Page 7: Catholic Schools in Perspective, continued

The First Provincial Council of Baltimore in 1829 asserted that "we judge it absolutely necessary that schools be established in which the young may be taught the principles of faith and morality, while being instructed in letters." The bishops of the nation made their judgment a matter of law in 1884 at the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore: "We decide and decree that near each church, where it does not exist, a parish school is to be erected within two years of the promulgation of this Council."

Some American bishops, like John Ireland, opted for an "assimilationist" form of Catholicism. This Americanist point of view maintained that Catholic doctrine should be presented in a way that would cause as little difference to surface with Protestants as possible. Educationally, the Americanists were opposed to parochial schools, however, by the time the Code of Canon Law was enacted in 1918, they had to face this strong statement: "Catholic children are not to attend non-Catholic, neutral or mixed schools." Where no other alternative was available, the bishop himself had to determine what dangers to the Faith existed and then judge if a dispensation from the law would be tolerable.

The rationale behind this stringent injunction was explained clearly by Pope Pius XI in his encyclical "On the Christian Education of Youth": "The so-called 'neutral' school from which religion is excluded, is contrary to the fundamental principles of education. Such a school moreover cannot exist in practice; it is bound to become irreligious." While this kind of thinking has been characterized as a "fortress" or "siege mentality," few observers can doubt that the American public school is a potent example of a "neutral" school system becoming "irreligious" de facto and, some would add, de jure.

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council dealt with Catholic education extensively as they followed the trajectory of Church teaching to that point and contributed to its development as well. Several comments bear notice from their Declaration on Christian Education: “The Church's involvement in the field of education is demonstrated especially by the Catholic school.

Therefore, since it can contribute so substantially to fulfilling the mission of God's people, and can further the dialogue between the Church and the family of man, to their mutual benefit, the Catholic school retains its immense importance in the circumstances of our times too. . . .” "As for Catholic parents, the Council calls to mind their duty to entrust their children to Catholic schools. . . ." One should observe that these statements are rather absolute, not surrounded by various qualifiers.

In 1971 the American bishops issued a pastoral letter on Catholic education, "To Teach as Jesus Did." It became the standard by which to judge all Catholic schools, outlining as it did the goals and objectives for all Catholic institutions of learning. Included is the following statement: "[They] are the most effective means available to the Church for the education of children and young people." Many would point to the great irony that at the very moment of the letter's promulgation, pastors were closing schools at an unprecedented rate, usually with the blessing of the local bishop.

Pope Paul VI's bicentennial message to the Church in the United States contained praise for the American Catholic school system and an encouragement to continue the tradition: "The strength of the Church in America (is) in the Catholic schools." Nor was it sheer coincidence that the two Americans Paul VI canonized in observance of our bicentennial, Bishop John Neumann of Philadelphia and Mother Seton of New York, were prime movers in the parochial school effort.

The most thorough analysis of Catholic education in modern times was offered by the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education in 1977. "The Catholic School" probed every aspect of the educational process and also recognized the fact that some people had suggested the phasing out of Catholic schools. Its conclusion was that "to give in to them would be suicidal."