Page 6: Duc in Altum, continued

Duc in Altum, continued 

Cardinal Grocholewski, never known to pull punches, took aim at countries where the right to a Catholic education is conditioned by the ability to pay. Singling out the United States, he fumed: “The United States is a disaster, because the State does not recognize full democracy as far as schools are concerned.” Even though Catholic schools are at least as good as the government entities, he said, they are forced to labor under unfair burdens.

The document itself welcomes heavy lay involvement in our schools but reminds all that Catholic school teachers are “required to be witnesses of Jesus Christ.” In very frank fashion, it asserts: “Teachers, just like every person who lives and works in a scholastic environment, educate – or they can also diseducate – with their verbal and non-verbal behavior.”

I’ve been in this fray to help Catholic education not only survive but thrive for nearly forty years. It is somewhat gratifying to see that topics on which I have been harping for so long (see, for example, a work of mine published by Alba House in 1976, Catholic Education: A New Dawn?) are finally getting “seconded” by some ecclesiastical authorities. I would like to highlight two points – Catholic identity and accessiblity/affordability.