Dr. Lance Richey
Department of Theology
University of Saint Francis
Lrichey@sf.edu
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OUR PAST
I. A Very Short History of Catholic Schools in the United
Stated
II. A Very Quick Look at Modern Church Teaching on
Catholic Education
OUR PRESENT
III. Catholic Schools or Private Schools?
~ Intermission ~
IV. Knowing Our Identity, Communicating Our Mission
OUR FUTURE
Getting There From Here – An Open Discussion on
Challenges and Strategies
OUR PAST

A VERY SHORT HISTORY
OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
IN THE UNITED STATES
Catholic Education in America–
Early Roots
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 In 1606, Spanish Franciscans open a school in what
is now St. Augustine, Florida “...to teach children
Christian doctrine, reading and writing.”
 In the 1660’s, French Jesuits instruct among Native
American people through-out the St. Lawrence
River & Great Lakes region
 In 1677, English Jesuits establish a preparatory
school in Newtown, Maryland
 In 1718, Franciscans open a school for boys in New
Orleans
 In 1727, the Ursuline Sisters open first all girls
academy in New Orleans
Catholic Education in America–
A New Nation
 In 1776, there are only
25,000 Catholics in America
– 1% of population!
 In 1782, St. Mary’s Parish
School is opened in
Philadelphia
 In 1789, Georgetown
Academy established for
boys aged 10-16 in
Washington, DC
 In 1790, Jesuit John Carroll
becomes first Catholic
bishop of US (Baltimore)
Catholic Education in America–
Growing with the Nation
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 In 1809, Elizabeth Anne Bayley
Seton establishes a school for
poor children in Emmitsburg,
MD and founded the Sisters of
Charity of St. Joseph
 In 1812, the Friends of Mary
(later Sisters of Loretto) began
to teach poor children in rural
Kentucky
 By 1820, there were 10 Catholic
academies in the US
 In 1831, the Oblate Sisters of
Providence are founded by
Elizabeth Lange (Mother Mary
Elizabeth) then open a school
for poor & black children in
Baltimore
Catholic Education in America–
Growing Pains
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 In 1837 Horace Mann and the
“Common Schools” established with
protestant King James Bible taught
 By 1850, there are 6 Million Catholics
in the US
 By 1852, there were 100 Catholic
academies on US east coast and
southern states
 Anti-Catholic backlash and
violence intensifies as more schools
and religious orders evolve
Catholic Education in America–
Fighting Back
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 In 1852, the First Plenary Council of
Baltimore responds to anti-Catholic
social issues and common school
curriculum, “urges” every Catholic
parish in US to establish a school
 In 1866, the Second Plenary Council
of Baltimore repeats the “plea” for all
parishes to establish a Catholic school
 1875 The BLAINE AMENDMENT...
 In 1884, the Third Plenary Council of
Baltimore “REQUIRES” all parishes
to establish schools and approves a
catechism to be used in schools
Catholic Education in America–
Growing Strong
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 In 1900, there were 3,500
Catholic elementary and 100
Catholic high schools in the US
 In 1904, Catholic Education
Association (now NCEA) is
established
 In 1920, there were 6,551
Catholic elementary schools
and 1,500 Catholic high
schools in the US with total
enrollment of 1.8 Million
students
Catholic Education in America–
The Golden Age??
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 1965 marked the peak of US
Catholic school enrollment:
5.5 Million total enrollment
in 13,000 schools
 In 1965, teachers and staff at
Catholic schools are 65%
religious/clergy and 35%
lay faculty
OUR PAST
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A VERY QUICK LOOK AT
MODERN CHURCH TEACHING
ON CATHOLIC EDUCATION
The Baltimore Catechism
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 In 1884, the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore
“REQUIRES” all parishes to establish schools and
approves a catechism to be used in schools
 The “Baltimore Catechism”
became the basis for Religious
instruction in US Catholic
Schools until the Second
Vatican Council (1962-65)
Vatican II
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 Declaration on Christian Education (Gravissimum
Educationis) asks bishops to issue detailed statements on
the educational ministry in their nations. Guiding
rationale includes:
 Consider the unique context of each nation’s Church &
society “...implement in ways suited to their times and
circumstances”
 Involve broad consultation with key and interested
educational constituencies
 Not to be the “final word” - rather more of a “catalyst” for
clarifying problems of “polarization and confusion now
confronting the educational ministry”
 “...the mission to teach as Jesus did is a dynamic mandate
for Christians of all times, places, and conditions.”
To Teach as Jesus Did (1972)
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 1972 NCCB (now the USCCB)
Document on implementing
Gravissimum Educationis in the USA
 Identifies Three Key Dimensions of
Catholic Education
 The MESSAGE... revealed by God &
proclaimed by the Church
 FELLOWSHIP in the life of the Holy
Spirit
 SERVICE to the Christian
community and the human
community
 1981, the 2nd edition added a Fourth
Dimension: WORSHIP
To Teach …the Message
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 Through Catholic education
“...the Church seeks to
prepare its members to
proclaim the Good News and
to translate this proclamation
into action”
 Catholic education must
enable personal and social
transformation in light of
Christian values
To Teach...Fellowship
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“The success of the
Church’s educational
mission will also be judged
by how well it helps the
Catholic community to see
the dignity of human life
with the vision of Jesus and
involve itself in the search
for solutions to the pressing
problems of society”
To Teach...Service
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“ Special knowledge and
skills are needed for the
effective pursuit of justice
and peace.”
To Teach … Worship
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“Creating readiness for
growth in community
through worship … is an
integral part of the task of
Catholic education”
To Teach As Jesus Did –
A Vision for Catholic Schools:
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 Catholic Schools “afford the fullest and best opportunity
to realize the fourfold purpose of Christian education.”
 Bishops affirmed the conviction that the Catholic school
“retain its immense importance in the circumstances of
our times”
 Urged parents to “entrust their children to Catholic
schools”
 “The Catholic school is the unique setting” within which a
person’s “faith becomes living, conscious and active
through the light of instruction.”
 Catholic schools are “distinguished” by their ability to
“integrate religious truth and values with life.”
OUR PRESENT
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CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OR
PRIVATE SCHOOLS?
The Transformation of Catholic
Education in America
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1965
2010
 13,000 total schools
 7,094 total schools
 5.5 Million students
 2.1 Million students
 10% non-white students
 30% non-white students
 3% non-Catholic students
 15% non-Catholic students
 45% lay faculty
 97% lay faculty (75% women)
Challenges and Opportunities
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 In 1990’s and beyond, Catholic
school enrollments grow in
ethnic, racial and religious
diversity
 In 1997, the State-funded
Milwaukee Parental Choice
Program is extended to
include religious schools
 In 2011, Indiana extends it
Voucher Program to include
religious schools
Seeing into the Future
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 Note the trends of the past 40 years:
 More non-Catholic students
 More ethnic and racial diversity
 More federal and state funding AND regulation
 More cultural hostility to Catholic values
 Fewer Catholic school graduates as teachers
 Fewer dollars from parishes supporting schools
 Fewer parents demanding Catholic identity
 Fewer cultural supports for our students’ faith lives
 All these trends will certainly continue and accelerate
Catholic or Private?
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 Catholic schools in 2011 confront a Perfect Storm of
cultural, social and market forces undermining their
traditional religious identity
 Are our schools becoming PRIVATE schools that happen
to be Catholic, rather than CATHOLIC schools that
happen to be private?
 Are these two identities increasingly seen as being in
tension or even at odds with one another?
 How we respond to this situation will determine the
future not just of Catholic schools but of the Catholic Church
in America
OUR PRESENT
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KNOWING OUR IDENTITY,
COMMUNICATING OUR MISSION
Identity and Mission
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Identity
 Who We Are & Where We
Come From
 Faith-filled Teachers
 Proclaiming the Good News
 From the Heart of the Church
Mission
 What We Do & Where We
Are Going
 Skilled Educators
 Forming Minds and Hearts
 Into the Whole World
IDENTITY AND MISSION ARE NOT IDENTICAL,
BUT FOR FLOURISHING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS,
IDENTITY AND MISSION ARE INSEPERABLE
Knowing Our Roots
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 Identity always comes from History
 The Religious who founded and staffed our Schools
are the source of your Institutional Charisms
 Many schools are losing these visible, living signs of
the Catholic tradition in education
 As they pass on the baton to lay teachers, how do
we:
 Keep alive and pass along their distinctive religious
charisms?
 Remember and honor their work in our schools and
with our students?
 Continue their missions in the 21st Century?
Catholic: More Than an Adjective
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 In 2011, YOU are the “Nuns with Guns”
 Catholic Identity begins at the top with YOU – not as an
administrator but as a model and a leader
 If our Catholic Identity is to really shape our Mission and
our methods, it has to be embraced by three groups:
 Teachers and Administrators
 Parents
 Students
 Each group must be invited to LEARN our Identity and to
SHARE in our Mission
 The first group, Teachers, defines how the other two will
receive (or reject) this Identity and Mission, and will be our
focus for the remainder of the morning
Making Mission Matter: Some
Basics
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 Principals provide the vision and the energy for a
successful Catholic school by:
 Showcasing the Catholic identity of the school –
especially the invitatory nature of the Church
 Building our curriculum around our values – NOT
tacking our values onto our curriculum
 Communicating to all parties (teachers, parents and
students) the vision of the human person that Catholic
education aims at realizing in its students
 Teachers can and must buy into this vision for it to
work
Inviting Teachers Into Mission
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 Beyond Clock Hours: Rethinking the Meaning of
“Professional Development” in Catholic schools
 Grasping the difference between “a good Math
teacher” and “a good Math teacher at a Catholic
school”
 Breaking down academic walls and embracing the
Mission of the school
 Breaking down school walls and embracing the
Mission of the Church
MODEL of the “Ideal” Catholic School Educator:
- Gini Shimabukuro Ed. D.
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Five Themes:
A successful Catholic Teacher
is committed to...
1. Community Building
2. Lifelong Personal Spiritual
Growth
3. Professional Development
4. Spiritual Formation of
Students
5. Human Development of
Students
Educating Holistically…
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Mind
 Showing how knowledge
can reveal the glory of
God
Body
 Helping students to
unpack their God-given
gifts…
Soul
 Seeing students as
children of God…
Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education,
Lay Catholics in Schools: Witness to Faith, 1982 #32
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“ The more completely an
educator can give
concrete witness to the
model of the ideal
person... the more this
ideal will be believed and
imitated. For it will then
be seen as something
reasonable and worthy of
being lived, something
concrete and realizable.”
DOs & DON’Ts of Teaching and
Administering for Catholic Mission
DO…
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 Help students meet
Jesus individually
(transformational)
 Bring God alive
communally
(sacramental)
 Provide for local poor
& underserved
(accessible)
DON’T
 Stifle wonder and awe…
 Reduce God to a private
choice (consumerism)
 Shut-out the
poor/underserved
(marginalize)
 Serve only those who
can pay (privatize)
The Milwaukee Experience
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 The Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin has a very
long and vital tradition of Catholic education
 However, the Catholic schools there confront the
same problems as all Catholic schools:
 Lack of Teacher Training in the Catholic Tradition
 Money Struggles and Declining Parish Support
 A Voucher Program that is Changing Religious and
Ethnic Demographics of Students and Teachers
 How to Respond?
K-16 Partnerships in Catholic
Education: Some Milwaukee Models
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 The Saint Clare Center for Catholic Life, operated by
Cardinal Stritch University, has partnered with other
Catholic colleges and the Catholic K-12 schools to
provide formation for teachers and staff
 Programming has been developed in close
consultation with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and
its Office of Schools to meet the changing needs of
the system
 The need to bring formation to individual schools
must be balanced with the need to create venues for
building networks and sharing ideas and best
practices
Culture and Content
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 Building Culture – the STAFF (Schools Theology and Faith
Formation) Program offers retreats and gatherings to leadership
teams within a school that allow for discernment and
brainstorming on developing a Catholic culture for that school.
An Our Sunday Visitor Grant helps support this initiative.
 Teaching Content – in Milwaukee Catholic Schools, all teachers
are now required to possess Religious Education Certification.
“Sustaining the Mission” has replaced the elective clock hours
model with a multi-year/multi-level formation program
centered on integrating Catholic Faith, Mission and Classroom
Effectiveness, resulting in RE Certification for participants. In
its first year (2011-12), 100 out of 112 Archdiocesan Catholic
schools have signed up for the program.
Working Together
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 Mission and Identity must be the driver behind the work
of any Catholic school
 Rather than being “one more thing” to do, it has to be the
reason for everything we do
 Seeing it as such makes it a source of energy and
community, not a drain on them
 Having Hard Conversations: those who refuse repeated
invitations to share the Mission are self-selecting out of
Catholic education
 Not all teachers need to BE Catholic, but all teachers need
to KNOW and SUPPORT the Catholic Mission of a school
 The Milwaukee Experience: Schools that put Mission first
have to turn away good teachers because too many want
to share in the teaching ministry of the Church
OUR FUTURE????
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Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend are wellpositioned to thrive both as CATHOLIC and as SCHOOLS if they can
see their environment as filled with RESOURCES rather than
roadblocks:
 FINANCIAL RESOURCES: A new voucher program which can drive
enrollment beyond traditional boundaries
 INSTITUTIONAL RESOURCES: A long and strong history of Catholic
K-12 education
 ECCLESIAL RESOURCES: Bishop Rhoades, dynamic and strongly
committed to Catholic education
 EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES: A strong network of Catholic colleges
with knowledge of the history and tradition of Catholic education
 HUMAN RESOURCES: An obviously talented and dedicated
community of teachers, staff and principals committed to the Mission
of the Church
So……..
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Where do we go from here?
Key Questions for Discussion
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1.
2.
3.
4.
What does the history and tradition of Catholic schools
suggest to us about the future of Catholic schools in
America (and especially our Diocese)?
What are the most pressing difficulties and needs you
can identify in identifying and accomplishing your
school’s mission?
What resources do you need in order to reach this
future and bring your teachers, parents and students on
board?
What would you build if you were given the power to
systematically address the challenges confronting our
Catholic schools?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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 I would like to thanks Mr. Eamonn O’Keeffe of the Saint
Clare Center for Catholic Life, at Cardinal Stritch
University, Milwaukee, WI, for generously sharing his
knowledge of and passion for Catholic education in the
preparation of this presentation.