Cardinal Dolan’s plan to save Catholic schools

CWN - February 01, 2013

Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York touted the academic successes of Catholic schools and challenged Catholic educators “to be bold in our thinking and daring in our actions as we look to the future.”

Cardinal Dolan continued:

Since the mid-19th century, the Catholic-school model has been "one parish, one school." That served us well for many years, but it has become painfully obvious that a new model is needed. Beginning in September, the Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York will be broken down into regions, and every parish will be responsible for, contribute to, send children to, and have a voice in Catholic education in the archdiocese.

The laity will be called on to have an expanded leadership role in school governance with pastors. An essential component of regionalization is reinvestment, which includes reallocating current resources back into Catholic education while identifying and securing additional funding. The goal is a system of strong, accessible, affordable Catholic schools, owned by every parish, supported by every Catholic, available to every child.

“We will also be investing more in marketing,” he added. “We will continue and intensify our outreach to new immigrants to America.”

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  • Posted by: Defender - Feb. 03, 2013 3:30 PM ET USA

    Perhaps the cardinal's recent closure of 28 schools wouldn't have happened if the archdiocese wouldn't spend so much money on such things as dinners for the president, the cardinal's travels here and there and taking these monies to support schools. The laity might also be more inclinded to support the archdiocese if the cardinal would do something about the politicians and close the gay parishes, too.

  • Posted by: polish.pinecone4371 - Feb. 01, 2013 11:35 PM ET USA

    His Eminence stated, "It is sometimes hard to understand why enrollment has dropped." Your Eminence, it's really not that hard to figure out. Allow me to tell you in four words: contraception, abortion, no evangelization.

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