Category: Catholic School Matters

I’ve collected the most popular articles from each of the ten editions of Catholic School Matters this fall. This fall’s “Best Of” edition is earlier than usual because I’ve come to the conclusion (based on clicks) that people don’t have time to read during December. Christmas programs, holiday parties, and movie sequels will be taking […]

Last week’s USCCB meetings surfaced a few fault lines in US Catholicism which shed light on best practices in Catholic schools. To start the week, Archbishop Pierre, the Papal Nuncio, exhorted the US Bishops to embrace their communion with Papal teachings and examine the “magisterial imperative.” This is especially true related to Laudato Si as […]

As schools begin to get a handle on this year’s budget realities, they must begin planning for next year. It occurs to me that many of our schools are being led by educationally-trained leaders who need help understanding the function of their finance offices, their role as supervisor, and the role of their Finance Councils. In addition, […]

I explore the landmark Espinoza case on the Catholic School Matters podcast. This case originated in Montana and will be heard at the US Supreme Court in January. It holds the possibility to overturn the dreaded Blaine Amendments and change state funding across the country. The origin was a student scholarship program passed (and surprisingly […]

This week’s newsletter is focused on the landmark Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue case which will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in January. Many people believe the case will overturn Blaine amendments which are present in 37 states and are used to prevent the state from funding religious schools in any way. […]

This week’s Catholic School Matters podcast includes two great conversations with two thought leaders in Catholic schools. First, I speak with Fr. Eric Ramirez, SJ from Regis Jesuit High School in Denver. Fr. Ramirez is the director of pastoral ministry for the boys division and we talk about the unique nature of a co-institutional church. […]

This past week I spent a great deal of time with Jodee Blanco, the anti-bullying speaker. She came to Montana to present at 5 of our schools and to all of our teachers as part of our Catholic Teacher Days. I served as her chaperone driving her around our great state. She gives a powerful […]

This week’s Catholic School Matters Radio Hour is a long-form conversation with Sr. Angie Shaughnessy of Loyola Marymount, the “nun lawyer.” This is her fourth time on the podcast and this time, our discussion is focused on hot topics in Catholic schools. I sent Sr. Angie the topics beforehand and we alternate topics we want […]

I recently read Sr. Helen Prejean’s latest book River of Fire and found it relevant and inspiring to our work in Catholic education. The book is worth your time for spiritual inspiration and learning about the changes in the Church over the past 50 years that continue to impact our schools. I think it might be a […]

This week, I am airing a conversation with Fr. Bryan Massingale from Fordham. He is a professor of social ethics and theology and is uniquely positioned to assist us in our study of the Congregation for Catholic Education’s recently released “Male and Female He Created Them: Towards a Path of Dialogue on the Question of […]