A Pastoral Letterto the Clergy, Religious and Laity of the

Archdiocese of Washington

CATHOLIC EDUCATION Looking to the Future with Confidence

A Pastoral Letterto the Clergy, Religious and Laity of the

Archdiocese of Washington

ByMost Reverend Donald W. Wuerl, S.T.D.

Archbishop of Washington

Grace and peace to you in Christ.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

CHRIST IS OUR TEACHER. He offers his people the words oftruth and everlasting life. “For this I was born and for this I cameinto the world, to testify to the truth” ( Jn 18:37). Today his teach-

ing mission endures in those whom he sends.

The Archdiocese of Washington has a long and faith-filled history ofspreading the good news - the Gospel. Integral to that ministry is Catholiceducation, particularly parish religious education programs and our Catholicschools. Through these important educational efforts theChurch continues to send those who proclaim the word ofGod and prepare our youth to live it. At the heart of our mes-sage is the word of God. It constitutes the content of theChurch's proclamation.

It is with this awareness that we turn our attention to our edu-cational ministry. As we begin this new pastoral/academic yearand return to a full schedule of activities in the parishes, Iinvite you to look to the future as our local Church addressesthe long-range goal of strengthening and supporting Catholiceducation throughout the archdiocese, both in our schools andin our other parish catechetical programs.

In this pastoral letter I would like to reflect on the importanceof our educational ministry, on the need for an overall assess-ment of and plan for Catholic education across thearchdiocese and on some of the major elements of such an effort. The plan,to be developed through a process that will include consultation with a widerange of people, will address practical steps to review and renew togetherhow well we are meeting the challenge to be Christ's witnesses to our world.It is by celebrating our strengths, identifying areas for improvement andworking together that Catholic education will flourish for generations tocome, bringing them Christ's Gospel and helping them grow in theirencounter with the living Lord.

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As Jesus prepared to turn over tohis apostles and disciples a sharein the mission entrusted to him

by his Father, he empowered and commis-sioned them to teach in his name. As theGospel narrative of the life of Jesus con-cludes, it paints a picture of Jesus sendinghis followers to share with others the goodnews: “Then Jesus approached and said tothem, 'All power in heaven and on earthhas been given to me. Go, therefore, andmake disciples of all nations, baptizingthem in the name of the Father, and of theSon, and of the holy Spirit, teaching themto observe all that I have commanded you.And behold, I am with you always, untilthe end of the age.'” (Matthew 28:18-20)

We are asked to envision ourselves withthose disciples who were called to sharethe good news. We are part of that samebody of disciples. Christ continues toremain with us in his new body — hisChurch — alive in the gift of his Holy

Spirit — the Spirit of Truth. Centuriesmay separate us from the initial group offollowers who were sent as witnesses butnothing separates us from Christ and hischallenge to us. Each of us is asked tostand in the midst of our family, our parishand our community, aware of our faith,proud of it and part of the effort to sharethis wonderful gift. We are witnesses.We bear testimony to the Truth.

The words “You will be my witnesses”echo in the pages of the Acts of theApostles (Acts 1:8) where we find anaccount of the early Church. In living continuity since those days, the Churchhas passed on the words — the revelation— that introduces us to Jesus of Nazarethwho is Mary's son and God's son, to Jesuswho is the Logos — the Word — comeamong us. Our faith and call to be wit-nesses are the incentive for our workthroughout this archdiocese to share thegood news.

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PA R T O N E

Teach Them to Observe All That I Have Commanded You

“Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.”—Matthew 28:20—

Our efforts this year seem all the moreappropriate since it was only last Aprilthat our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI,came to Washington to encourage us inour mission and particularly to highlightthe role of evangelization, catechesis andeducation. As he began his homily atNationals Park, our Holy Father told usthat he came to strengthen us in the faiththat comes to us from the apostles. PopeBenedict said, “In my exercise of my min-istry as the successor of Peter, I have cometo America to confirm you, my brothersand sisters, in the faith of the apostles (cf. Lk 22:32). I have come to proclaimanew, as Peter proclaimed on the day ofPentecost, that Jesus Christ is Lord andMessiah.” Throughout his visit, the Popeboth confirmed us in our faith and chal-lenged us to share it and live it to the full.

It is in that context that we take a criticallook at our archdiocese to see where weare and where we want to be in the overallcontext of the Church's mission to bringChrist to the world and to tell others ofJesus and his answers to the great ques-tions of life. We recognize that it is in theencounter with Jesus Christ that we findour identity as his followers and answers tothe questions that are a part of the human

condition, such as how shall I live; whatare the values that will direct my life; andwhat is the purpose of life. This is theenduring message of Christ for more than2,000 years and therefore, as Catholics, ourmessage.

In his encyclical Deus caritas est (God isLove), Pope Benedict XVI spoke of threeessential elements of the life of theChurch: “The Church’s deepest nature isexpressed in her threefold responsibility:of proclaiming the word of God (kerygma-martyria), celebrating the sacraments(leitourgia), and exercising the ministry ofcharity (diakonia)” (25).

In our structured, organized religious edu-cation efforts Christ's voice is heard todayand his Gospel announced. Perhaps it isfor this reason that during his visit to theUnited States our Holy Father addressedCatholic educators at The CatholicUniversity of America and spoke soencouragingly about the ministry of education. He said, “Education is integralto the mission of the church to proclaimthe Good News. First and foremost everyCatholic educational institution is a placeto encounter the living God, who in JesusChrist reveals his transforming love andtruth. (cf. Spe salvi, 4)”

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We live in an increasingly secular

and materialistic society, which is

often at odds withour Christian

messages and values.

Catholic education in all of itsforms has as its primary task thecommunication of the person and

message of Christ to adults, youth andchildren. This unfolds through a widerange of efforts but the goal is always thesame. In our Catholic elementary and secondary schools, parish religious educa-tion programs, adult faith formation, theRite of Christian Initiation of Adults,sacramental formation programs, and themany forms of youth ministry, campusministry and evangelizing outreach, thethreads of the encounter with Christ andhis life-giving message are woven into thefabric of our human experience.

We realize that Catholic education is theresponsibility of the whole Church. In hisJune 2007 address at the Rome diocesanconvention, Pope Benedict XVI under-lined that the “entire Christian community,with all its many branches and compo-

nents, is challenged by the important taskof leading the new generations to theencounter with Christ.” We look to thefuture of Catholic education throughoutour archdiocese with the hope to renew inthe hearts of all the members of thisChurch a sense of ownership of all of theexpressions of education, particularly ourschools.

As we begin this initiative, we recognizethere are successful educational activitiescarried on by dedicated faith-filled clergy,religious and laity throughout the archdio-cese. The goal of this process focused onCatholic education is simply to renew andstrengthen our efforts to pass on the faith.The first step in achieving this mission is to assess where we are today to determinehow effective our efforts are. This unfoldsin two primary areas: parish religious education programs and Catholic schools.These programs support what families are

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PA R T T W O

The Many Expressions of Catholic Education

“I thank my brother bishops, priest and deacons, men and women religious,parents, teachers and catechists…(for) your own

fidelity in handing on the treasure of our Catholic faith.”—Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at Mass at Washington Nationals Stadium, 2008—

doing in their own homes to live the word ofGod and pass on the faith to their children.

We embark on this work with the fullrealization of the unique time in which welive, as well as the complexities of today'ssociety. As our Holy Father noted in histalk to the United States bishops lastApril, our world is materialistic and secu-lar, which presents its own challenges. In aculture that does not readily support ourfaith, a culture where ever-more complexethical decisions too often are made with-out consideration of important moralprinciples, our religious education effortstake on a new and critical relevance.

The United States bishops raised similarconcerns in their 2000 statement,“We live in an increasingly secular andmaterialistic society, which is often at oddswith our Christian messages and values.The emphasis on individual rights haseroded the concept of the common goodand our ability to call people to acceptrevealed teaching that cannot be changedby democratic process.” The statementgoes on to reference the “disintegration ofthe community and social structures thatonce supported religious faith and encour-aged family life” and how these supportsystems have been replaced by a media-and technology-driven culture that makescatechesis especially difficult. Religiousinstruction and catechesis compete againstentertainment and sports for time in people'sbusy lives.” (In Support of CatecheticalMinistry, June 2000)

Our children today, as they grow up in anever more complex world, need to be firmlygrounded in knowledge of the authenticfaith the Church professes so they can beprepared to live a full, happy and holy lifein communion with Christ.

The Center for Applied Research in theApostolate (CARA) found in a February2008 study that only 37 percent of thosesurveyed said that “living my life consistent

with Church teaching is ‘very’ important totheir sense of what it means to be Catholic”(Sacraments Today: Belief and Practice Among U.S. Catholics, Executive Summary).This suggests that while Catholics in theUnited States value religion, there is stillmuch to learn about the role and impact ofChurch teaching in their lives.

In that same month, the Pew Forum onReligion & Public Life released the resultsof a survey on religion in the United Statesthat found 92 percent of Americansbelieve in God, and yet far fewer see theneed for any connection to a specific religious affiliation and its teachings. It isin light of these cultural challenges that we strive to foster a richer appropriation of the faith in those now entrusted to our educational care.

We also face financial and economic realities:• How do we ensure we are offering academically excellent and affordableschools to as many children as possible? • How can we better assist families who are making sacrifices for their children'seducation? • How do we adequately compensate ourvalued teachers and administrators?

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The task before ustoday is to assess

how effectively we are transmitting the

faith to our youngpeople and assistingparents in their role.

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The task before us today is to assess howeffectively we are transmitting the faith toour young people and assisting parents intheir role. We will first need to beinformed on what is actually taking placeso together we can evaluate what worksbest, how these experiences might be sharedand what requires additional attention.

During this year we will look at all theways in which the teaching of the Churchis presented. This evaluation will help usprovide support and oversight so that thefaith is presented in an appropriate andcomprehensive manner. We shall alsofocus on our Catholic schools to worktogether towards a more equitable mannerof sustaining them across the archdiocese.

Two central initiatives are underway toaccomplish our goals:• A parish catechetical visitation assess-ment process, and • The development of archdiocesan-widepolicy and strategy for our archdiocesanCatholic schools.

The decision to initiate this archdiocesan-wide assessment process grows out of boththe archdiocesan Catechetical Convocationin October 2006, attended by over 2,300people engaged in religious education, andthe archdiocesan Convocation on CatholicEducation in October 2007, involving people from throughout the archdiocesewho were actively engaged in and support-ive of our Catholic schools. Both gatheringsresulted in a call for a more systematicreview of all of our religious educationefforts in our parish and school programs in order to provide support for them and to strengthen them.

The October 2006 archdiocesanCatechetical Convocation wasintended to thank and to encour-

age the hundreds and hundreds ofcatechists, volunteer and career, through-out this archdiocese who day in and dayout expend so much time, energy and tal-ent on instilling the faith and encouragingits growth. We cited then and again nowthe words of the United States bishops,“Because effective catechesis depends soheavily on human effort — on professionalpreparation, planning, performance, andevaluation; on personal qualities and commitments; and especially on the faith,hope, and love of catechists — we celebrateand express our deepest gratitude for themany thousands of persons who serve the

Church as catechists. Through their personal efforts at evangelization, theyplant the seeds of faith in people of allages throughout the United States.We are aware of the efforts catechistsmake to be faithful instruments of God'sWord and the personal sacrifices theymake to teach in the name of Christ andhis Church; we give thanks to God fortheir efforts.” (In Support of CatecheticalMinistry, June 2000)

For the parish, catechists are a blessing forso many reasons. They embody a centralaspect of the Church’s responsibility toteach the faith. They do so, sometimeswith the assistance of a catechetical leader,in an orderly and systematic manner. Theyalso act under the guidance of the pastor,

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PA R T T H R E E

Parish Religious Education

“We celebrate and express our deepest gratitude for the many thousands of persons who serve the Church as catechists.”

—United States Catholic Bishops, In Support of Catechetical Ministry, June 2000)—

Education in the faithbegins in the family.

Parents are the first teachers of their

children.

thus assuring their connectedness with theChurch’s apostolic mission. Last academicyear over 2,400 parish catechists dedicatedhours upon hours to pass on the faith toover 24,200 youth.

Following the Catechetical Convocationand in consultation with many others, thedecision was made to begin a review andassessment of the religious education pro-grams in parishes and schools throughoutthe archdiocese. The purpose of such anassessment is to become aware of andshare information relative to the successesthat abound and to determine where assis-tance might be needed to strengthen theteaching of the faith.

Such a review and assessment seems allthe more appropriate in view of the widelyrecognized fact that we are dealing with ageneration and more of Catholics, of whichsome have not appropriated a sufficientunderstanding of the faith. They thus are,many times, ill-equipped to offer the faithfoundation to their children. They look tothe Church for help.

Catholics, young and adult, face decisionseach day, some critical. If we work out of adiminished or faulty knowledge of thefaith or if we are not fully aware or con-vinced of what Jesus taught or the wisdomhis Church provides, such decisionsbecome all the harder to make in a waythat brings the Gospel into our lives.

Education in the faith begins in the family.Parents are the first teachers of their children. So much of the effort to pass onthe faith to the next generation has as itscontext the family, the home, the “domesticChurch.” As the child grows, the parishcommunity offers educational support aswell as an introduction into the faith com-munity, particularly in preparation for thereception of the sacraments. The experi-ence of most of the Catholic faithful insharing the gift of faith with their childrenincludes the transition into either a

Catholic school or a parish religious edu-cation program. It is for this reason thatwe are turning our attention so directly tothe effectiveness of our religious educationprograms and the stability and future ofour Catholic schools.

We are mindful that some parents chooseto home school their children. This laud-able commitment that places so muchresponsibility upon the parents still involvesthe life of the parish and the Church’sinvolvement with the family, particularlyin the preparation for the reception of thesacraments and in supporting parents withhelpful guidelines for religious educationand the availability of appropriate religiouseducation resources. Even should theparish religious education program orschool, if available, not be the means afamily might choose in educating its children; nonetheless, the family is still apart of the faith community — the parish.The family's pastor and those at theappropriate archdiocesan offices want towalk with the parents and their children in their faith journey.

It is for this reason that, as a part of theoverall review of Catholic education in itsmany forms, the archdiocese intends toinitiate a dialogue with home schoolingparents to assess with them how best toassist them. Here we find encouragementand direction in the words of our HolyFather, “the Christian family, the small‘domestic Church,’ and the larger family ofthe Church must take care to develop theclosest collaboration, especially with regardto the education of children (cf. LumenGentium, 11).” (Address to Participants in theConvention of the Diocese of Rome, 2007)

This might be an appropriate place to note that a number of resources are avail-able to the Church to aid our task ofassessing the teaching of the faith and tohelp ensure that the actual teaching itselfis in conformity with the authentic faith of

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the Church. We are the beneficiaries of aseries of resources at the level of theChurch universal and those adapted forthe Church in our country. The Catechismof the Catholic Church along with theGeneral Directory for Catechesis offer guid-ance to the whole Church on both thecontent of the faith and the manner inwhich that message should be shared.The National Directory for Catechesis andthe recently published United StatesCatholic Catechism for Adults provide uswith direction and resources well suited for focusing our catechetical efforts andeffectively teaching the faith, especially toyounger generations and those, perhaps,who have not had the benefit of sustainedand appropriated catechesis.

As recently as the November 2007 meetingof the United States Conference ofCatholic Bishops, two additional docu-ments were approved that are also mosthelpful. The first of these is DoctrinalElements of a Curriculum Framework for theDevelopment of Catechetical Materials forYoung People of High School Age. As theintroduction points out, “In addition toproviding guidance about the doctrinalcontent of catechetical instruction forhigh-school-age, this framework is alsodesigned to help those same young peopledevelop the necessary skills to answer oraddress the real questions that they face inlife and in their Catholic faith.” The secondis Catechetical Formation in Chaste Living.In its introduction we read, “These guide-lines may also be helpful to assist parents/guardians, catechists, and Catholic schoolteachers in their respective roles in thiscrucial and delicate task.”

The archdiocesan Office for ReligiousEducation, which is a part of theSecretariat for Education, has begun tovisit parishes and schools. The program,entitled the Parish Catechetical Visitationand Assessment Process, is the result of thewisdom and experience of pastors, parish

religious educators, Catholic school leadersand those involved at the archdiocesanlevel. A number of visits as part of a pilotprogram have already been conducted andrefined materials for the visits are now inplace for wider use this academic year. Theparish visits and assessments will continueat an increased rate.

Essentially, the program has the overallgoal of promoting religious educationplanning in parishes and schools and sup-porting the skills necessary to accomplisheffectively this task. The catechetical visitation process unfolds in four steps:an initial meeting between a representativeof the Office of Religious Education andthe pastor and key parish catecheticalleaders; an online parish self-assessment ofits catechetical efforts, using benchmarksfrom the National Directory for Catechesis;an on-site review of the data and recom-mendations with the parish catecheticalleadership; and sharing of best practices bythe archdiocese.

The pilot visits involved a number ofparishes and identified some clear needsfor the future. One of the initial findingswas the need to begin a review of our reli-gious education guidelines and curricula.While the current guidelines clearly out-line the content of the faith that is to betaught, it is time to improve the curricu-lum through the addition of religiouseducation standards that indicate what astudent should know after a course ofinstruction. For this reason, proposals arecurrently being reviewed that focus on away to update the religion curriculumguidelines for use in parishes and schools.

Another need identified through the pilotvisits was for improved formation andpreparation for parish catechists and alsothe development of some basic new materialsthat will assist the catechists in their task.

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Our Catholic schools are a proveninstrument for passing on thefaith. We have long recognized

the role of Saint Elizabeth Ann Setonwhose efforts in Maryland in the earlypart of the 19th century, with the encour-agement of Bishop John Carroll, are seenas the beginning of the Catholic system ofschools throughout our country.

Mission of OurCatholic Schools

Historically the Church has turned toCatholic schools to help carry out herteaching mission. In 2005 the UnitedStates Conference of Catholic Bishopsnoted, “These Catholic schools afford thefullest and best opportunity to realize thefourfold purpose of Christian education,namely to provide an atmosphere in whichthe Gospel message is proclaimed, com-

munity in Christ is experienced, service toour sisters and brothers is the norm, andthanksgiving and worship of our God iscultivated.” (Renewing Our Commitment toCatholic Elementary and Secondary Schoolsin the Third Millennium, 2005)

In a June 2007 address, Pope BenedictXVI said, “By educating in the faith, a veryimportant task is entrusted to Catholicschools. Indeed, they must carry out theirmission on the basis of an educationalproject which places the Gospel at thecenter and keeps it as a decisive referencepoint for the person’s formation and forthe entire cultural program. In convincedsynergy with families and with theEcclesial Community, Catholic schoolsshould therefore seek to foster that unitybetween faith, culture and life which is thefundamental goal of Christian education.”(Address to Participants in the Convention ofthe Diocese of Rome, 2007)

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PA R T F O U R

Overview of Our Catholic Schools

“First and foremost every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God, who in Jesus Christ reveals

his transforming love and truth (cf. Spe salvi, 4)”—Pope Benedict XVI, Meeting with Catholic Educators, The Catholic University of America, 2008—

Catholic schoolsshould seek to fosterthat unity betweenfaith, culture and life.

Who We Are:Our Catholic Schools

The 98 Catholic schools in theArchdiocese of Washington, including 65archdiocesan schools (63 elementary andtwo high schools) as well as schools oper-ated or sponsored by religiouscommunities or other groups confirmed byappropriate Church authority, are asdiverse as the communities they serve.Close to 30,000 students come from thecity, suburbs and rural communities, fromthe heart of Washington, DC to our fiveMaryland counties. Their families arefinancially wealthy, middle class and live inpoverty. They are Catholic and notCatholic. They are new to our nation andthey can trace their ancestry back nearly400 years to the original settlers who in1634 brought our faith to the New Worldand established Maryland as a place ofreligious freedom.

Our schools, where over 3,000 teachersprovide instruction, are dispersed geo-graphically across the entire region. Thereare 21 schools within the District of

Columbia, 36 in Montgomery County,24 in Prince George’s County, and 17 inSouthern Maryland.

These schools are identified as Catholicthrough the presence of an archdiocesan-approved religious education/faithformation program that ensures that thefaith is integrated into and permeates thewhole educational process at the school.Catholic identity also is visible in pastoralministry programs that nurture personalspirituality and formation of the studentsinto a living experience and witness ofChristian life.

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Where We Are Today

At the October 2007 Convocation onCatholic Education, pastors, principals,catechetical leaders and members of parishcouncils, finance councils and other advi-sory groups arrived at a number ofimportant conclusions. First was therecognition of the need for an overall andshared vision for Catholic educationthroughout this archdiocesan Church.Second was the need to develop a strategyto achieve this vision. In addition, therewas agreement that we must work togetherto distribute equitably the responsibilityfor Catholic schools across the archdio-cese. Catholic schools are the patrimony ofthe whole archdiocese and should benefitfrom archdiocesan-wide support.

The need to address the future of Catholicschools is not unique to our archdiocese.Nationwide, nearly 1,200 faith-basedschools closed from 2000 to 2006, displac-ing approximately 400,000 students,according to the National Center forEducation Statistics. In many cases, thisoccurred as the population moved fromolder northeastern cities to the southwest,from city to suburbs or beyond. TheDistrict of Columbia, for example, has lostapproximately 30 percent of its populationsince 1950, including 10 percent between2000 and 2005. Today there is a dramati-cally lower number of men and womenreligious teaching in the schools. Layteachers account for 96 percent of Catholicschool teachers in the archdiocese.

The Archdiocese of Washington has longsought to address these challenges andseek solutions. In 1997, the Center CityConsortium was formed under the direc-tion of Cardinal James Hickey to stabilizeand revitalize inner-city Catholic schoolsin the neediest neighborhoods ofWashington, DC. More than $68 millionover and above tuition income was invest-

ed in these schools by the archdiocese andits donors over the next 11 years.

The original Consortium began with eightfinancially and academically distressedschools. Eventually the Consortium wasexpanded to 14 schools between 2002 and2005 in an effort to keep other financiallydistressed schools from closing. Twoschools consolidated during the 2006-07academic year.

By spring 2007, it was clear that the stressof the rapid expansion, combined withdeclining enrollments in many of theschools, simply overwhelmed financiallythe Consortium. Consultations were heldat 12 schools and their parishes with over1,300 people. Eventually approval wasgiven to permit the conversion of sevenschools to an independent charter group,return one, Saint Augustine, to parishoversight and continue to invest extraresources in four other schools organizedas the Consortium of Catholic Academies.All these schools serve students fromlower-income neighborhoods.

Today, 21 Catholic schools serve theDistrict of Columbia, including 12 parishelementary schools. Half of the parishschools serve predominantly non-Catholicand low-income communities, continuingour mission of Catholic education in thecenter city, within the resources available.

The Consortium of Catholic Academieswill ensure that its four schools have accessto needed financial resources. This year acommitment has been made to provide $3 million in funding during the 2008-09school year. This includes $2 million ingrants, gifts and donations from donors,particularly those working with the con-sortium board and $1 million from thearchdiocese. Teachers will continue to beserved by intensive professional develop-ment and other benefits.

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In another approach to extend the range ofcollaboration to strengthen urban schools,Holy Redeemer School in the District isin its second year as a Magnificat School.This five-year partnership with the arch-diocese and the University of Notre Damebrings professional development, technicalassistance and other support.

The Salesians of Don Bosco and the arch-diocese opened the Don Bosco Cristo ReyHigh School in Takoma Park, Marylandin fall 2007 to give very low income stu-dents access to a Catholic, collegepreparatory education through a creativework-study program. In addition to theirstudies and extracurricular activities, thestudents “job share” at corporate offices,gaining valuable work experience and cov-ering a large portion of their tuition costs.

Other models include regional schools thatserve and depend on the support of severalparishes so costs and responsibilities areshared. Examples include Saint Pius XRegional School in Bowie and ArchbishopNeale School in LaPlata, as well as Mary ofNazareth School, a multi-parish school inDarnestown that is separately incorporated.

As we complete this brief review of theCatholic education effort throughout thearchdiocese and particularly that sponsoredby the archdiocese itself we can, I believe,be proud of the breadth of the effort, theextent of the achievement and the depthof commitment. What we hope to do inthis academic year is build on all of thesepositive points so that we can focus ourenergies, efforts and activities to ensure,well into the future, our Catholic schools.

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We can, I believe,be proud of the

breadth of the effort,the extent of the

achievement and the depth of

commitment.

Out of the 2007 Convocation onCatholic Education came thecommitment to develop an over-

arching strategy for promoting Catholicschools and policies to support such a vision.Four primary areas of attention, or “pillars,”of Catholic schools were identified.These represent broad areas in whichplanning should take place and goals set:1. Catholic identity2. Academic excellence3. Accessibility4. Affordability

These areas are consistent with those iden-tified in the United States bishops’statement on education: “It is the responsi-bility of the entire Catholic community —bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and

laity — to continue to strive towards thegoal of making our Catholic elementaryand secondary schools available, accessible,and affordable to all Catholic parents andtheir children, including those who arepoor and middle class. All Catholics mustjoin together in efforts to ensure thatCatholic schools have administrators andteachers who are prepared to provide anexceptional educational experience foryoung people-one that is both trulyCatholic and of the highest academicquality.” (Renewing our Commitment toCatholic Elementary and Secondary Schoolsin the Third Millennium, 2005)

Building upon the work of the convoca-tion, a task force, under the coordinationof an oversight committee, was established

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PA R T F I V E

Four Pillars of Catholic Schools

“Catholic schools exist … to provide our children with an opportunity not only for academically excellent education, but a faith formation …

which will serve them the rest of their lives.”—Archbishop Wuerl, Convocation on Catholic Education, 2007—

for each of the four key areas. Already,preliminary work is underway to gatherthe information necessary to envision specific goals and the types of policy neededto achieve the goals. During this academicyear, the task forces will formulate suggest-ed policies that address the four areas.Clearly, this is a substantial undertakingand at each stage will involve communica-tion of information, consultation throughoutthe archdiocese including surveys andfocus groups, and a high degree of collabo-ration. Initial consultation with both thePriest Council and the ArchdiocesanPastoral Council indicates strong supportfor this enterprise.

Catholic Identity

“At the heart of our Catholic schools is our Catholic faith.”(Archbishop Wuerl, Convocation on CatholicEducation, 2007)

During all the preliminary discussionsabout our Catholic schools, one clear factemerged: our schools are and must beCatholic. While open to and welcoming ofstudents of other faiths, our schools func-tion with a clear Catholic identity. Theschools offer each student faith and moralformation while providing an excellentacademic education. Catholic identity isintrinsic to our educational effort and isthe reason for its success. We name ourschools “Catholic” not as a nod to theirpast history but as a proclamation of theirpurpose and identity today and of theirconnectedness to the Church that authen-ticates their identity.

At every level, elementary and secondary,the schools, with our support, must con-tinue to do all that it takes to meet thechallenge of presenting an educationalalternative that is rooted in and takes itsdaily inspiration from the faith and in visi-ble connectedness with the archdiocesan

Church. Our education effort derives fromour conviction that our Catholic faithinvites us into dialogue with God andoffers us a way of life grounded in hisword. Even in a culture that denies theneed for this dialogue, there is a deepyearning in the human heart for just sucha conversation with God. Our role inCatholic education is to provide a frame ofreference for a life that reflects the wordsof everlasting life.

As the bishops’ 2005 statement onCatholic schools states, “We must provideyoung people with an academically rigor-ous and doctrinally sound program ofeducation and faith formation designed tostrengthen their union with Christ and hisChurch. The entire Catholic communitymust now focus on the future and themany challenges we face. We must thenmove forward with faith, courage, andenthusiasm because Catholic schools areso important to our future.”

While our schools are Catholic and pres-ent a vision of life inspired by Jesus, manyof the students are not Catholic. Theycome because our schools work. Parents,guardians and students recognize theblessings of an education in a Catholicenvironment where our faith is the inspi-ration for the wholesome school culturethat encourages academic achievement andalso self-discipline, personal integrity andmoral values.

Catholic schools become a gift to thewhole community and are recognized ascenters of learning that foster personaldevelopment and growth enriched with asense of self-fulfillment and worth andguided by basic and essential moral values.

Our Catholic schools stand in the commu-nity as a reminder that education can anddoes work. It is capable of bringing forththe best from our students in a mannerthat transforms for them their possibilitiesand their future.

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Academic Excellence

“Our responsibility is to present theGospel message and an excellent educational program. Accountability and holistic assessment are, therefore,essential to that responsibility.”(National Catholic Educational Association,Statement on Accountability and Assessment inCatholic Education, 2004)

Our Catholic schools long have had anexcellent reputation for the academicachievement of all their students. Studiesthat focus on our inner-city schools high-light an exceptional level of academicaccomplishment that reflects the excellenceof the educational component of ourschools. As the National CatholicEducational Association (NCEA) hasnoted, Catholic elementary and secondaryschool students, on average, outperformtheir public school counterparts. They senda higher percentage of their students tocollege (97 percent) and 99.1 percent graduate from high school (NCEA, 2007-2008 Annual Statistical Report on Schools,Enrollment and Staffing). In nationalachievement tests, according to NCEA,Catholic school students outscore theirpublic school counterparts. Significantly,these statistics hold true for students of allsocio-economic backgrounds.

We need to ensure that our reputationcontinues to be deserved. Academic excel-lence must remain a hallmark of Catholiceducation. While we struggle to keep ourschools open and strive to provide atuition low enough to encourage studentsto attend, we must not, because of that,allow our academic instruction to bediminished in any way. That is why thearchdiocesan Catholic Schools Office has begun implementing standards-basedcurricula in our schools.

Our overall goals for Catholic educationmust include the effort to develop, sustain

and manifest a verifiable level of academicexcellence. The archdiocesan CatholicSchools Office plays a substantial role inthis effort together with the leadership ofeach individual school. With this vision ofacademic excellence integrated into adeeply ingrained Catholic identity, we areable to provide students with the experi-ence of hope — hope in Christ and hopein the future. In fact, many of our urbanschools, in particular, are an oasis of hopein a desert lacking intellectual, spiritualand personal support.

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Accessibility

“The Catholic community is encouragedat every level to support the work of ourCatholic elementary and secondaryschools, keeping them available andaccessible to as many parents as possible.”(United States Catholic Bishops, Renewing ourCommitment to Catholic Elementary andSecondary Schools in the Third Millennium, 2005)

A goal of our archdiocesan-wide strategyis to ensure the geographic placement ofCatholic schools throughout the archdio-cese, within the resources available, so asmany Catholic students as possible arewithin a reasonable distance of a Catholicschool. The concept of accessibility isimportant since the distribution of limitedfunds to support Catholic schools musttake into consideration where our schoolsneed to be so they are accessible to stu-dents. The number and placement ofschools will be a serious factor whenparishes find it necessary to consider theconsolidation of schools to achieve andsustain financial stability.

Affordability

“The future of Catholic school educationdepends on the entire Catholic commu-nity embracing wholeheartedly theconcept of stewardship of time, talent,and treasure, and translating stewardshipinto concrete action.”(United States Catholic Bishops, Renewing OurCommitment to Catholic Elementary andSecondary Schools in the Third Millennium, 2005)

The future of our Catholic schoolsdepends on the ability of all of us workingtogether to meet their increasing costs andto assist families who are making sacrificesto give their children a Catholic schooleducation. Generally, elementary schoolsin the archdiocese have had to increasetuition an average of six percent annuallysince fall 2002, largely to support higherinstructional costs. Despite these increases,tuition still covers only 70 percent of thecost of education on average, though thatratio varies by school and in some cases, isfar lower.

The funds to keep open our Catholicschools come from tuition payments andparish and archdiocesan subsidies, as wellas fundraisers, from bake sales to galas,golf tournaments to annual fund appeals.In the case of some of the high schools,subsidies also are available from the spon-soring religious community.

The archdiocesan subsidy comes primarilyfrom two sources: the annual archdiocesanoperational funds (this includes moneyfrom the Archbishop's Appeal) and a twopercent assessment on each parish for edu-cation. More recently some contributionhas come from the earnings on theForward in Faith endowment funds desig-nated for both Catholic elementary andsecondary schools.

In past years, nearly all the money fromthe two percent education assessment has

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gone to meet the expenses of a relativelysmall number of parishes with schools thatare greatly in debt. This year some of themoney that would have been used toaddress the school shortfall at the end ofthe year was advanced to parishes to beused as tuition assistance now to increasethe student body enrollment and thus,in the end, the total tuition yield for theschool.

The archdiocese is assessing this newapproach to funding schools with signifi-cant financial needs for operations. Pilotedin summer 2008, this approach to tuitionassistance has yielded initial results thatare positive. Enrollment in several schoolsis up, thereby helping families while alsoreducing a school's need for operating sub-sidies because additional students arecontributing some tuition.

In addition, we are reaching out to donorsinterested in supporting expanded tuitionaid for families throughout the archdiocesein the hope of increasing the funds avail-able for this new program. The twoprograms together, the regular tuitionassistance program and the new incentiveprogram, have made available funds thisyear that are more than double those oflast year, nearly $2 million as compared to $800,000.

The archdiocese has taken other steps tokeep the schools affordable. This includescost savings programs such as an energypurchasing cooperative that began last yearin two counties, saving participatingparishes and schools approximately$370,000. Those savings could increasesignificantly as the program, establishedthrough the Mid-Atlantic Consortium ofCatholic Schools, a collaborative effort ofsix local dioceses, expands.

Families, both low income and middleclass, work hard to find the means to givetheir children a Catholic education. Yet,even with all of this assistance, financial

need remains. That is why partnershipsnot only of the archdiocese with privatescholarship groups are so important, butalso partnerships with public entities.During the 2007-08 school year, Catholicschools in the Archdiocese of Washingtonsaved local governments close to $385 mil-lion in tax expenditures for public schools.

Government Support for Families

“Advocacy is not just the responsibility ofparents and teachers, but of all members ofthe Catholic community. As the primaryeducators of their children, parents havethe right to choose the school best suitedfor them.” (United States CatholicBishops, Renewing Our Commitment toCatholic Elementary and Secondary Schoolsin the Third Millennium, 2005)

When we look to the wider communityfor partnerships in supporting ourCatholic schools, we do so with the aware-ness that more and more of our neighborsrecognize the unique gift that Catholiceducation is to the community. With anever-increasing number of non-Catholicsattending our schools it is clear that theschools make a unique contribution to thecommunity. Here the students developself-discipline and moral values that comeout of the faith-based environment of theschool. These schools work. They meritthe support of the entire community.

Simple justice requires that families whochoose non-public schools benefit fromthe monies that we all pay in taxes for theeducation of all children. For choice to bereal, there must be funding. The CatholicChurch cannot be expected on its own tocontinue to provide a system of schoolsthat work, that offer real opportunity andthat provide for its students a future.

In the District of Columbia, a promisingfederal pilot program, the DC OpportunityScholarship Program, is helping bringeducational equality to low-income families

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Families, both lowincome and middleclass, work hard tofind the means to givetheir children aCatholic education.

in the city. These federal grants providefamilies with tuition and some fees up to$7,500. For our archdiocesan schools, theOpportunity Scholarship Program (OSP)typically has paid $4,500 per child whoqualifies for financial assistance and isgranted one of the scholarships.

The difference between the grant amountand the real cost of education is paid forby the archdiocese and the Catholicschools where the children attend. Whilestudies show high parent satisfaction andacademic progress, the program unfortu-nately will end at the conclusion of the2008-09 school year unless the UnitedStates Congress reauthorizes it.

The Opportunity Scholarships are animportant part of a three-sector effort tobring new dollars to the city's public andcharter schools as well as to private andparochial schools. This program helpsfamilies have choices. Without the schol-arships over 85 percent of the recipientslast year would have had to attend failingpublic schools, as identified by guidelinesin the No Child Left Behind Act. Yet we

remain hopeful that the very success of the OSP will make a convincing case forits reauthorization.

Maryland families also can have hope.There is a legislative proposal in Marylandfor a tax-credit program with the acronymof BOAST (Building Opportunities for AllStudents and Teachers). This would allow awider partnership in support of the educa-tion of the next generation of citizens. Theprogram is designed to strengthen the part-nership between Maryland businesses andschools, and is based on a highly successfulinitiative put in place in Pennsylvania in2001. Over six years, businesses inPennsylvania qualified for tax credits bydonating $360 million for scholarships thatbenefited nearly 160,000 students in allschools and funded thousands of publiceducation initiatives. Corporations andsmall businesses that donate to organiza-tions that support Maryland's public andnonpublic school students and teacherssimilarly would receive a significant statetax credit, giving Maryland's schools a wayto leverage more investment from theirlocal business communities.

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The donations from businesses would provide economic assistance to lower- and middle-income families who find itincreasingly challenging to send their chil-dren to a Catholic or another nonpublicschool. In addition, the funds would assistteachers across all school types by increas-ing access to professional developmentopportunities.

Concomitant with our archdiocesan effortsthis fall will be a statement on educationfrom the Maryland Catholic Conferencewhich includes the Archdiocese ofBaltimore, the Diocese of Wilmington andthe Archdiocese of Washington since allthree include sections of Maryland. TheMaryland Catholic Conference is the pub-lic advocacy arm of the Catholic Churchin Maryland. It has the responsibility ofbringing the concerns of the Church, theinterests of the Catholic faithful, to thepublic debate and legislative process out ofwhich comes the public policy that touchesall of us.

The bishops' statement will highlight theimportance of Catholic schools to theentire community and publicize specificinitiatives through which the state canpartner with us in our efforts to sustain thevaluable service that Catholic schools haveprovided to generations of Marylanders. Italso will include information on howMaryland's Catholic community can playan active role in legislative advocacy toadvance these initiatives.

The Maryland Catholic Conference state-ment will seek to engage the entireCatholic community in the efforts to support public policy that will realize thedream of so many parents — a choice ineducation for their children.

By working together — parents, parishes,archdiocese and government — we canhelp ensure schools are affordable andaccessible to as many students as possible.

Next Steps for theSchools

What is outlined here in broad terms —for all four priority areas — gives an ideaof what lies ahead of us this academic year.My purpose in writing now is not toattempt to anticipate what the conclusionof the work of the task forces might be orwhat the consultation process might yield.It is, however, to say that we have a greatdeal to do, we have started to look at howwe might do it and we need to worktogether if we hope to see a bright futurefor our schools.

While much is still to be determined, it isanticipated that the process could unfoldin this manner. The four task forces alreadyare gathering information. In collaborationwith people from across the archdiocese,they will develop — as requested by theparticipants at the 2007 convocation —suggested policies and strategies withineach area of concern.

The initial recommendations will be sub-mitted for consultation. This will beginwith such consultative bodies as the PriestCouncil, Archdiocesan Pastoral Council,Archdiocesan Board of Education and theCollege of Consultors. Once it is clear thata specific policy has a strong core of sup-port, a more extensive communicationsprocess would follow, along with a widerparish-based consultation effort. The goalis to have some generally agreed-uponpolicies ready for implementation so thatwe can initiate this vision and strategy bythe academic year 2009-2010.

As the United States bishops wrote inRenewing Our Commitment to CatholicElementary and Secondary Schools in theThird Millennium, “The entire Catholiccommunity must now focus on the futureand the many challenges we face.”

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The entire Catholiccommunity must now focus on thefuture and the manychallenges we face.

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Looking to the futureof Catholic education,

we should do so with hope, confidence

and enthusiasm.

C O N C L U S I O N

The invitation and call to be Christ's witnesses continue to echo inour hearts throughout this archdiocese. This is a time for us to recognize the grace-filled opportunities that are ours. As the Holy

Father told us in his homily at Nationals Park, “the Church in the UnitedStates is now called to look to the future.” Just as the Pope reminded us thathe had come “to America to confirm you, my brothers and sisters, in thefaith of the Apostles” he also said that he came “to proclaim anew, as Peterproclaimed on the day of Pentecost, that Jesus Christ is Lord and Messiah,risen from the dead, seated in glory at the righthand of the Father and established as judge of theliving and the dead (cf. Acts 2:14ff ).”

This is a time of new Pentecost for the Church inour country and the Church that is our archdiocese.As we begin this new year, we will undertake areview and assessment of our educational efforts as we have said, focusing on our parish educationprograms and our Catholic schools. Our goal is toparticipate in that pentecostal outpouring of God’sgrace and love by providing our young people withan excellent education and understanding of thefaith so that they are well equipped to live out theirlives as witnesses to Christ and the Gospel.

We are witnesses. In the proclamation of the messageof redemption, we have the words of everlasting life.We are a people alive in the Holy Spirit and wemust be motivated by our eagerness to share thatextraordinary gift with the next generation.

What marks the current moment is a deepening awareness of both theimportance of what we have to say — the message — and the willingness of so many throughout the archdiocese to work in an organized manner to pass on the message. Looking to the future of Catholic education, weshould do so with hope, confidence and enthusiasm knowing that we bringsomething to those we teach that no one else can. We share the story of Jesus.

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We can rejoice in the accomplishments that are reflected in our parishes and schools and, at the same time, engage all of our energies in comingtogether to see that what we do can always benefit from a careful review and thoughtful assessment. In the very process we should find ourselves confirmed in our desire to truly be his witnesses.

As we start down this road, we do so with faith, with appreciation of who weare as God's family and our need for mutual support and collaboration. Weturn also in prayer, asking God's gift of the Spirit to enlighten and sustain us,guide us and keep us always aware of the signs of his presence with us.

May God bless the efforts of all of us to be effective witnesses to his Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Faithfully in Christ,

Archbishop of Washington

September 14, 2008Exaltation of the Holy Cross

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Photo credits:Archdiocese of Washington: Don Berkemeyer, Paul Fetters, James Kegley; Catholic Standard/El Pregonero: Rafael Cristosomo, Michael Hoyt,Leslie Kossoff; Other: Bishop McNamara High School, Elizabeth Seton High School, Georgetown Preparatory School, Georgetown VisitationPreparatory School, Our Lady of Good Counsel High School (cover photo), St. Anselm’s Abbey School, Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

Archdiocese of WashingtonP.O. Box 29260Washington, DC 20017-0260301-853-4500www.adw.org