-
January 13, 2020
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
Can you imagine the American Catholic Church today without Catholic schools? I certainly cannot. Since 1727, when the Ursuline sisters founded their academy in New Orleans, Catholic schools have taught America’s children. The schools educated the sons and daughters of immigrants. They also opened their doors to the children of farmers and merchants, to the affluent and powerful, and to the poorest of the poor. In offering an aspirational educational opportunity, always wedded to the Catholic faith, the schools left an indelible mark on the Church and on American society.
Catholic schools are a gift from the Church and a gift to the Church. And despite current trends toward smaller enrollments and all-to-frequent closings, Catholic schools are arguably as important to the mission of the Church today as they ever have been. Maybe even more so.
There are daunting challenges facing the Church in these times and addressing them is the responsibility of all those who minister in the Church. Very often, however, we turn to the schools to show us the way. This is an unfair burden to place on our Catholic schools, to be sure. But the fact we naturally turn to them is understandable. It is also high praise for what they do.
Catholic schools have storied history in the formation and development of American Catholics and Catholicism. Also, many of us went to Catholic school and we know firsthand the critical role that schooling played in who we have become. Both of these reasons incline us to look to our schools as “the” places that will make the difference for our Church moving forward. But there is more than personal experience and history that draws our attention to schools for leadership these days.
Our schools are among the rare places in our fast-paced and fragmented world with the luxury of time to spend with young people each and every day and over the course of many years. True formation that shapes men and women of faith and wisdom and virtue takes time. It cannot be done quickly. Nor can it be accomplished without faithful and faith-filled mentors as guides or without the rituals and repetition and practices that cultivate a way of being in this world.
Catholic schools also have a unique relationship with families. With an eye to the future, parents and schools come together in a special partnership rooted in hope and with the express purpose of forming the next generation. Catholic schools also reach beyond the students entrusted to their care to their families. In so doing the schools have nourished the families in the love of Jesus Christ and His Church and helped them in their search for the truth, beauty and goodness that lead ultimately to God.
Catholic schools and the people who minister in them have an indispensable role to play in the Church today, as they always have. They deserve our attention, our commitment, our ongoing support and deepest gratitude for the work they do.