The effects of losing your Catholic school

[Stylteralmaldo]

I am looking for feedback from parishioners who formerly had a Catholic school and now no longer have one.

What have been the effects of that from your perspective?

Have the results been mostly negative (loss of many church-going families) or have the results been mostly positive (able to better utilize resources etc.)? Perhaps a mixture of both?

We have a school at our parish and the school is actually doing quite well compared to most. But the signs are there. Enrollment, though not really dropping all that much, aren’t really increasing either. A higher percentage of families with children in the school are not participating in Church life. There is currently a divide between the Church leadership and the school parents. Having said that, we do have many families that do go to Church regularly and participate in Church life.

I personally think losing our Catholic school someday would be a devastating blow to our parish with the subsequent loss of young practising Catholic families (due to going to other parishes that have a school, etc.) thus rendering the parish as a “dieing community” due to the lack of young families to sustain it. Currently, I am happy to report that we have a wonderful mix of age groups in our parish in all areas except perhaps the 18-25 group.

But would our parish community be sustainable? Perhaps that is only the impression I have. Maybe better utilization of resources have resulted from the loss of a parish school and instead have helped increase the number of participants in parish life.

Thus my question is open to the floor.

Any (name removed by moderator)ut would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Bennie_P]

I am looking for feedback from parishioners who formerly had a Catholic school and now no longer have one.

What have been the effects of that from your perspective?

Have the results been mostly negative (loss of many church-going families) or have the results been mostly positive (able to better utilize resources etc.)? Perhaps a mixture of both?

We have a school at our parish and the school is actually doing quite well compared to most. But the signs are there. Enrollment, though not really dropping all that much, aren’t really increasing either. A higher percentage of families with children in the school are not participating in Church life. There is currently a divide between the Church leadership and the school parents. Having said that, we do have many families that do go to Church regularly and participate in Church life.

I personally think losing our Catholic school someday would be a devastating blow to our parish with the subsequent loss of young practising Catholic families (due to going to other parishes that have a school, etc.) thus rendering the parish as a “dieing community” due to the lack of young families to sustain it. Currently, I am happy to report that we have a wonderful mix of age groups in our parish in all areas except perhaps the 18-25 group.

But would our parish community be sustainable? Perhaps that is only the impression I have. Maybe better utilization of resources have resulted from the loss of a parish school and instead have helped increase the number of participants in parish life.

Thus my question is open to the floor.

Any (name removed by moderator)ut would be appreciated. Thank you.

Do everything you can to keep the school a moving force. Our school closed 1 1/2 years ago and we lost a lot of young families due to them tansfering to other parishes with schools. Currently we are struggling to redifine our mission and it seems that more and more we have seen other ministries become stale or die out completely. Find something that will attrack young adults they are the ones that will marry and have more children. My family is split between two parrishes and sooner or later we will probably submit totally to the the one which our children attend school at. It has to appearent to the older parishiners/Parish Leaders that the school is so important that any burden that the school seems to create is well worth carrying for without it things change fast. Parrish life has suffered greatly since our school closed. IMHO

 

[ABiii]

Once I took a class and the Monsignor shared an important message:

" In early Christianity, we educated the adults and we blessed the children. In modern times, we blessed the adults and educated the children."

Really, I believe the problem is that adults are not knowledgeable of the faith anymore. Thus the Christian identity is basically the same level as faith in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy as it is only taught during youth.

When these kids enter college and university, they are taught the “real” world courses such as humanities, philosophy, etc.

 

[puzzleannie]

IMO and until recently the US bishops agreed, is that a parish without a school is half a parish, and is a dying parish, because their is no uniform commitment to Catholic education and formation of youth of the parish. I think the trends that have resulted in the demise of Catholic schools, aided and abetted by priests and bishops too often, are directly responsible for the demise in the numbers of Catholics who know, believe and practice the faith.

 

[LeahInancsi]

My parish is the only one in town out of seven parishes that has a school. The others are newer and have regional schools. Lately, I begun to consider the possibility that we might lose our school for financial reasons. To my knowledge, there is no threat of that happening in the foreseeable future.

It’s coming time for me to have my will written and I’ve been considering what I want to do with the assets I leave after my death. I have no heirs and will leave almost a seven figure estate. I don’t want to give a lump sum to my parish church, but would like to setup something along the lines of an annuity that would make a monthly contribution to the school. $5,000+ a month could go a long way.

 

[Sr_Sally]

IMO and until recently the US bishops agreed, is that a parish without a school is half a parish, and is a dying parish, because their is no uniform commitment to Catholic education and formation of youth of the parish. I think the trends that have resulted in the demise of Catholic schools, aided and abetted by priests and bishops too often, are directly responsible for the demise in the numbers of Catholics who know, believe and practice the faith.

I was at one point puzzled as to why parishes within a 10-15 minute drive of each other would each have a school, rather than combine efforts. Thank you for explaining it.

 

[HouseArrest]

We’re doing a lot of work with our school mainly because there has been a consolidation effort in our Diocese and we did not want to be “consolidated”. There are schools in the main city of our diocese that are within 1/2 mile of each other - while I don’t suppose they want to close their schools either, the effect is quite different for them than for us, with the nearest school a 20-30 minute drive and a different parish and community.

Be careful about the promise of readjusted resources. We figured out that by the time we sent our required ($$) support to the school that our children would be meant to attend (whether they attend or not) and the support of the school building, we would not be any further ahead. I don’t know if your diocese requires support to the next nearest school or not, but ours does, and it’s about a third of what we’re spending to have a school. Plus then 10-12 parishioners lose their jobs, CCD needs more support, and there you have it, no resources left and no school, either.

Even if this isn’t the case I do see where our parish, because it is small, would be in jeopardy. I also see that most of the activities in our parish are school related. I can’t say for sure, though.

 

[puzzleannie]

I was at one point puzzled as to why parishes within a 10-15 minute drive of each other would each have a school, rather than combine efforts. Thank you for explaining it.

over 100 years ago US bishops called for schools in every parish, and required parents to send the children to Catholic schools. read life of Sr. Elizabeth Seton, Mother Francis Cabrini among others behind the parochial school movement. why did bishops let up on parents and let them renege their duty? I might add (and have made this comment several times before on this board) that in most cases those schools were built by contributions of working class, often immigrant, parishioners, and that typically a new parish built the school first, had Mass in the gym or basement while they built the church next.

 

[LeahInancsi]

… typically a new parish built the school first, had Mass in the gym or basement while they built the church next.

That’s exactly how my parish was started in the 1950’s. The school was built first with the gyn on the side of the school that would connect with the future church. Today, the gym is the location for after-mass socializing over coffee and donuts. There is only a short breezeway between the two buildings.

We have six other parishes in town and the children going to Catholic school have to go to our parish school or a “regional” school which serves about seven parishes.

These seems to be a big disconnect in a religious primary education when it has no connection, at all, with the parish church.

 

[Stylteralmaldo]

over 100 years ago US bishops called for schools in every parish, and required parents to send the children to Catholic schools. read life of Sr. Elizabeth Seton, Mother Francis Cabrini among others behind the parochial school movement. why did bishops let up on parents and let them renege their duty? …

This is fascinating and I was unaware of this. Do you know why the requirement was dropped? Perhaps you’re asking the same question. I’ll have to research this.

 

[lak611]

This is fascinating and I was unaware of this. Do you know why the requirement was dropped? Perhaps you’re asking the same question. I’ll have to research this.

I do not have any documents to prove the reason for the change. However, 100 years ago, there were many more sisters who taught in the schools. Tuition was either non-existent or next to nothing, as the sisters who took a vow of poverty anyway did not have to be paid much (basically just given room, board and food). When my parents went to Catholic school in the 1940’s, there was no tuition, only books had to be purchased. With the decline in religious vocations, teachers have to be hired and paid a living wage plus benefits. Even though the Catholic schools typically pay less to teachers than the public schools, it is a lot more than what needed to be paid to the sisters. This has caused tuition to skyrocket. Many families cannot afford the tuition. Decline in vocations is the top reason I would give for the decline in Catholic schools. It would be unrealistic to expect that all families could afford the tuition.

 

[humatac]

I understand what you’re going through. There is a nearby parish in my community that is clinging on by the skin of her teeth to keep her school open. When the school first opened her doors, about 50 years ago, the enrollment was somewhere between 400 and 600 students. For the past 10 to 15 years enrollment has ranged from 80-100 students.

Our Archbishop has threatened to close the school more than once. The School Sisters of Notre Dame have been administering the school since its conception. They have been ordered by their superior to pull out. The Archbishop placed a highly qualified lay person in the principal position. At the start of this school year, enrollment has soared to about 400 students.

Unfortunately, the very influential alumni foundation for the school was not happy with the principal and she has been forced to step down. A member of the alumni group, who has no credentials, has been put in place to run the school along with a SSND as the temporary principal.

Needless to say, the community is utterly confused with all these changes and is completely frustrated with the whole situation. This has led many families to withdraw their children.

It is a shame that this Catholic school is not being run properly. Many families have no other alternatives for their children expect the nearby “Bible School” which could eventually draw some of these people out the Church all together or the public schools.

I think, in this case, the school should close. There is one Catholic school about 30-45 minutes away that is struggling to bring enrollment up and has the facilities to absorb the population of the first school. I think this would be the best solution.

 

[HouseArrest]

I understand what you’re going through. There is a nearby parish in my community that is clinging on by the skin of her teeth to keep her school open. When the school first opened her doors, about 50 years ago, the enrollment was somewhere between 400 and 600 students. For the past 10 to 15 years enrollment has ranged from 80-100 students.

Our Archbishop has threatened to close the school more than once. The School Sisters of Notre Dame have been administering the school since its conception. They have been ordered by their superior to pull out. The Archbishop placed a highly qualified lay person in the principal position. At the start of this school year, enrollment has soared to about 400 students.

Unfortunately, the very influential alumni foundation for the school was not happy with the principal and she has been forced to step down. A member of the alumni group, who has no credentials, has been put in place to run the school along with a SSND as the temporary principal.

Needless to say, the community is utterly confused with all these changes and is completely frustrated with the whole situation. This has led many families to withdraw their children.

It is a shame that this Catholic school is not being run properly. Many families have no other alternatives for their children expect the nearby “Bible School” which could eventually draw some of these people out the Church all together or the public schools.

I think, in this case, the school should close. There is one Catholic school about 30-45 minutes away that is struggling to bring enrollment up and has the facilities to absorb the population of the first school. I think this would be the best solution.

Is it a grade school or a high school? I for one would not want to put my kindergarten student on a bus 30-45 minutes away to attend school for many reasons. I wouldn’t be as reluctant to send my 9 - 12th graders that far either, but there are still a lot of problems involved with it.

Hopefully the school can hang on if they can. Sometimes there are rough adjustment periods but it could iron out.