Father’s
Corner – Corpus Christi and Catholic Schools
As many have heard, Bishop Warfel is moving
forward with plans for a new model for Catholic schools in Great Falls in which
parishes and schools are invited to unite to form a single system. At this
time, Holy Spirit School and Great Falls Central High School are the two
schools and Holy Spirit Parish and St. Ann’s Parish are the two parishes
uniting in this school system. At this time, Our Lady of Lourdes School and the
Ursuline Early Childhood Center are the two schools who are not joining the
consolidation, as well as Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Corpus Christi Parish,
and Malmstrom AFB Chapel.
Some have wondered why Corpus Christi Parish has
not joined in the new school system. Simply put, there is no little
misconception about the support which Corpus Christi offers to Catholic education
in Great Falls. Corpus Christi Parish has very clearly expressed support for
all Catholic schools in Great Falls and will continue to support Catholic education
in whatever form it is present in Great Falls – whether in a single system, or
not. Here are just a few ways that Corpus Christi does support and will
continue to support Catholic schools in Great Falls:
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We make financial contributions
to the elementary schools, $400 per parish student attending the schools. This
adds up to thousands of dollars a year, given as a donation to support the
schools.
-
We advertise for the school
fundraisers and promote registration for all the Catholic schools not only in
our bulletin but also with mounted signs both inside and outside the building.
We also have registration materials displayed in the gathering area.
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Father Ryan has preached about
the importance of Catholic education, stating the teaching of the Second
Vatican Council that all Catholics are obligated to support Catholic education
and that Catholic schooling is to be preferred whenever and wherever possible.
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A number of our parish families
send their children to the Catholic schools.
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Some parishioners are teachers
or administrators for the Catholic schools.
-
Father Ryan is regularly
present at Central High School: Offering Mass, hearing confessions, teaching in
classrooms, offering presentations during the lunch hour, assisting with
monthly adoration. Further, Father Ryan even offered to be a part-time teacher
at Central without any payment, when the school was looking for a religion teacher.
All
of this, taken together, shows that Corpus Christi Parish is more involved and
supportive of Catholic Education in Great Falls than ever in recent history. We
are very much a parish which supports and believes in Catholic schools.
It
is important also for people to realize that Corpus Christi Parish, although
not able to make any further financial contributions (beyond what we are
already doing), has offered spiritual and pastoral support for the new school
system. We certainly continue to support Catholic education in Great Falls.
That
being said, Corpus Christi Parish could not responsibly join fully in the new
school unification process on account of the fact that the financial commitment
which this would entail has never been clarified. As most know, Catholic education
can be extremely costly, and even in our own city we can see that there are
major financial concerns which weigh heavily on the future of the Great Falls
Catholic schools – this burden is especially great when considering the massive
costs associated with the re-opening of Central Catholic High School, a debt
which Corpus Christi cannot carry. As much as Corpus Christi Parish supports
Catholic education, it would be irresponsible for me as the Pastor to commit
the financial resources of our Parish to this new school system, especially
when there has been no clear indication of just what this financial commitment
would entail. Whenever the schools have been discussed in our Parish Finance
Council, it has been clear that any greater financial commitment would be
impossible. This concern is only exacerbated by the fact that Corpus Christi
Parish is already struggling financially and is still currently running a
negative budget – there simply isn’t any ability to give more money to the Great
Falls Catholic schools than what we already donate.
Nevertheless,
Corpus Christi Parish remains a strong supporter of our Great Falls Catholic schools.
In no way does this imply any negative attitude toward public education, nor
less to homeschooling (indeed, isn’t the Catholic home the best Catholic school
of all?). While respecting the rights of all parents to determine how to
educate their children, Corpus Christi Parish seeks only to offer support and
guidance for all families in whatever they have determined to be the best model
for their particular circumstances. Still, following the Second Vatican Council,
our Parish does have a special love for Catholic schools, and we are honored to
be able to support Catholic education in Great Falls in whatever form it is
found – but we know that all parents must discern for themselves what is truly
best and most beneficial for their family.
If
I may offer a personal note, I am proud to state that I am entirely a product
of Catholic education. I credit my vocation to Catholic schools, as I discerned
the call to the priesthood through Billings Central High School. My family
became a “Catholic school family” when I was in junior high, and this brought
about an incredible conversion for all of us. My brother attended Catholic
schools as well. Eventually, my parents made a huge financial sacrifice when
mom quit a very good job to become the financial manager for the Billings
Catholic School System – she remained in that position for several years and
did a lot of good work for the schools. I firmly believe that the future of
priestly vocations in our Diocese depends upon Catholic education, especially
considering that the number of priestly vocations for our Diocese is heavily
dependent upon Catholic schools (although there are certain exceptions, the
basic trend is that those who attend Catholic schools are far more likely to answer
the call to the priesthood and this holds true for our Diocese as well). I,
personally, have the greatest love for Catholic schools and especially for
Catholic homeschooling, and I believe that the future of the Church in America
rests with Catholic education. That being said, I also know of so many good and
inspiring families who send their children to public schools – and I believe
that the Church has a duty to offer them the same support, guidance, and care
as we do Catholic school families. There certainly should be no sense of
discrimination, and the gift of Catholic education should never lead to a sense
of superiority, pride, or judgment against those who do not send their children
to Catholic schools. Still, speaking personally, Catholic education is among
the greatest blessings in my own life – and I am honored to belong to a parish
which is so involved in the Catholic schools in Great Falls.
Father
Ryan Erlenbush
Pastor,
Corpus Christi Parish
