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1. Perhaps Australian parochial schools are going the same way, and perhaps it has to happen. The interesting question is how faith education will happen - if it will happen - once parents don't have the excuse that 'the school does all that - I don't have to worry about it'.

   Posted By: Joan Seymour

2. A very different Catholic Schools system exists in the United States than our Australian one.
   
   There is no one administrative and financial system for a Diocese and no Commission on a State by State basis or in the national arena, like the ones we have in Australia.
   
   The Diocesan Boards and National bodies for Catholic Schools are focussed on professional standards and curriculum leaving issues of administration, provision of pathways to Catholic School education, teacher salaries, conditions and awards to the individual schools, or, in the case of some Religious Orders, to that particular grouping of schools.
   
   Parishes in the US have Directorates of Religious Education which use professional teachers (paid) to run the Catholic Catechesis in a parish for children 5-18 years old who attend Public Schools. This situation came about because the numbers of Catholic Schools would never be adequate enough to provide Catholic Education for all Catholic children. Interestingly, it could be proved that the US Catholic Church’s decision in the mid to late 1800’s to pursue social justice for Catholic workers by way of the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic mens’ group which set up all manner of insurance for workers to the extent that the KSC is now owner of one of the world’s largest insurance brokerages, was at the expense of support for a national Catholic Schools system. Profits from the KSC brokerage now provide much income for local parishes to run their programmes of catechesis, paid liturgy co-ordinators, paid administrative staff, social outreach etc.
   
   The article mentions Charter Schools, something we don't have here in Australia. Very much part of the US culture of choice to the Nth degree, such schools are 'not public and not denominational' but offering parents various choices to attract them to enrol their children. Such offerings can include specific religious education or general religious studies or none at all. Some extreme examples offer education in such veins as animal liberation philosophy, astrology, new age practices and other occultic attractions.
   
   Charter Schools are mostly independently formed by groups of parents.
   
   Some Charter Schools were once, Catholic Schools. They 'switched' in order to keep being attractive to parents or, in some cases, they were 'granted' their independence by the Catholic organisation or Catholic Diocese because the Catholicity of the school wasn't the attraction any longer or because the particular School, with a high standing in the local community, was now no longer seen as a Catholic School because of such high numbers of non-Catholic students and staff.
   
   Catholic Schools in the US are run from school fees and bequests along with fundraising by the parents and the sponsoring group - either parish, diocesan or religious order. There is no Government funding as we have in Australia. There have been many celebrated cases of Supreme Court challenges, both for and against Government funding of non-government schools, especially religious ones, in the US.
   
   In the 1960's, in Australia, a group was formed along the lines of US groups, to mount High Court challenges to the ten new methods of Government - State and Commonwealth funding for Catholic and other non-government schools in Australia. The most celebrated of the groups was DOGS - Defence of Government Schools. The political issues were lumped together in the media and presented as the issue of State Aid.
   
   Catholic Schools in Australia were founded at least fifty years before Government Schools, the first one at Parramatta, in 1820.
   
   At that time in the history of our nation, the Colonies were either under British rule or limited Constitutional rule. Education systems as we know them did not exist. Parents in small communities banded together and built the school premises themselves and then applied to the Government (NSW) for a teacher's wage. o, in Catholic parishes where it was affordable, parents and priest organised the school and hired the teacher. The school may or may not have carried the Catholic name, but in practice, Catholic children were sent there and non-Catholic parents did similarly for their children. Because of the 'hit and miss' of schooling, Sir Henry Parkes and his party introduced a State Schools system, withdrawing the monies for teacher's wages. It was this decision which wisely led the Bishops of Australia to take up the venture of Catholic Schooling, staffed by Religious Orders.
   
   The Catholic Schools were parish based with Diocesan supervision. The members of the Religious Orders who staffed the schools ate well if they were in a wealthy neighbourhood or half starved if they were located in a poor one. If the Parish Priest was a supporter, the school did well, if not, the school did poorly.
   
   That situation began to change quickly in the 1960's when the numbers of Religious available to teach began to decline and the issue of State Aid to Catholic Schools was seen by the major political parties as a matter of justice rather than favour - parents pay taxes as well as school fees, so they deserve something of the educational dollar reserved for children's education.
   
   The fact that the Catholic Schools in Australia had developed into a parallel system to that of Government schools gave Catholic Schooling in our country the integrity to be seen as a partner in the education of Australian children along with Government schools.
   
   The US Catholic Schooling providors did not have the support of the Bishops or any unity amongst themselves to provide the necessary political clout or educational integrity to advance to the status of a parallel system.
   
   Today, like always, US Catholic Schools largely plot an independent path for Catholic Education and even compete with each other for students. Sadly, the independence they value so highly will probably see them decline even further in numbers and possible influence.
   
   One very important cultural difference between Catholic Schools in Australia and in the US also provides our Catholic Schools with their best guarantee for continuing to be a dynamic parallel system to Government Schools - their objective of educating the students in the Catholic faith and of providing pathways into the Catholic Church, either through direct ties with the local parishes or through a RCIA pathway to become Catholics through Baptism.
   
   Whatever is said in criticism of our Australian Catholic Schools by people at both extremes of Catholicity, our Catholic Schools are doing what they are supposed to do and doing it well, educating children to be good, contributing citizens of our nation with the 'more' of being Catholic thinkers, concerned for the whole of the human family.
   
   The specific Catholic culture of Catholic Schools will depend on how well the local parish, or in the case of regional Catholic High Schools, as well as the Catholic Education Offices provide the structures to allow for teachers, children, parents and parishioners to share life together.
   
   I love our Catholic Schools and have nothing but the utmost respect and gratitude for the teachers in our Catholic Schools. No one else in the Church, except maybe for priests, although they can avoid it if they really want to, have to be in the public eye as much as they do. They deserve the absolute support of all in the Church and the encouragement of direct friendship from Catholic parishioners as they go about their work.
   
   In NSW, the publication of the Bishops' Letter "Catholic Schools At A Crossroad" in August 2007, has provided the agenda for serious reflection and concerted action in Dioceses, Parishes, Catholic Schools and Catholic Educaion Offices.
   
   Maybe, we should send a few of our CEO Administrators and Educational Consultants over to the US Catholic Church, to assist.
   
   That could be a great new export industry for our nation - exporting Catholic Education to the US. Hopefully they wouldn't slap import bans or quotas on us like they do with our export lambs or secretively give Congress support to anti organisations like they do with PETA, giving it tax concessions to wage 'war' on our sheep farmers for good animal husbandry practices such as mulesing.

   Posted By: Fr Mick Mac Andrew, Bombala-Delegate NSW

3. "The Archdiocese of Washington was so desperate to save seven struggling parochial schools last year that it opted for a solution that shook Catholic educators to the core. It took down the crucifixes, hauled away the statues of the Virgin Mary, and - in its own word - "converted" the schools in the nation's capital into city charter schools."
   
   The equivalent of the infamous quote reportedly by a US officer during the Vietnam War, "We had to destroy the village in order to save it."
   
   

   Posted By: Ronk

4. Excllent explanation of the difference between United States and Aust Catholic schools by Fr MacAndrew.
   However it is surprising that when he dealt with the Parkes Bill, following which the Aust Catholic bishops decided to go it alone and run their own system, they drew heavily on Ireland for the personnel (religious Orders) to run the schools).
   The generosity of the Irish in almost every sector of Catholic endeavour in Australia must never be overlooked.
   I also admire the dedication of teachers in Catholic schools but surveys a few years ago showed that many of the students at the Australian Catholic University (from whom many Catholic school teachers would come) did not accept many of the basic teachings of the Catholic Church. That is a real worry.
   This is no criticism of the ACU vice chancellors past, or of Professor Craven (present VC) who I believe is doing and will do an excellent job.
   A major aim of the Catholic school system is to provide people who think the Catholic religion is worth practising.
   That some do is a matter for rejoicing. But for whatever reason (and I am not excluding parental responsibility which is often described as paramount) the number of ex-Catholic school students who practise is alarmingly small.
   We seem to be opening or expanding schools but closing or amalgamating parishes.
   Thanks again Fr MacAndrew for the trouble you have taken to give the explanation to which I have referred.

   Posted By: BALANCED

5. I agree with what Fr. Mick MacAndrew has written. I suspect that if Government funding did not come to the Catholic System in the 1960's with the famous Goulburn Strike and extensive political lobbying that followed, then we would be in the same boat as the US although for different reasons.
   As it is the Commonwealth and State/Territory Governments provide at least 60% of funding to the non Government sector- a rather cheap way of providing education in one sense.
   It should be a big wake up lesson to our Clergy and Administrators-Governments do change their minds.
   Gavin O'Brien

   Posted By: Gavin O'Brien

6. I am interested in the justification the Catholic Church uses in supporting schools that may have a very low ratio of Catholic students. Should Church resources not be used for more worthy causes such as support of the poor and marginalised rather than providing a low cost private education option for non Catholic families in the suburbs and regional centres? My wife and I were both educated in Catholic schools but we chose a govt secondary school for both our children.

   Posted By: pdev

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