An effort by two educators from St. Anthony School of Milwaukee to replicate the successful Catholic institution's model in Racine has run into trouble after Archbishop Jerome Listecki refused to support the new school.JSOnline
The lack of support means that the school will not be able to identify itself as Catholic. It can't celebrate Mass or provide the sacraments for its students. It also might have problems raising money from the traditional funding sources for religious education.
But the founders of St. John Fisher Academy, as the new Racine school is proposed to be called, said they will not be dissuaded from their mission to open to 100 freshmen students in the fall.
"We don't really have a choice," said David Tomasiewicz, the former dean of students at St. Anthony and co-founder of St. John Fisher along with Christopher Lundin. "I've got to keep going."
The school's co-founders said they were stunned by the archbishop's stance, which came about two months after they met with archdiocese schools Superintendent Kathleen Cepelka who gave them hope they might eventually receive accreditation by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
Listecki explained his decision in a letter to Tomasiewicz dated Friday, writing that a new secondary school in Racine would not be "helpful" and could draw enrollment from existing Catholic schools in Racine and Kenosha.
Hmmmm
6 comments:
All over Wisconsin (and the country really) one meets Catholic families who send their kids to public schools for the reason that the local Catholic schools are no better (and sometimes worse!) for the faith than the local public schools. In other words, if Public School Y and Catholic School Z are both providing a secular education why pay a couple grand for the Catholic school?
This school in Racine probably would not have pulled many people away from the existing Catholic school, rather it would be reaching a group that wasn't interested in that school to begin with. If Racine St. Catherines really thought that a school offering a curiculum with 4 years of Latin would be such a draw, maybe they should take a look at their own program.
*nodding*
Huh. I know Dave T.
St. Catherine's may well be another Pius XI (Milwaukee) semi-demi-Catholic school; but it would be VERY surprising if Abp Listecki were to green-light someone competing with them.
Note that he has not yet green-lighted Trinity Academy (mentioned in the article)--nor Mercy Academy, (grade-school only) nor Aquinas Academy (grade-school only, IIRC).
La Crosse had the same situation with Providence Academy. Burke started it with approval but Listecki removed it after they changed from elementary to K-12(without consulting him first).
So what if the archbishop green lights it or not. Racine needs a *Catholic* high school, period. He should try fixing the problems if he doesn't like other people's solutions.
Oh, and God forbid he wasn't consulted about something first. That sounds like ego mania.
Nah, it's not 'egomania.' That's the last thing I'd call Abp Listecki....
There are real, serious, legal and canon-law considerations at play here, consultation or not.
I DO agree that an actually-Catholic HS would be a boon to Racine--not to mention Milwaukee....
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