On the way to work this morning, I heard a disturbing NPR program about how the Diocese of Washington D.C. is planning to close seven of its Catholic schools in order to create public “charter ”schools so as to take advantage of public funds and keep them going. While this will serve the neighborhoods in having schools stay close, all of the crucifixes will be removed from the walls, prayer before each class will cease, children will no longer have mass, and any discussion of God will cease. It was explained that the diocese had been charging $3500 per student as tuition when the per-student cost was actually $7500, hence a loss of $3000 per student. The bishop explained that they could not afford to keep the schools open and that this was the best solution to strengthen the remaining Catholic schools.
Not too long ago, many of us were present when Fr. Al came here to Schaad Hall to bless the crucifixes that are now on the walls in each of the new classrooms. How different is our experience from the people in Washington, D.C. Our life here at KCHS is vibrant, we are growing rather than dissolving, we are gaining momentum in this area, and our Catholic witness is self-evident. We have so much to be thankful for in our now seventy-five years of shaping and molding young peoples’ minds and hearts. Soon, we will have to take Fr. Vann’s photo off the wall of the A building and change his title from Fr. to Bishop. Think about that! Our school has helped to produce the first bishop from the Diocese of Knoxville. That kind of news is staggering, when taken with the bad news from Washington, D.C. We are incredibly blessed to be a part of this community. We should be thankful each day we come through the doors of this holy place. May God continue to bless our school, and may we continue to put crucifixes on the walls here rather than take them down. –dpat
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