Catholic schools:
Education process involves all Catholics

		Diocese of Madison  Office of Catholic Schools  Michael Lancaster  Superintendent of Catholic Schools

Although Catholic education had been brought to America in the very beginning by the Spanish and French, schools did not expand beyond original missions due, in large part, to political instability and the difficulties of establishing lasting settlements.

While the English settlements in the 13 colonies were generally more successful, most of the colonies were established and governed by Protestants. As a byproduct of the Protestant Reformation, and the many wars of religion that consumed Europe afterward, religious fervor ran high while religious tolerance ran low.

Catholic Schools Week When: January 28 through February 3, 2007 Theme: Catholic Schools: The Good News in Education Related items: January 25, 2007 edition: • Front-page photo -- Students' water project • Saluting Catholic schools • Catholic Educator of Year • Editorial -- Catholic schools: Adding a fourth 'R' • Letter --     Witness of teachers is vital in Catholic schools • Only in the print edition --     Catholic Schools Week special section January 18, 2007 edition: • Michael Lancaster column -- Catholic schools: Partner with parents in education of children January 11, 2007 edition: • Michael Lancaster column -- Catholic schools: Appreciating their origins, mission

Policies of tolerance

Only two English colonies originally adopted policies of tolerance. The first was Maryland, founded by Lord Baltimore, a Catholic, in 1632. The second was Pennsylvania, founded by William Penn, a Quaker, in 1682.

Maryland was founded and governed by Catholics and practiced a policy of religious tolerance for all Christians. The fact that it was Catholic however, was seen by many English leaders as a threat to the royal crown. Ever since Henry VIII had defied the Pope and established the Church of England with himself as its head, practicing any other religion in England was considered an act of treason that was punishable by death.

Thus, for the English monarchy, Maryland was a colony whose very existence undermined the king's sovereign authority. Thus, the pressures against Catholics in the colonies were enormous, and in 1654, Protestants overthrew Maryland's government and immediately passed a law denying any protection of laws to Catholics, and furthermore making it illegal to practice the Catholic faith.

Anti-Catholic climate

While Catholic religious orders, most notably the Jesuits, tried determinedly to begin schools in New England, the anti-Catholic climate made it nearly impossible to do so, much less to found a Catholic school system. The first true Catholic school to test the stand of time did not open until over 100 years later under the name of Georgetown Academy. We know it today as Georgetown University.

Although faced with seemingly insurmountable difficulties, Catholics persisted in their faith and their courage. Though persecuted, the number of Catholics in America increased steadily and Catholics rose to positions of leadership and prominence. Charles Carroll of Maryland became the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence and in 1784, Fr. John Carroll was named Superior of the American Missions. He would later become the very first American bishop, and, under his leadership, the beginnings of Catholic schools as we know them were begun in Baltimore.

Faith communities

Having been faced with such persecution, Catholics formed very tight knit faith communities from which they drew strength and perseverance. Much as the early Christian martyrs, it was their faith, practiced and nurtured by their faith community, that sustained them through the darkest hours.

While most of us participate in the faith communities formed and fostered through our parish, very special communities of faith lie at the heart of each and every Catholic school. This sense of community is so central to Catholic schools that it is a distinguishing characteristic of Catholic schools. According to Archbishop Michael Miller, Secretary of the Congregation of Catholic Education for the Vatican, "communion and community" constitute the second mark of any Catholic school.

This sense of community in our schools stems from both our social nature, as created by God, and from our religious belief about our nature and the destiny to which we are called by Christ.

First is the fact that people, by nature, are social beings who need and seek out others to form communities. Living within a community is very natural for us. However, community is not just a social construct or convenience. It also stems from our belief that we, and all people, are intrinsically united to one another through Christ, and it is Christ, the perfect human, with whom we seek to enter into communion for all eternity. This mark of communion and community then builds on our nature as beings created by God and whose true end is communion with God.

While these may be theological concepts, community is animated by an unmistakable partnership, a singularity of purpose, and the harmonious efforts of teamwork among teachers, parents, priests, students, and bishops, all working toward the education and formation of our youth.

All Catholics involved

While it is recognized that the primary responsibility for education of children lies with parents, each and every one of us, by virtue of our faith, are called individually to respond to Christ's exhortation to evangelize. Thus, as I spoke of last week, ALL Catholics share in responsibility for spreading the faith, and thus so do we all share in the responsibility for the education of our young.

This responsibility finds its fulfillment within the strong relationships built and nurtured in the faith communities of our Catholic schools. Teachers work together, with each other, with their students, with parents, and with priests and bishops to fulfill the mission of our schools.

Each person in the faith community upholds, promotes, and advances the human dignity of each and every person. Such a community is marked by the warmth of a close knit family where trust, honesty, and integrity are hallmarks of the culture and where the whole person in all of its various dimensions: spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and social, is respected and nurtured.

Visit Catholic schools

Many people ask me how you can tell whether or not this sense of community exists in a school. Some even ask me what they should look for when reading a school's Web site or what questions to ask when they call the principal on the telephone. Yet a true faith community is not something that can be reduced to a Web page, or an ad, or even statistics on how many service projects students enacted during a year.

If you want to know whether a school has a true sense of community, walk in the front door. Look at how students and teachers act towards one another and listen to what they say and how they say it. Spend a few minutes observing, and the sense of community will be unmistakable. During this time of celebration for Catholic schools, as any time, I invite you to visit our schools, talk with our teachers, and volunteer with our students. I invite you to become part of the amazing community of our Catholic schools.

As always, thank you for reading and God bless you.

Welcoming undocumented, unborn:
On anniversary of Roe vs. Wade

		Eye on the  Capitol  John Huebscher

January 22 marks the beginning of the fourth week of 2007. It is also the 34th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that guaranteed the right to abortion in the United States.

More than a million abortions are performed in the U.S. each year. Some years the total approached 1.5 million. The number of abortions since Roe now exceeds 40 million. Each January 22 we ponder anew the loss of lives unlived, of human dignity denied, of human potential unrealized over these past 34 years.

Yet even as we consider the moral tragedy of the lives turned away since 1973, we confront the moral challenge of welcoming other lives at our doorstep. For in a mystery beyond our understanding, the same American society that said "no" to millions of unborn children is asked to say "yes" to millions of undocumented immigrants.

Equal in humanity

By most accounts there are more than 10 million such men, women, and children in the U.S. today. Except for the process by which they migrated, nearly all are law-abiding residents, hard workers, devoted to their families, and good neighbors.

Each of these immigrants is equal in their humanity to the unborn children lost to the culture of Roe vs. Wade. Each is endowed with personal dignity. Each holds the potential to enrich our nation.

Yet, as is the case with the unborn, we are tempted by the notion that our nation can't afford their presence, that their cost to our future is too high if we allow them to remain.

How will Catholics and others committed to the value of human life answer such arguments?

Reflect on Holy Family

In his recent message on the annual World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Benedict offers this guidance. "In a globalized society . . . the reality of migration should never be seen as a problem but rather as a great resource in humanity's journey," he noted.

Recalling the example of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the pope reminded us of "the image of God that is held in the heart of each human family even when it is weakened and sometimes scarred by life's experiences."

"In this misfortune experienced by the Family of Nazareth," he went on, " . . . we can catch a glimpse of the painful condition in which all migrants live, especially, refugees, exiles, evacuees, internally displaced persons, those who are persecuted. We can take a quick look at the difficulties that every migrant family lives through, the hardships and humiliations, the deprivation and fragility of millions."

Pope Benedict invites us to see the bond that ties the image of God to human vulnerability - a bond across time and place. But this vulnerability is also a resource that is worth the risk of welcoming others into our lives.

'Same voice'

Seen this way, we can't divorce the cause of human life in the womb from the cause of vulnerable life in our midst. We can't sustain the premise that 40 million aborted children are an unrealized blessing if we don't stand against the proposition that one-fourth as many immigrants are an unacceptable burden.

That is why the Catholic voice proclaiming the cause of the unborn is the same voice proposing justice for immigrants. Both are worthy causes for "faithful citizens."

John Huebscher is the executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference.

Abortion: Seen as contraception's safety net

		A Culture  of Life  Fr. Eric Nielsen

I was recently invited to give the opening prayer for a pro-life meeting and I couldn't resist the opportunity to bring up the connection between contraception and abortion.

While most people do not see the connection, statistics clearly show that every society that has experienced a rise in use of contraception has experienced a follow-on rise in the use of abortion.

Why contraception and abortion are logically linked and not just a statistical coincidence I will explain below.

Trapeze society

Imagine a society where everyone has a desire to be a circus trapeze artist. But, because it is a dangerous thing to do, only those with the greatest desire, and willing to take the risk of falling, actually do it. Then somebody comes along and invents a safety net and sells them across the country. Now everyone can feel free to swing on a trapeze as much as they want, because when they fall they will land in the net and not get hurt.

Contraception and abortion are the safety nets for those who wish to play the sexual trapeze game without the "fear" of having a child. A problem for these "players" is that contraception is not a perfect safety net.

In fact, all contraceptives (even sterilization) have failure rates dependent on inherent limitations of the method, quality of instruction for use, and actual use.

Natural deterrent

Inadvertently conceiving a child in one out of every 100 times may be acceptable to a couple married to each other, but it is considered an absolute disaster for those who are not.

Thus, when someone falls through one of the holes in the contraception net, the abortion safety net appears to be the option of last resort.

Years ago, only the greatest risk takers would engage in extra-marital affairs for fear of the consequences. Contraception and legal abortion have taken virtually all of that fear away.

True, most people who contracept are not thinking of aborting a child, but when their contraceptive fails and conception takes place any way, many see little choice but to abort their child. If their sexual relationship was based on not having children, why would they want one now?

Changing way of life

We live in a society where millions of people live a way of life that includes the availability of uncommitted sexual experiences without the corresponding responsibility of having and raising a child.

They are in every grouping of our society and include those who hold positions of prestige and power. Our media and entertainment industry tends to glorify their extra-marital sexual activity and even defend it.

Furthermore, a significant part of our economy and culture requires the contribution of many sexually active young men and women not preoccupied with raising children. All of these people rely on the dual "safety nets" of contraception and its fool-proof abortion back up.

When people see placard slogans saying "Stop Abortion," they instinctively know what that means - "no more extramarital activity with that great safety net - my way of life will have to change."

That this change will NOT be easy is an understatement. People with good intentions only give up vice with the greatest of difficulties; others do so only with anger and resentment.

But, if we are serious about ending abortion, we will also need to be serious about educating our culture about the evils of contraception.

Fr. Eric Nielsen is pastor of St. Paul Parish on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. This column is syndicated by www.OneMoreSoul.com