The following op-ed piece was prepared by Most Reverend George J. Lucas, Archbishop of Omaha, NE, and Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education and Most Reverend George V. Murry, Bishop of Youngstown, OH, and Chairman of the National Catholic Educational Association Board of Directors, in response to the Papal visit in September.
The visit from Pope Francis to the United States put a spotlight on numerous Catholic ministries that care for underserved populations. Prominent among them were Catholic schools. Indeed, we hope that his appearance at Our Lady Queen of Angels School in Harlem served to debunk the myth that Catholic schools are disappearing in urban/inner-city communities and that Catholic schools are for the elite. In fact, 41% of the more than 6,500 Catholic schools in the United States are urban/inner-city Catholic schools serving immigrant-rich and disadvantaged communities.
The Pope’s history-making gathering with students and parents at the Harlem school was more than a social event on his jam-packed schedule. Instead, it was a laser pointed at the renaissance of urban/inner-city Catholic schools and how creative thinking is helping more of these schools survive in local communities with changing demographics. In many cases, these schools anchor community life, which is one of the reasons they are so important.
The existence of Catholic schools in the United States can be traced back to the very foundation of our country. The rapid immigration of Catholics to the United States during the 19th century produced an expansion of Catholic schools. Along with parishes, Catholic schools in many urban/inner-city immigrant communities helped families assimilate. Today little has changed. Catholic schools in urban neighborhoods continue to provide low-income students with the religious values, academic preparation, and life-skills they need to break the cycle of poverty and lead productive lives.
Schools such as Our Lady Queen of Angels still cater to a large immigrant population even though the parish church has been closed since 2007. The same is true in Los Angeles, where Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School (grades PK – 8) is a 100-year-old institution working to keep tuition affordable by using parish donations and encouraging sponsorships for students who would like to attend the school.
Our Lady of Lourdes is home to a large blue collar Hispanic population for whom paying tuition can be a hardship. Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles sees donations as a way for sponsors to “…work together to grow our Catholic schools, to expand into new areas where schools are needed, and to raise money we need to give a Catholic education to every student who wants it.” The archbishop’s efforts are working. Just five years ago enrollment was 35 students, but on the first day of school 2015, enrollment stood at 240.
Schools such as Our Lady Queen of Angels in Harlem and Our Lady of Lourdes in Los Angeles are sacred to urban communities. We must act to keep them open and flourishing. While on average the number of Catholic schools may be declining, the commitment of Catholic schools to serve their communities remains firm and, in fact, is on the rise, especially in immigrant-rich and disadvantaged urban/inner-city neighborhoods. Many Catholic schools offer tuition subsidies and scholarships coupled with parental choice options to help more underprivileged families to attend. Twenty seven new Catholic schools opened in 2014 and there is a waiting list in 31% of Catholic schools nationwide. Working with state and local leaders, we will continue to explore new tuition models to ensure that Catholic schools are available to those who choose them.
Whether one lives in an urban or rural community, more than 6,500 Catholic schools across the country offer academic excellence and faith-filled education to 1.9 million students. National test scores, high school graduation rates, college attendance and other data show that Catholic schools frequently outperform schools in both the public and private sectors. And based on the average public school per-pupil cost of $12,000 per year, Catholic schools provide $24 billion in savings each year for the nation.
While the limelight often seems to shine only on the reported decline of Catholic inner-city schools, Pope Francis’ visit to Harlem reminded 1.9 million U.S. Catholic school students and their parents that Catholic schools are strong and will remain a force for quality education in our urban and inner-city communities.
Pope Francis has said: “The Church is or should go back to being a community of God’s people, and priests, pastors and bishops, who have the care of souls, are at the service of the people of God.” Catholic schools are at the service of the young people of God. They are a blessing undisguised.
- Most Reverend George J. Lucas, Archbishop of Omaha, NE, and Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education
- Most Reverend George V. Murry, Bishop of Youngstown, OH, and Chairman of the National Catholic Educational Association Board of Directors
