The Problem With Catholic Schools

Anyone who is close to me knows how I have struggled with making the right educational choices for my children. we have public schooled, we have homeschooled, we have Catholic schooled and through it all I have agonized over and debated and analyzed all the pros and cons of each option. I am in a place in my life and in my journey with the Lord that I have accepted the fact that I can be a faithful and holy wife and mother without being a homeschooling mother. That was a HUGE step for me to take. I still struggle with it but it is a lot better than it was...the guilt is receeding.
My hope was that Catholic school would offer me the next best thing. Frankly it hasn't. What it offered us was a huge tuition bill and the option between being constantly disgruntled and dissappointed or lulled into a false sense of spiritual security. Being the warrior woman that I am I mostly chose option #1. This put me into a difficult position between wanting to champion Catholic school as a "must" for Catholics with the means, and being a dissenting voice rising up against typical Catholic school lukewarmness and half-heartedness.
Tim and I are warrior-minded people. We want to fight the good fight for the Lord. We see clearly the battlefields that lie before us and before our children. We arm ourselves with the Truth and we want our children to be well armed as well. Let's just say that Catholic schools have become like an old dusty encampment where the soldiers are all asleep and the generals have decided to call a truce as the enemy sneaks in from all sides. We arrive on the scene with our guns and our ammo ready to fight and we're told to go put up our tent and rest awhile, or maybe play some b-ball or better yet sell some raffle tickets!
So here is the letter I finally got the courage to write to our catholic school principal...


Dear Mrs. ******,

Tim and I are currently undecided about Morgan’s future as it relates to her education. The cost of education has gone up, as well as everything else. This plays a part in the decision making process. There are however, factors that play a larger role in our thinking about the best educational option for Morgan and for all of our children. The fact is that our Catholic faith is the most important thing in our life. We are willing to make any sacrifice and bear any burden in order that the Faith is imparted to our children in such a way that they grow in virtue and zeal for the Lord and His Church. This dedication is what prompted Tim and I to choose homeschooling, as well as to opt for Catholic school over public school. Our ultimate aim is to offer our children an environment that is unapologetically Catholic and that fosters spiritual growth and maturity before all else. We believe that there is no greater goal than sanctity. Our children may grow to be scientists, teachers, mechanics, or secretaries, but if they do not grow to be saints then it is all for naught.

There is no greater opportunity to expose our children to the greatness, the holiness, the virtue God calls them to than Catholic education. A Catholic education is an unmatched resource in forming and shaping our children in the Faith. It is a great gift to work and study and grow in a community of believers. Sharing and experiencing the Traditions and the Teachings of the Church alongside your spiritual brothers and sisters convicts you in the Truth. This strengthens you and prepares you for the challenges you will certainly face in the world. Praying together, participating in different devotions together, practicing and striving to grow in holiness and piety, openly and boldly proclaiming our love for Jesus and His Church, all act as a great spiritual “fertilizer” within the protective “greenhouse” that is the school and the staff. Our school and all the staff serve to amplify the light that comes from the outside and keep out the more harsh “elements” which may stunt our students’ growth. This “greenhouse effect” is unique to the Catholic school. We are growing these little people and creating a place for them that provides them with the light of Truth, the fertilizer of Catholic culture, and deep roots in the Faith, while protecting, not hiding them from the world. Catholic school amplifies the Light and also keeps out what weakens a young mind, a young soul, at the same time.

A Catholic education is needed now more than ever. Our world desperately needs a new generation of believers who are set on fire and ready to defend the Faith. This world needs a new generation of Catholics who know what they believe and believe what they know. The lukewarm have done their damage. Now is the time to form our young people and to model such zeal, such love for the Faith that they will let it permeate every aspect of their lives. The students at a Catholic school should know that their Faith touches and relates to every subject they study and every game they play and every human relationship they are a part of. They should see these connections and then translate that to the world we live in. We are to be a light to the world. This generation is the answer to the darkness. In Catholic education we find our hope and the promise that the “children really are the future”. Catholic education is the last great resource we have as Catholics who are trying one person at a time, one human relationship at a time, to change a world that has lost its way. Sure, we can evangelize by other means. We can try to shape the culture as professionals, as parents, and as citizens. But there is no match for the POWER of a Catholic education used to instruct, form and set afire an entire generation of children who will then go on to change and form those around them, this often includes their own families and even some lukewarm parents.

Keeping all this in mind, Tim and I have come to the conclusion that St. Jude School is not currently living up to its full potential. We know it is capable of great things. There are so many beautiful and devoted families at St. Jude. We have met so many talented and zealous Catholics, ready to impart their faith in any way they can. We have been blessed to know families who are committed to evangelizing the world by acting as the “domestic church” JPII called us to be. These families are the untapped treasure that St. Jude School has yet to tap into fully. It seems to me that there is a lot of energy that goes into shaping and forming a sports program and fundraising program and other school activities. Where is the Parent – School Spiritual Growth Board? The spiritual growth of our children is not a process we can leave up to “the basics” anymore. Simply having catholic staff, and catholic prayer, and Mass, and RE as another subject in class is no longer enough preparation for our kids as the enter into the world. They are entering a world that is more like a battlefield than ever before. This is not the world I entered after leaving 12 years of Catholic education. It is a world that challenges the Faith at every turn and bombards our kids with temptations and distractions from their main call – a call to holiness. We are failing them when we think that we are doing enough. We are not doing enough.

There are mothers at St. Jude School who have some interesting and creative ideas on how we can better impart the faith to our kids. These are people who are not only committed to the Faith, but who are committed to taking a new and fresh approach. Our kids are in desperate need of some JOY and some ZEAL for their faith. This is not something they will just wake up with one day. Joy and zeal must be cultivated in the hearts of our kids by engaging them in activities that help them see the relevance and the POWER of their Catholic faith. Being catholic is not just another religious exercise – it is a battle cry – a call to do great things! We need to excite our kids about the possibilities that are before them when they embrace that call! St Jude School needs to maximize its use of the parents and other parish members who have these special talents and time and call to that particular ministry. This is not an attack on the staff. It is simply a humble recognition that God gives us each talents and abilities and we should never allow pride to prevent us from accepting the help and advice of others. St Jude needs to develop a volunteer team of parents and staff who will come together to develop new and better ways of creating an authentic Catholic culture at St Jude School.

Catholic culture is more than statues in the hallways and crucifixes on the wall. It is more than all the good and wonderful things St Jude is already doing. It is best to think of it in terms of the greenhouse analogy I used before. There are so many instances where the school could define itself as uniquely Catholic. One example is the Halloween parade. Why is it that we dedicate the day to a completely secular definition and experience of that day? Why not reclaim it and make it our own? Why not use it as an opportunity to build a Catholic culture at the school? We could have all the children do a lives of the saints study leading up to the 31st. The children could choose a saint they like and found interesting and then come to school dressed as that saint. Then we could have the children pray as they parade for the poor souls in Purgatory. What a witness to the neighborhood we would be giving as well as forming the children in their faith by doing and not simply reading it in a book. What a lasting impression we may make on our children. Also, if we are willing to parade and display our acceptance of a secular celebration then we must also be willing to parade and show our love of the many Catholic devotions. Why not pray the rosary in public? Why not have a Eucharistic procession? Why not participate in the essay and poster contests for Life? Why not promote attendance at bible studies and TOB studies and all the other church functions and activities in the school newsletter? Why not give incentives to do this by using dress down passes or other incentives like extra credit points for class to raise grades etc. Why not promote growth in virtue and the practice of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy by nominating students as “soldiers for Christ” for the trimester. “So in so is recognized as an exceptional soldier for Christ because of his consistent kindness and forgiving attitude towards his fellow students and his humility and perseverance in his schoolwork.” Why not have a soldiers for Christ club? Promoting heroic acts of virtue and spiritual maturity and leadership abilities in matters of faith. This could be a great incentive for the little ones as well as the older children. Kids want to matter. It can be very discouraging to be a kid because it seems as if you are so small and that nothing you do really matters in this big big world. But St. Jude school could and should recognize and promote the fact that every display of virtue, every baby step on the path to holiness does matter and it should be rewarded. Good kids should be intentionally put into leadership roles so that others can see that it is not the strength of your personality or the brightness of your intellect that makes you a light to others. Rather it is the holiness and the goodness you live out that others should learn from and embrace. If there are MVP in sports and there are high honor roll members in academics, why not have a place for children to be rewarded for their growth in holiness as well?

I am but one person and these are but a few of the ideas I have. There are mothers and fathers who are silently waiting in the wings. For whatever reason they do not come forward and make their concerns known or their ideas heard. It may be a lack of courage or a fear of rejection. It may be they have decided that it is hopeless and that there is no place for them in forming and changing the way St Jude School defines itself. But I have heard from these parents and they have so much to offer. I have decided to take a leap off that cliff into the unknown because I feel I have nothing to loose. St Jude School is not a bad school – it is a good school. My sadness is in the fact that it has the potential to be a GREAT school, uniquely Catholic, and stand out apart from the rest as such. This leads me to another important point. In these economic times when parents are confronted with the same tough choice Tim and I are confronted with there needs to be a clear and dramatic reason for them to continue to bear the financial burden. The more we try to mimic the public schools and throw in a dash of Catholicism here and there the more we will loose the very motivation and incentive parents have for paying the price of a catholic education. Those parents who are not motivated by an intense desire to have their children immersed in the Faith, will fall away when financial times get tough. They will begin to see, under the weight of growing bills, their children’s Catholic education as merely a glorified public school education. They will begin to ask themselves the ultimate question “Is it really worth it?’ If SJS does not set itself apart from the public schools in the one and only area where it can truly be set apart – in matters of faith and catholic culture – then they will answer that question with a “No.”

It is essential that SJS see its Catholic identity as the SOLUTION to any enrollment issues. Those parents that care about catholic culture are the very people who are willing to bear any burden and pay any price. This is how Tim and I feel. The school can never compete with its public counterparts because of the resources the public schools have at their disposal. But there is one place and one place only that the catholic schools bury the public schools – that is in the treasure of its Faith and Catholic identity. What makes this fact even more inspiring is that to promote and encourage this resource costs nothing! We merely have to become more authentically Catholic and people will say “Yes it is most definitely worth it!” “I can’t find this type of environment just anywhere. This certainly is not just a public school education with some prayers and some religious ed mixed in – this is a uniquely catholic culture and I see my kids growing spiritually in a way that I never thought possible!” How about that quote as a tagline for marketing the school? Don’t you think that parents would come from miles around to have their children enrolled in that kind of school? It is exactly that kind of parent who will hold on through the rough economic times and that kind of parent who will donate time and talent. But SJS must give them a reason to sacrifice and a reason to stay committed. As it is now, Tim and I do not feel like there is anything that SJS is offering Morgan that we cannot produce ourselves here at home on the same level. There is much sadness about this. We have met some of the most amazing people at SJS. I am amazed at the power of the Holy Spirit at work at St. Jude Church. We will of course continue to be members of the St. Jude Church Family. I have never seen such a wealth in persons at a church!

We are faced with tough economic times and a public school system that is working amazingly well for our other children. Collin is excelling beyond belief. He is happy and joyful and is reading and writing and coming home with a green card every day. Mary Grace is growing in confidence and is on a path to catching up in her studies. We talk about our faith daily and Jesus is a regular part of out conversations here. I am a mom who is on fire for the Lord and my kids could not escape it even if they tried! My kids know that there is nothing, I mean nothing, more important to their dad and I than their souls. We often say when our kids worry about grades or schoolwork – “God won’t be checking report cards at heaven’s gate.” They know that kindness trumps all else and that holiness and piety will make us far prouder than an entire report card of “A’s” or a #1 athlete trophy ever will. Tim and I want to stand before God and knowing that our primary purpose in this life was to raise children to know Him, love Him, and serve Him, we want to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant.” We believe that we can form our children as well as they are now being formed at St. Jude School on our own. Knowing that we can do this without the cost (and all the driving) has finally pushed us to make the tough choice of not enrolling Morgan for the 09-10 school year. She will miss her friends and many of the teachers there. We are committed to maintaining those friendships.

Finally, we have nothing but the very best hopes and wishes for SJS. I hope that it is able to become the light to the world it is called to be. I hope that the families that we leave behind are convinced that the only way to “market” SJS is to fundamentally change how we define it and then move forward to make that renewed definition a reality. I think that St. Jude if it uses the untapped resources of its most zealous and devoted Catholic families, will experience a renewal and a subsequent growth in enrollment. I hope to see St. Jude School become all that it can be. I have not closed the door to Catholic education. I believe in it and I know that there is so much potential there to form a whole generation of Catholics. I want to see Catholic schools succeed because they can be a treasure for every Catholic parent raising kids today – they can be such a help to parents who feel overwhelmed and alone in fighting the good fight. We will continue to fight the good fight on our own and our hope is that St Jude School will become a great spiritual center shaping our little ones and arming them for the battles that lie ahead.

God Bless You
Your Sister in Christ,

Kristan