"Are Catholic schools worth it? Or should we throw in the towel?"

Read all about it @ http://www.patheos.com/blogs/janetheactuary/2015/03/are-catholic-schools-worth-it-or-should-we-throw-in-the-towel.html

"No, this is not just a rhetorical question.

At church, I listened to the pastor, in lieu of a regular homily, talk about the new “To Teach Who Christ Is” campaign.  As seems to be usual with these sorts of major fundraisers, this comes from a directive from the Archdiocese, and proceeds are split 65% to the parish, 35% to the Archdiocese for an endowment fund for schools at poor parishes.

And I thought:  is it really worth it?

Yes, I send my kids to a Catholic school (well, the younger two; the oldest is at the local public high school).  And I believe there’s a lot of good in Catholic education, and the idea that religious education, and an emphasis on “character education” is not limited to Sunday School (or whatever is experienced after school, at home); also, my oldest son, who in another school would have been a prime candidate for bullying, was instead well-treated by the other students."

"Catholic school to skip St. Pat’s parade in protest"

http://www.districtchronicles.com/news/view.php/862766/Catholic-school-to-skip-St-Pats-parade-i

"BOSTON (Reuters) – A Roman Catholic grammar school located near Boston has pulled out of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in protest over organizers’ decision to allow a gay veterans’ group to march in next month’s event.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary School, which traditionally sends its marching band to the South Boston route, said on Friday it would withdraw following a decision by the Allied War Veteran’s Council, the parade’s organizers, to admit a group of gay and lesbian veterans called OutVets to participate."

"Could There Be New Life for Former Catholic School"

http://www.pahomepage.com/story/d/story/could-there-be-new-life-for-former-catholic-school/29502/VuZmfL5JTEK_B5q4ndPjXg

"West Hazleton, Luzerne County-  It doesn't look like much now but the former home of the Transfiguration Catholic School Spartans in West Hazleton may soon be a place for people to come together. It was a Catholic school for some 80 years and was closed in 2006.  Parishioners got together and are now trying to transform this three story building into a center of activity. It is part of the Holy Name of Jesus Parish at Transfiguration Church.

 

"We're going to make the hall a community and parish hall. So we can have fund raisers and meetings and get togethers and bring the community together in one place.." said committee member Robert Nause.

It is a three phase project, the first floor which includes the old basketball court and kitchen area will be renovated."

"New Jersey Catholic School Teacher's Anti-Gay Rant Slammed By Susan Sarandon, 'Real Housewives' Star"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/16/patricia-jannuzzi-gay-facebook-rant-_n_6878202.html

"Susan Sarandon is among the bold-faced names who are blasting a New Jersey Catholic school's anti-gay Facebook comments.

Patricia Jannuzzi, a religion teacher at Somerville's Immaculata High School, made headlines last week after she argued that gays "want to reengineer western civ (sic) into a slow extinction" as part of their "agenda" in a post on her now-deleted Facebook profile, MyCentralJersey reported.

"We need healthy families with a mother and a father for the sake of the children and humanity!!!!!" she wrote alongside a Young Conservatives article about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights advocate Dan Savage urging Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson to prove that homosexuality is a choice."

"Saint Ireneus Catholic elementary school to close"

http://www.wtae.com/news/Saint-Ireneus-Catholic-elementary-school-to-close/31682282

"Saint Irenaeus Catholic Elementary School in Oakmont will be closing the doors on the kindergarten through eighth grade program in June 2015.

The announcement was made this weekend at Masses to school families and teachers.

Father George Dalton, Administrator of St. Irenaeus Parish, received permission from Bishop David Zubik to make the change, citing low enrollment as his primary reason for the decision."

"Our View: New Catholic school would have impact in Midland Read more: Our View: New Catholic school would have impact in Midland"

http://www.mrt.com/news/opinion/article_0737f53e-c5cd-11e4-9661-c376e3c17806.html

"We are not sure how to react to the news that the Catholic Diocese of San Angelo is eyeing the Midland-Odessa area for a new high school.

On the one hand, we are excited. Some of the top preparatory schools in the state are Catholic schools. We also know that St. Ann’s School — the oldest private school in Midland — has been churning out quality students since it opened its doors in 1950.

On the other hand, we are concerned about the proposed school’s impact  on Midland ISD.

We have no doubt the high school would be a success and provide another alternative for parents seeking a quality education for their children."

"A Fight to Keep Catholic Schools Catholic"

Read all about it @ http://www.wsj.com/articles/ryan-t-anderson-and-leslie-ford-fighting-to-keep-catholic-schools-catholic-1425600547

"San Franciscans are currently debating a simple question: Should the government respect the right of Catholic schools to be authentically Catholic?

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone thinks so. But eight California senators and assemblymen sent the archbishop a letter last month, saying that his actions in issuing new faculty guidelines “foment a discriminatory environment in the communities we serve.” On Feb. 23, two of the signers even asked the California Assembly Labor and Employment Committee and the Assembly Judiciary Committee to investigate the archdiocese’s actions.

Here’s the back story. During contract renegotiations with nearly 500 staff members last month, the archdiocese issued an updated faculty guide for its Catholic high schools. The addendum introduced three new clauses—which staff members are required to “affirm and believe”—denouncing masturbation, pornography, same-sex marriage, contraception and other issues that, in line with Catholic teaching, are described as “gravely evil.”

These beliefs shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with the Catholic Church—the 2,000-year-old institution has clearly defined its moral teachings throughout the years. Yet lawmakers objected, contending in a Feb. 17 letter to the archdiocese that the new guide is “divisive.” They asserted that by spelling out the teachings of the Catholic Church and requiring high-school staff to not publicly undermine those teachings, teachers could be dismissed for private decisions not in accord with Catholic teaching."

"Catholic Schools Should Be Catholic, Even in San Francisco"

Read all about it @ http://www.nationalreview.com/article/414524/catholic-schools-should-be-catholic-even-san-francisco-ian-tuttle

"If you care to learn how thin our conception of religious liberty has become, look to the Bay Area. In early February, San Francisco archbishop Salvatore Cordileone released a statement “regarding the teachings and practice of the Catholic Church,” to be included as of August 1, 2015, in the faculty handbook for the four high schools run by the archdiocese. “We, the Archdiocesan High Schools,” it reads, “affirm that we are educational institutions of the Catholic Church, and as such strive to present Catholic doctrine in its fullness, and that we hold, believe and practice all that the Holy Catholic Church teaches, believes and proclaims to be true, whether from the natural moral law or by way of revelation from God through Scripture and Tradition.” Fifteen “affirm and believe” statements follow, which focus on the Catholic Church’s teachings on sexuality — its espousal of chastity and the inviolability of human life, for instance, and its rejection of same-sex marriage — but are adequately summarized in the first statement: “We affirm and believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and we embrace the teachings about that Church as enunciated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.” 

Cordileone is also seeking to redefine teachers as “ministers” in their contracts, which would make their employment dependent on their adherence to the “statement.” Taken together, Cordileone’s proposals might be summarized as demonstrating that he thinks Catholic schools should be Catholic."

"Catholic school to sit out St. Pat’s parade because gays will be marching"

http://www.religionnews.com/2015/03/02/catholic-school-sit-st-pats-parade-gays-will-marching/

"OSTON (Reuters) – A Roman Catholic grammar school located near Boston has pulled out of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in protest over organizers’ decision to allow a gay veterans’ group to march in next month’s event.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary School, which traditionally sends its marching band to the South Boston route, said on Friday it would withdraw following a decision by the Allied War Veteran’s Council, the parade’s organizers, to admit a group of gay and lesbian veterans called OutVets to participate.

“We can’t associate with that,” Brother Thomas Dalton, principal of Immaculate Heart of Mary School, said in a phone interview. “It would appear we were condoning it.”

For decades the organizers of the New York and Boston St. Patrick’s Day parades excluded openly gay groups from participating in their events, contending that allowing them to march would violate the beliefs of their Catholic faith, which holds that homosexual acts are immoral.

Both parades’ major sponsors, Diageo PLC’s Guinness in New York and Boston Beer Co’s Sam Adams in Boston, withdrew their support last year over the issue."

"All-girls Catholic high schools becoming scarce"

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2015/02/28/girls-catholic-high-schools-three/24187145/

"An all-girls education, its advocates say, helps young women find their voice.

"They have a way to find out who they are without all the distractions," said Carol Killebrew, the principal of The Ursuline School in New Rochelle, one a handful of all-girls Catholic schools in the Lower Hudson Valley.

And at those schools, it's girls who fill the leadership positions in clubs and on sports teams and are the valedictorians at graduation time.

But the number of places families in the region can find that experience is shrinking with the closure of Good Counsel Academy in White Plains at the end of the school year. The loss of Good Counsel will leave three all-girls Catholic high schools in Westchester and will take away one of the more affordable options for middle class families."

"Marino brings fresh vision, verve to Catholic Education Arizona"

http://www.catholicsun.org/2015/02/24/marino-brings-fresh-vision-verve-to-catholic-education-arizona/

"Donna Marino, the new president and CEO of Catholic Education Arizona, came upon her career leading non-profit organizations quite by grace.

“I always had a call to service,” she told The Catholic Sun. At Boston University, Marino studied speech pathology and audiology, thinking she would work one day in a clinical setting.

During her senior year, however, she got involved raising money for “Jerry’s Kids” through the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

“I really liked it,” Marino said. “I was invited by their regional office in Massachusetts to make a presentation to the board.”

From a modest background, she had no familiarity with boards of directors but made a strong impression. It turned out to be a defining moment; Marino would devote her life to helping non-profits such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society become successful. She spent five years working alongside Archbishop William Lori in Bridgeport, Conn., leading the archdiocese’s charitable appeal, foundation and endowment fund for parishes and schools."

"Frigid temperatures may no longer mean a day off for Jackson Catholic Schools students"

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2015/02/frigid_weather_may_no_longer_m.html

"JACKSON, MI - Frigid days may no longer mean a day off for Jackson Catholic Schools students.

In a letter sent to parents, principals of Lumen Christi High School, Jackson Catholic Middle School and St. Mary's, St. John's and Queen's elementary schools said they cannot continue to cancel school on days that roads are safe.

"The education of the students has been impacted and with the lack of a school routine, the focus is lost for many," the letter said. "The principals have decided that we may not choose to close ...on cold days when other districts opt to."

As a group, Jackson County's public school superintendents have agreed to base their decision to close school on actual or wind chill temperatures at or below-minus 20.

The Catholic schools' choice to stay open on such days would only be considered if roads are safe to travel on and there is no blowing or drifting snow, said the letter, which went out to parents on Monday, Feb. 23.

"As long as it is safe, we want them here," Queen's Elementary School Principal Elizabeth Hartley said.

The elementary schools only would allow kids outside for recess if the actual temperature and wind chill are both above zero, the letter said."

"Congressman Neal: 'We now deserve answers' about Cathedral, Holyoke Catholic high schools merger plan"

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/02/us_rep_richard_neal_on_bishops.html

"SPRINGFIELD — U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, responding to the Bishop of Springfield's announcement on Monday that two Catholic high schools in the region will be merged at some undetermined location, said the Cathedral High School "family" deserves answers.

Neal's comments occurred after Bishop Mitchell Rozanski announced that Cathedral High School and Holyoke Catholic High School in Chicopee will be merged into one regional school, at a site to be determined. Cathedral's home on Surrey Road was destroyed in a 2011 tornado, and will be one of the sites considered for the new regional high school Rozanski said.

Rozanski said Monday the solution was determined to be the most practical and sustainable by a group of stakeholders meeting with church officials. Declining enrollment and the high cost of tuition have been issues in the discussions."

"Catholic schools reach out to rural areas"

http://www.9news.com/story/news/education/2015/01/27/catholic-schools-reach-out-rural-areas/22438461/

"DENVER - At Catholic schools around Colorado, there is a numbers problem.

Some towns just don't have enough people to support schools in places like Sterling, which will lose its parochial school at the end of this school year.

"Certainly, we have enrollment changes in various areas. There are shifting demographics throughout our society," Dick Thompson, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Denver, said.

Thompson says across the Archdiocese, enrollment drops by about 1 to 2 percent each year and it is a struggle, at times, to keep schools in rural areas afloat."

"Nuns seek Detroit Catholic school alums"

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/01/30/catholic-nuns-seek-alumni/22580433/

"A coalition of nuns has bankrolled a push to identify thousands of alumni from four west side Detroit schools — Most Holy Trinity, Holy Redeemer, Christ the King and Gesu — the only remaining Catholic elementary schools within the city limits.

The Monroe-based Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) congregation, along with other religious communities, funded the $16,000 effort to digitize records and locate living alumni so the parishes can step up fund-raising efforts to ensure the schools' survival."

"Mater Dei Prep: An example of the crisis facing Catholic schools"

http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2015/02/mater_dei_is_an_example_of_larger_crisis_facing_ca.html

"In the last week, members of the Mater Dei Prep community were told their high school was closing, they raised more than $21,000 to help #SaveTheSepraphs, they were given two months to raise $1 million, they established a plan to accomplish that and then rallied to spread the word. 

While students, staff and others in the school community said they were blindsided by the news, school officials said the Diocese of Trenton and St. Mary Parish have been subsidizing Mater Dei's substantial budget deficits for years.

Mater Dei's leadership was told in December that that financial support would be ending, and the decision to close the school was not far behind.

However, Mater Dei Prep is not the only Catholic school currently facing the possibility of closure and is also not the only school that has been given an opportunity to change its fate."

"PhillyDeals: Corporate help for Catholic schools"

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20150216_PhillyDeals__Corporate_help_for_Catholic_schools.html

"In 2012, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput rescinded the threatened closing of four Catholic high schools after a group of developers, executives, and foundations promised to raise money and take a more active role supporting them.

On behalf of those schools, a private group that helps families pay tuition has more than tripled its yearly scholarship grants through Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program and related credits.

The credits allow companies to redirect part of their state taxes to private, independent, and parochial schools so they can provide tuition assistance to any student who applies, until the money runs out."

"Pamphlet about morals upsets parents at SF Catholic school"

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Pamphlet-about-morals-upsets-parents-at-SF-6086741.php

"In the latest controversy to strike the Catholic Church in San Francisco, elementary school students at the Star of the Sea School were given pamphlets referring to sexual topics that some parents say were inappropriate and far too advanced for their children."

"Growing Catholic school will get new home"

http://www.roanoke.com/news/education/montgomery_county/growing-catholic-school-will-get-new-home/article_010f1dc9-9284-55ad-9bf0-6ed290e49a65.html

"BLACKSBURG — St. John Neumann Academy is at capacity.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
On a recent, blustery February day every classroom was packed with kids and the walls were lined with hand drawn artwork. The foyer was filled with posters from a recent science fair display.
 Music, art and French teachers have to go into each individual classroom to teach their subjects because there isn’t enough space in the school that teaches pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Students eat lunch in their classroom."

"Where does 'public life’ end for Catholic school teachers?"

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Where-does-public-life-end-for-Catholic-6057915.php

"Educators at East Bay Catholic schools must “demonstrate a public life consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church” as part of a new contract disclosed Monday.

The new contract introduced by Bishop Michael Barber is intended to be less harsh than last year’s, which for the first time included a controversial requirement that teachers conform to church doctrine in their “personal” life."