kong
01-08-2012, 05:04 AM
Philadelphia-Area Catholic School Closings: It’s the End of the World as We Know It
COMMENTARY | Friday at 10 a.m., children and faculty in all of the Philadelphia-area Catholic schools took a moment to pray as a collective whole, as they waited to hear the fate of their schools amid a Blue Ribbon Commission's report regarding Catholic schools recommended for closure.
But all the prayers in the world couldn't save some of the schools on the commission's list. Indeed, analysts predicted the closure news would hit area Catholic education advocates hard- and they were right.
According to My Fox Philly, 49 schools area are on the list to either close or merge, including 21 schools in Philadelphia.
With once big-name high schools like West Catholic and Monsignor Prendergast High School on the hit list, it's the end of an era. And for many it feels highly personal.
St. Hubert's High School -- my own mother's alma mater -- is also slated to close, and although my own children's school has been deemed safe, a school in close proximity to ours is not, meaning our school will also be greatly impacted as well.
In a letter to parents of Archdiocesan students, Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput wrote that the plan to restructure requires many of the schools in the diocese to "partner, regionalize or close in order to fortify and renew Catholic education in the Archdiocese."
But one has to wonder, with the thought of a beloved school closing and a forced merge, how many parents will choose to keep their children in Catholic education at all? In addition to what will undoubtedly result in much longer commutes for many children, the multi-parish merges could change the small town, community-oriented feel of many of these schools.
According to NBC Philadelphia, the Archdiocese currently has 178 schools serving nearly 68,000 students-- a 35 percent drop in enrollment since 2001. In addition, about 30 schools have closed in the past five years.
Now, after a year of scandal in the Archdiocese, some families may be ready to throw in the towel and, in the end, Philadelphia-area Catholic school enrollment will surely drop even more.
Of course, even after today's dire news, perhaps there is still a prayer of a chance: the Archbishop has the final say as to which schools will actually close.
COMMENTARY | Friday at 10 a.m., children and faculty in all of the Philadelphia-area Catholic schools took a moment to pray as a collective whole, as they waited to hear the fate of their schools amid a Blue Ribbon Commission's report regarding Catholic schools recommended for closure.
But all the prayers in the world couldn't save some of the schools on the commission's list. Indeed, analysts predicted the closure news would hit area Catholic education advocates hard- and they were right.
According to My Fox Philly, 49 schools area are on the list to either close or merge, including 21 schools in Philadelphia.
With once big-name high schools like West Catholic and Monsignor Prendergast High School on the hit list, it's the end of an era. And for many it feels highly personal.
St. Hubert's High School -- my own mother's alma mater -- is also slated to close, and although my own children's school has been deemed safe, a school in close proximity to ours is not, meaning our school will also be greatly impacted as well.
In a letter to parents of Archdiocesan students, Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput wrote that the plan to restructure requires many of the schools in the diocese to "partner, regionalize or close in order to fortify and renew Catholic education in the Archdiocese."
But one has to wonder, with the thought of a beloved school closing and a forced merge, how many parents will choose to keep their children in Catholic education at all? In addition to what will undoubtedly result in much longer commutes for many children, the multi-parish merges could change the small town, community-oriented feel of many of these schools.
According to NBC Philadelphia, the Archdiocese currently has 178 schools serving nearly 68,000 students-- a 35 percent drop in enrollment since 2001. In addition, about 30 schools have closed in the past five years.
Now, after a year of scandal in the Archdiocese, some families may be ready to throw in the towel and, in the end, Philadelphia-area Catholic school enrollment will surely drop even more.
Of course, even after today's dire news, perhaps there is still a prayer of a chance: the Archbishop has the final say as to which schools will actually close.