A Catholic School Lament

Composed by:  Br. Raymond Penefort
 
The small Catholic School is still a friendly and active place.  The warm, close atmosphere can be felt with a simple walk down the halls.  But in this particular Catholic School, an air of sadness prevails.  With almost a tear in their eyes, the principal and teachers of St. Thomas Aquinas must prepare for the closing of their elementary school located in the Hampden section of north central Baltimore.  After nearly one hundred fifty years of service to the Catholic and non-Catholic community, the fact had to be faced that the School could no longer operate with a budgetary deficit.  Regardless of the efforts of the parish and supporters, the Archdiocese made the decision that the doors must be closed in June, 2017.
 
I had the opportunity to visit St. Thomas Aquinas on a number of occasions and I was always impressed.  What a wonderful experience it was to witness the gentle but busy interaction between the students and teachers, with small class sizes where every child was important.
 
Most of the teachers have been long-term at St. Thomas.  Some were even taught by teachers still currently on the staff, and along with the principal can tell you the name of every student at the school.  Students were reading; students were calculating—doing math; and students were learning American history.  The evidence and influence of religion were everywhere, from statues and pictures to students and staff praying together.  I believe the teachers taught as Jesus would have taught.
 
As to the financing, the parents were paying approximately $7,000 per child per year.  The Archdiocese of Baltimore had been subsidizing and declared St. Thomas a Diocesan School.  There were fund raisers with everyone involved.
 
But still not enough.  A study of the School indicated several problems including the needs of the physical plant and the inability of the school to increase the budget via increases in enrollment; a problem exacerbated because of the minority Catholic population in the area and a decline in the number of families able to pay tuition.  The decision to close had to stand.
 
What could be done?  Was there no other way?
 
Something I’ve pondered over for many years and something that at last has become to me a moral issue and not really a political one:  Why couldn’t some of the taxes paid by the parents of St. Thomas, the school of their choice, gone to fund that same school?  Is it really just to deny someone a values-based education?  In so many ways there was service to the City of Baltimore including the dollar amount per student that the City would have paid had the children been in public schools.
 
Was it fair?  Has it ever been fair to parents that because they make such a choice they forfeit their dollar value for education although they’ve paid their taxes?  This was the penalty for choosing St. Thomas Aquinas.
 
Is this freedom?  Freedom of choice?  Freedom of religion?
 
Many questions without answers and too late to save St. Thomas.  In the meantime, let’s pray.  Pray to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and pray to St. Thomas Aquinas.
 
Pray for the government officials and leaders in our country that they see the need for an ethical and just solution to this problem—as have leaders in other nations such as Canada.
 
Pray for all the children and families who could have been blessed with an education at St. Thomas School or at any number of other Catholic schools.
 
Pray for all the children and parents who must leave St. Thomas.
 
Pray for all the teachers and staff as they close the door behind them.
 
Pray for the future of Catholic education when the last bell rings.