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The Future of New Hampshire's Catholic Schools
By Laura Knoy on Sunday, May 6, 2007.
Catholic education in the Granite State has been suffering….with declining enrollments and budget shortfalls. The Manchester diocese has been studying the problem…and just released their report last year. Now, it’s holding discussions with the public about how best to move forward.
Guests
- Mary Moran, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Manchester
- Jonathan Kipp, former diocesan school board member and chair of the planning committee that lead to the "Charting the Future in Challenging Times" report
- Dan Lamothe, pastor at St. Bernard's Parish in Keene, which is affiliated with St. Joseph's School, where he is an alumnus
We'll also hear from
- Karen Woods, principal of St. Michael's School in Berlin
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I'm sorry I did not hear the program live. However, in listening on-line I must say that Mary Moran is seriously mistaken on the most important point that was raised (repeatedly) on the program. In contrast to her optimistic assessment that the Catholic identity of NH Catholic schools is "vibrant," etc. is my long experience as the parent of Catholic school students in the diocese, as well as the direct experience of my own children.
Ms. Moran asserted that in NH Catholic schools students are "well-versed in Scripture," and "understand what it means to be Catholic. They take great pride in that." Rather, a quarter or more of the students are not even Catholic, and many (perhaps most) of those who claim Catholicism are non-practicing. They come from families that have chosen Catholic schools, not for their Catholicism, but as an academic alternative to awful government schools.
Indeed, it is common that classmates of my children openly dissent from, disparage, and mock the teaching of the faith, even sometimes in the classroom. Many of my children's classmates astonish them with their ignorance of even the most basic teachings of the faith. It is true that students attend Mass and have instruction in scripture and basic theology. But is absolutely NOT true that most "understand what it means to be Catholic."
This problem comes from the fact that there is no expectation that Catholic school students are actually from practicing Catholic families. It is further result of a general reluctance on the part of teachers and administrators to defend the true faith when it is challenged, to openly correct error or discourage heterodox opinion on Catholic social teaching (on matters such as abortion, homosexual marriage, stem cell research, pre-marital sex, divorce, etc.). This, in turn, is a direct consequence of (to borrow a phrase from the AG) "the tone at the top."
Sadly, after many years of parenting Catholic school students in this diocese, I must conclude that what matters first is tuition money, who can pay it and who can donate more. Then, there is the concern with academic prestige and cutting a "prep school" profile. Then there is the concern with technology, physical plant, sports, trendy educational theories, extra-curricular life, etc. Somewhere far down on the list is the eternal welfare of the children and the transmission of the authentic deposit of the faith.
Ms. Moran has spent too much time listening to educational "experts," and fundraisers and self-congratulating principals. She needs a reality check from the Catholic parents. Even better, she should randomly select 100 children from Catholic High Schools in the diocese and give them an assessement on their knowledge of the catechism, their own religious practice, and their own beliefs regarding the social and moral teachings of the church. I'll predict now that the contrast between the findings in this survey and Ms. Moran's glowing assessment will be startling!
I have to sadly agree with the posts. There is a lack of solid Catholic teaching in the diocese schools. Many parents have chosen homeschooling as a way of filling in this gap. All schools should be using the Catechism, and yet this is hard to find in the diocese schools.
Until there is a solid emphasis on teaching the faith, I do not see any improvement.
This problem is not limited only to the Manchester area, but many other areas around the country where they have chosen to water down religion and/or hire teachers that lack religious education to pass on to the students.
I would prefer a public school over a Catholic school where my children would be forced to defend their faith. They need to be well formed so that when they become young adults, they are well equipped to defend their faith. I do not want this burden put upon them from Kindergarten through college. Many of these same problems can be seen in the college level too.
Enrollment will never turn around until Catholic school administrators acknowledge these real problems. Plenty of parents are out there homeschooling and would never have been put into that position had the Catholic schools provided an excellent education from both an academic and religious aspect.
Parents want solid Catholic teaching in the school, high academic standards and a well disciplined environment. Remove any one of these important aspects and you will find it difficult to attract families.
My 3 children never attended anything but Catholic schools till college. My wife and I were willing to pay around $100,000 over the years to get two things: (1) a solid Catholic education that gave them a firm grasp of the tenets of the faith, and (2)the chance to get a good general education, something government run schools simply cannot do (my wife and I have taught in public schools for over 50 years combined service, so we knew what we were avoiding). We certainly achieved the second objective, but the first -- the most important for us -- eluded us despite the cost.
Our grammar school was better than the purportedly Catholic high school, but in recent years, things have deteriorated there too. The proof is in the product: most of our children's classmates who were Catholic no longer are. (Many, of course, especially at the high school level never were Catholic, but rather non-Catholics looking to escape the public school disaster. Who could blame them?). Our own children remain convinced Catholics, but with little thanks to the laissez-faire attitude in their schools.
Bishop John McCormack is supposed to be the chief teacher of the faith in the diocese, but our assessment is that he and his minions in Manchester are mainly missing in action, save for the occasional photo-op at some special school ceremony, graduation for example. The rule in this diocese seems to be no money from Manchester for our schools and even less direction.
In their high school 'religion' classes, often as not my children were left to defend the faith against all manner of assault and insult. Teachers didn't participate in the intellectual mud-slinging, but they did little or nothing to prevent it or to enlighten the dissenters. My wife and I concluded that the school was afraid to offend the parents of the amateur heretics, afraid that they would pull their kids out and no longer contribute to the many 'special' funds associated with the school.
As Catholics, we know our bishop enjoys a great deal of authority in his diocese, but we also know that authority brings responsibility. Frankly, I am glad that he and not I will someday answer for what has been done and not done in NH.