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August 17, 1987 Pastoral Letter on Catholic School Education
This
fall, in almost 230 Catholic schools throughout this Archdiocese, almost
70,000 youngsters will begin another school year. In the 40 high schools
and 187 elementary schools of this local Church, young people of all
ages, races, nationalities and economic groups will once again have
an opportunity to combine an excellent education in the three R's with
a privileged opportunity to grow in their knowledge and practice of
their holy faith. The Archdiocese of Newark, this year, will be the
sponsor of the fifth largest Catholic school system in the United States
of America. That fact presents each one of us with a challenge and a
great cause of satisfaction. Before anything
else, I would want to express my deepest personal gratitude, and that
of the entire Archdiocese, to those who, by their sacrifices, their
talent and expertise and by their love, will once again make the miracle
of Catholic school education a reality here in these four counties of
northeastern New Jersey. Without the
strong and courageous leadership of pastors and principals, the presence
of our schools would be seriously in doubt. Without the remarkable centuries-long
tradition of education of our religious sisters and brothers in giving
so much of their lives to the maintaining and the continuing excellence
of these educational institutions, Catholic school education would never
become the wonder of our neighbors and one of the outstanding accomplishments
of our American experience. And, of course, especially in our own particular
moment of history, the sacrifice and the dedication of so many lay men
and women, whose commitment to our Catholic schools has meant the difference
between success and failure, is truly one of the great love stories
of our time. To them, with full realization of the burdens which they
carry and the sacrifices they are called upon to make, I offer my deepest
appreciation and my thanks. Catholic
schools have always been a very special part of the life of the Church
of Newark. As far back as 1854, my first predecessor, Bishop James Roosevelt
Bayley, wrote in the Metropolitan Catholic Almanac, St. John's Church,
Newark, and with most of the churches in the Diocese." What a tremendous
accomplishment that was in the early, difficult days of our young Diocese
of Newark. It is not surprising, however, since a document dating all
the way back to the eighteenth century indicates that a "primitive
schoolhouse was erected, and schools, supervised and supported by Church
authorities, established in all of the larger settlements of East Jersey."
Thus, the connection between Catholic education and Catholic parochial
life has always been a very close one -- one which is filled with promise
for our future. The great
growth of this Archdiocese over the past century and a quarter gives
ample testimony to the importance of quality education for our young
Catholic people, coupled with an understanding and knowledge of their
faith. When Bishop Bayley took on the critical task of providing Catholic
schools for the youth of this diocese, it was not simply a matter of
teaching doctrine. Bishop Bayley believed that through the establishment
of Catholic schools, the young men and women of the Church would be
prepared to take their rightful place in American society. It was his
dream that Catholic moral teaching and values would make a difference,
and Catholic school graduates would be able, because of this foundation
in value-centered education, to make that difference in the American
society in which they lived. The dream of James Roosevelt Bayley is
till our dream today. It is a legacy of hope for the Church and our
nation in which I put my faith. Authentically Catholic schools can,
and still do, make a difference. Their mission today -- to educate Catholics
in the faith that they may help to shape the twenty-first century according
to the values which we cherish -- is still vitally important at this
moment in history. The fact
is that a value-centered education, strong in its commitment to moral
teaching and ethical norms and geared in every way to the establishment
of a community of faith and love within our Catholic school community,
is all the more necessary today. Realistically, it is also all the more
difficult. Anyone who has helped to prepare the budgets of our institutions
or, indeed, anyone who is responsible for the budgets of a family, will
be well aware of the specific challenge which we face. There are three
basic factors which constantly concern me in our commitment to the fostering
of authentically Catholic schools. One is the rising costs for the upkeep
of buildings and facilities, many of which are in need of update and
renovation. The second is the need to make sure that our curriculum
is totally up-to-date and that new programs, which are available in
the educational system of our country, are also available to all the
youngsters in our Catholic schools. The most pressing need, however,
and one of which I am tremendously and acutely conscious, is the necessity
of providing our teachers, both religious and lay, with a remuneration
which is proper and fitting to their important service. All these
concerns are present in the unfolding of the future of our Catholic
schools. They must always be considered within a very important and
historical context: our Catholic Church has always been committed to
the poor and, in a special way, to the immigrants who have come to our
country. The necessity of providing them with this invaluable gift of
a thoroughly Catholic education has always been and will always, please
God, continue to be a major priority of this Archdiocese. It is because
of that that each of us is called upon to make sacrifices. In the Pastoral
on the Economy of the American Bishops, there is a significant paragraph.
I'd like to quote it to you. "We bishops commit ourselves to the
principle that those who serve the Church -- laity, clergy, and religious
-- should receive a sufficient livelihood and enjoy the social benefits
common in our nation. These obligations, however, cannot be met without
the increased contributions of all the members of the Church. We call
on all to recognize their responsibility to contribute to the support
of those who carry out the public mission of the Church. The obligation
to sustain the Church's institutions ... falls on all the members of
the community, because they are public trusts; the obligations is not
just on the users." Catholic
schools are, therefore, the responsibility of all the people of our
Archdiocese. The concept of "co-sponsorship" for our schools
must be explored and implemented. By that I mean the principle that
every parish -- whether or not it has its own school -- must help to
share the responsibility to preserve and develop Catholic school education
in this Archdiocese. Those parishes which sponsor Catholic schools must
never feel that they are carrying this challenge alone. I ask our parishes
without schools to recommit themselves to their responsibility for Catholic
school education. The Archdiocese
is a family, and one of the things that a family does is educated its
children. Sometimes this requires a substantial proportion of the family's
assets, but it is done because of the love which binds the family together.
All of us are called upon to realize the needs which we have as the
family of this local Church and our responsibilities to build the future.
The great strength of the Catholic Church in our country has been extraordinary
men and women who have understood the demanding challenge of Catholic
faith and life because they have been schooled from their earliest years
to accept it and to put it into meaningful practice in their own lives.
Tomorrow is in our hands, too, and we dare not let it slip away because
of an unwillingness to accept a challenge or because of shortsightedness
in seeing the future and its needs. I have not
doubt that the goal is worth the effort. The Decree
on Catholic Education of the Second Vatican Council reminds us that
the aim of our Catholic schools is to create an atmosphere enlivened
by the Gospel spirit of freedom and charity. It is this atmosphere,
in which each youngster is helped to develop his or her own personality,
that enables our children to grow into that new creation they became
in baptism. Because of this, for our youngsters and for all youngsters
who have been given the precious gift of the faith, Catholic school
education is a pearl of great price. I truly recognize
that it will not be possible for us to educate every single one of the
young men and women of our Archdiocese within a Catholic school environment.
For those who for one reason or another do not attend our Catholic schools,
I pledge all my efforts and my dedication to ensure that through quality
programs of religious education they will receive all they need to learn
and to live their lives in a truly Catholic way. But the very fact that
we cannot reach all our youngsters through Catholic schools does not
excuse us from doing the very best we can to offer quality, authentic,
value-centered Catholic school education to our families. We must continue
to strive to reach as many as we can, in as perfect a way as we can.
We must make sure that, for those whom we can educate in our own schools,
the foundation of our future is laid with loving care for the glory
of God and their own eternal happiness. Work with
me and pray with me, my dear friends in Christ, that our dedication
to the Catholic school system of this Archdiocese may be as strong as
it was in the days of Bishop Bayley, and that his prophetic dream may
come true in our day, too -- that Catholic school graduates may help
to shape the future of our nation and make a difference for this beloved
country and for the world. With the
promise of my daily prayers, and my deepest gratitude for your sacrifices
and for your love, I am Faithfully
yours in Christ,
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