Page 3: A Letter from the President

A Letter from the President

April 2nd, 2007

Dear Friends,

It’s no secret that the last half-century has not been kind to Catholic education in the United States. Archbishop J. Michael Miller, Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, recently summed up the situation [1] :

• There has been a 30% decline in enrollment since 1930 despite the fact that the Catholic population has grown by over 300%;

• Since 1960, the market penetration of Catholic secondary schools has decreased from 10% (800,000 Catholic school students to 8 million public school students) to just over 5% (700,000 Catholic/13 million public);

• In 1965 there were 180,000 religious sisters in the U.S., today there are 75,000, and over 50% of them are 70 years of age or older;

• Since 1990, the U.S. has experienced a net loss of 760 Catholic schools.

The Catholic Education Foundation was established to foster a renewal in Catholic education across the United States, most especially (though not exclusively) in Catholic secondary schools. For the past several years, we have been encouraging individuals who benefited from the Catholic school system to make financial contributions in honor of their mentors, which then makes it possible for others to benefit from Catholic education by funding:

1. Student scholarships;
2. Teacher formation programs;
3. The recruitment and retention of quality educators through competitive compensation.

Thus, our original intent was to foster renewal through financial support. Yet along the way, we unwittingly stumbled upon a second source of renewal: a broad, on-going conversation through which all of us interested in the recovery of Catholic education can share ideas, raise awareness of new programs and initiatives, and expand the apostolate. The launch of the Catholic Educator is our attempt to institutionalize this conversation.

To date the Catholic Education Foundation has provided thousands of dollars in scholarship money to deserving and needy students. Yet providing the proper funding is only a small part of reviving our Catholic schools: we must also recover a true understanding of Catholic education and provide our teachers and administrators with the resources they need to so educate. The Foundation stands committed to carrying on John Paul II’s new evangelization, and welcomes your help.

Warmly,

A. Joseph Indelicato