However, this would be a hard option for the poor or the immigrant! In order to serve the poor we need school choice! We need it now! I could not agree with you more about looking after the poor!
The key to the New Evangelization is to practice what we preach! We are called to transform our world! In this case we need to fight for school choice so that our Children will know God and His ways! We need to transform the culture! NO better way to do this than to transform the educational experience of our Chidlren into a God experience-40 hours a week!
God Bless You!
I have a hefty annual tuition bill and a hefty school tax bill and I am dead against the voucher scheme. I fork over over the catholic tuition bill because I want my children to receive a quality catholic education. If you pressure the state to fund vouchers you will have to accept the strings that are attached to those funds. You will open the door to converting our catholic school system into a subsidiary of the state school system. You will inadvertantly eliminate the choice I have. We will witness the degeneration of the system. Some things are worth a sacrifice and if that means a smaller system then so be it !!! I am sorry, but this catholic is no sucker. I’ll pay the price. Thank you.
An open letter to the Archbishop of Philadelphia
January 31, 2012
Your Excellency:
It has been six days since the President, Principal and Advisory Committee of St. Hubert High School made their case in the appeal of the decision to close the school at the end of this academic year. While I am not a party to any of the details of their presentation, I am, like many parents, aware of much of the information that was likely a part of this presentation. We know the facts about this school, its’ faculty and students, and are not oblivious to the issues that the school faces.
We believe that these issues are surmountable and shall be dealt with as a result of their being identified to parents and alumnae. Both have taken immediate steps to make this a reality. We know that it is not merely about the money involved, but as I am certain you are aware, it is a grave concern. The Alumnae Association has made great strides in its efforts to establish and maintain an as yet untapped source of revenue for the school that will be in place long into its future. The one positive that I see in the Commission report is that it awoke a sleeping giant; the “Leviathan” that is the St. Hubert Alumnae Association. By all accounts the alumnae and parents were “asleep at the switch.” We had not been made aware of some of the realities that the school faced. Armed with this information, the Alumnae have raised to date over $744,000 in just over two weeks. I should point out that this isn’t money raised from wealthy suburban donors; this is “Row house Philadelphia” blue collar fundraising. It’s from friends, neighbors and alumnae who know the importance of this school to our community. It’s the businesses who specifically hire “Huberts Girls” for their integrity and work ethic. It’s people who dig deep to pay tuition and support our churches, digging even deeper and, in many cases, going without for this cause. It’s those of us who value the single-gender Catholic education that our girls receive at St. Hubert, and that some would have us lose by closing this school. The formation of our girls and boys as young Catholic women and men is of vital importance to us. The same sex environments at schools like St. Hubert for girls and Father Judge for boys allows for deeper introspection into what it means to be a Catholic man or woman. Questions that may seem silly or out of place in a co-ed school get asked and dealt with in single-gender schools. Vocations are examined and considered more deeply in this environment, without the obvious distractions of the co-educational setting. This formation is of paramount importance to us as parents and, in many ways, is of greater importance to us than any of the other emotional issues, important as they may be.
You have been quoted, Your Excellency, as saying that decisions regarding these schools cannot be based on the “emotional issues” involved. I would argue that this premise is entirely untrue. The emotional issues are foremost in our minds and hearts. We, as parents, are emotionally involved in the formation of our young Catholic children. We feel passionately about this issue. This is one of the primary reasons for wanting our daughters to go to this school. There are other girls high schools in the Archdiocese, as we know, but the great distances to travel to attend these schools as well as the neighborhoods in which these schools are located were several of the reasons that we have chosen St. Hubert. In the event that our school is not saved, we will be forced as parents to choose among schools that we have already rejected; yet another emotional decision. Emotions are running so high, sir, that it is likely that the Archdiocese will find that they will lose many of these students, not to mention their families, to public and charter schools. Many families, holding onto their faith by a thread in the light of recent troubles and changes in our Church, will feel, as we do, abandoned by their Church; marginalized and disenfranchised, and will leave. Parents and children are, out of necessity, discussing possible alternatives for education. Would it surprise you to find that most (yes, most) are not considering the nearest Catholic schools, as was likely the assumption made by the “Blue Ribbon Commission?” Many are enrolling in charter schools and academies. Some who still wish to attend a Catholic school are looking at schools a great distance away. These are not situations that the Commission even remotely considered, and yet they will be the reality should this school close. Surrounding schools’ enrollment will increase only marginally, and will continue to decrease as more parents seek enrollment in charter, public specialty high schools, and academies. This is not merely supposition; this is conversation at the grass roots level.
This is “Catholic Schools Week”, an annual event during which we celebrate our proud heritage of Catholic education here in Philadelphia. This year, however, it comes with a challenge. We are challenged whether to reaffirm those values that have made our neighborhood single gender high schools so necessary to the Catholic formation of our youth, or to abandon this commitment because of a few lines on an Excel spreadsheet. The numbers can be (and are being) changed, but our commitment to these values must not. For in abandoning our commitment to single gender schools such as St. Hubert, we lose a real piece of the collective soul of our city, our community, and our Archdiocese
Sincerely
Thomas J. Green
St. Jerome Parish
Christ the King Parish Elementary School class of ‘76
Archbishop Ryan High School for Boys class of ‘80
“Bambie” Dad and Husband
Why didn’t you start the process of getting vouchers passed before closing that large number of schools throughout the City. Even if vouchers weren’t passed until sometime this year, at least our children wouldn’t be so sad that their school is scheduled to be closed. I think you could have waited at least another year,before closing so many schools, to see if vouchers would pass to give us all a chance. What is the use of us demanding vouchers now? You have already made your decision to close our schools, so vouchers would not do us any good now. I’m sure that some of our children will continue to go to a Catholic School, but I know that many will wind up in a public school, as you took away our school choice, by telling/forcing us to send our children to a specific school. The least you can do for us in taking away our schools, is to at least give us the choice of what school to send our children to.
When I think of Philadelphia I think of Religious Freedom, the Revolution, the Declaration of Independence and the film ‘Rocky.” I find it interesting that the steps that Rocky ran up and down in order to get in shape for the fight of his life are right across from the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul. St. Peter is teh Rock! The Church is built on the Rock! Our Catholic Schools are built on the rock! And they need zealous fighters for the truth and for the youth to keep them authentic and alive! Philadelphia is the best ring for the national fight for Catholic Education and school choice! We all need to take a lesson from Sts. Peter and Paul and from Rocky! When it looked like it was over and they lost the exact opposite occurred. They won. Because we are a people who believe in the Resurrection! We need to get in shape! We need to be get focused on God! We need to take courage! Then we should put on our running shoes and run to our local legislator demanding equity in educational choice! Not for ourselves but for the common good! All parents of all children- rich, poor, middle class -deserve the opportunity to choose a faith based education without being penalized. It might take several rounds to win the boxing match. But let’s try with the grace of God to win round one! Not for ourselves but for our God, our Faith and all of our children! Let’s win in union with all those who fought the fight before us! They are praying for us!
School vouchers do not mean government support for religious schools? That’s like advocating money laundering.
The PA Constitution is clear: “No money raised for the support of the public schools of the Commonwealth shall be appropriated to or used for the support of any sectarian school.”
An interesting point that you raise. The voucher is given directly to the parent to choose the school not directly to the school. Therefore the government is supporting parental choice and not supporting the school. The result is that schools become more accountable due to increased competition. Look at Milwaukee School Choice http://www.schoolchoicewi.org/ http://dpi.wi.gov/sms/choice.html. Milwaukee’s program has grown! It will cost Philadelphia more to educate the students entering the public school system then to hand their parents vouchers. School choice is a win/win. Parental Freedom, Savings in tax payer funds, increased accountability! We should not be afraid of educational choice! Today, Philadelphia has a tremendous capacity to offer parents school choice! We need to seize the day while these schools are still alive! Carpe Diem! God speed, Philadelphia, God speed!
I think the Archbishop has it exactly right. I will be contacting my state Representative, Bill Adolph, urging him to support vouchers.
I am in agreement with many other reponders. Clearly in favor of school vouchers and have already contacted my state reps. I also think the choice should be offered to Catholic school students to choose the school they wish to attend, particularly if their school has been closed. Also agree that name changes are silly waste of money!
Thank you Archbishop for leading us in getting the voucher. This is the hope of all our teachers and all our schools at this time. Praying we can do it this time.
this is all too funny. now you want us to “press our state lawmakers” but when we the children of a small catholic school press the aop we are perceived with “bad intenet”. what a double standard. the vouchers will not help us out of this mess. good luck, why not have another fund raiser to stock the cofers of the aop where most of the $ went to adminstative costs. this is all too funny. this is like a snl skit. ask yourself wwjd!!!
Thank you for this reminder,the time is now we need to push for this choice for our children and schools. I contacted Sen. Pileggi this morning and have encouraged all concerned people I know to do the same. Proud Parent of student at Msgr. Bonner
When a school cannot sustain itself, why does another school have to lose its identity? Why can’t the parents have a choice of which Catholic elementary school their child/children can attend (much like the Catholic high school system). A school closer to a parent’s workplace may be better option than a near or not so near parish school. Also, not as many schools would close. Also, the high school buildings are too large to sustain the number of students attending that school. Why can’t the closing high schools be relocated to vacant Catholic elementary schools nearby and retain their Catholic high school name identity?
It seems to me that vouchers are unconstitutional and are not a good idea anyway. The parents of poor children could use their vouchers for non-Catholic religious schools which could have the unintendended consequence of spurring the development of inner-city non-Catholic religious schools. In effect, by supporting vouchers, we could be aiding the development of non-Catholic religious schools.
Why change the names of the merged schools and cost us even MORE money? We need new signs, new stationary, new gym floor, new flags and banners, new uniforms, new light up signs…. the list is endless. These costs must be astronomical. I thought the idea was to save the Archdiocese money and save the schools. I am all for combining if it saves Catholic Education and MONEY!!! Conserve the funds we have. I think with no choice and more expenses you are going to be surprised at how many leave Catholic School altogether! Please listen to the ones that are affected!!
why not then let the children in schools that have been merged recently choose another Catholic school than the one the Archdiocese is requiring them to go to? we want the government to allow ‘choice’ but don’t allow it ourselves?
Dear Abp. Chaput,
Thank you for addressing the good of Catholic schools and what we need to continue God’s work. I’ll be writing my letters and my faculty will as well!
God bless you!