To Parishes which must close their schools

(St. Brigid in Vine Grove is closing their elementary school. I've known about this for months. After reading an article in the Record, I decided to send a letter to some of the key people in the parish. Since I'd like to send the same letter to about a zillion parishes, I'll post it here, and maybe someone will use it.)

Dear parish member,

Your parish has been on my mind ever since I heard that the school was going to be closed. As a member of St. Benedict Parish and former teacher at the school, I strongly sympathize with the anxiety and grief that you must be going through. When our school had to close, it was an experience like none other.

I want to share something with you. We had identified our values something like this:

o Membership in an ongoing faith community.
o Pervasive involvement in the church’s liturgy.
o Quality education.
o Religious instruction.
o Parish presence in the traditions and functions of the greater community.

Any parish that can move outside the box just a little and think modularly has all the resources to continue these things. Picture this:

Parents bring children to your parish school each morning. Four days of the week they begin with liturgy (mass or morning prayer), followed by 20 min. activity. The other day they will have about an hour of religious ed program. Then they get on a bus and go to the public school. Parents and volunteers in this religious ed program also volunteer in the public school. Afterschool programs can be made available in your parish building, as well.

For families, school looks very much the same. They bring the children to the parish, maybe pick them up there in the afternoon, and are expected to participate and volunteer as they did before. Whatever skills they have can be utilized within this type of program. The consistent practice of starting each morning with liturgy is better than parishes with schools can offer.

Your neighborhood public school can often equal a Catholic school in quality academics. What you can offer to it is the strong commitment of parent volunteers and who bring their talents and their sense of tradition and direction. If your parish is willing to organize to support the volunteer program in the public school, this presence will still be available to your young parish members in their everyday experience. Other denominations actively support the schools, so the precedents and patterns are there already.

We were not able to do this at St. Benedict. We were not even able to talk about it, mostly because of anger and grief. Our children (and their families) have largely scattered to other Catholic parishes, leaving us without our youth. This is something that should not happen to any parish. So, I’m tossing these ideas your way. According to The Record, the bulk of your students are transferring to public schools, so you could be in a good position to maintain your strong community.

Peace to all of you,