Cathedral Academy closing engenders sadness

    This week you announced the closing of Cathedral Academy in the French Quarter. Initially, the thought was that more schools might be subject to consolidation. Can you explain the decision?
    The strategic plan that was developed in consultation with Dr. Leonard DeFiore and Dr. John Convey of Catholic University recommended that we consider either merging or closing about six schools. Then there was another list of about five other schools that we needed to look at carefully. The Cathedral Academy certainly was a concern because of its enrollment – there are only 160 students – and because of its finances and the facilities. The other schools that had been on the list dropped off the list because their enrollment increased. This still means we have to monitor those schools very carefully, so they are very much on our radar. In a positive way, they are on the “watch list” because we want to make sure that our schools provide excellence in academics, excellence in Catholic formation, have financial stability and solid enrollment. After the list of schools went to the various consultative bodies – including the deans, the Catholic Schools Office and the strategic planning committee that was formed to offer advice on these issues – there was a strong consensus that we take action on the Cathedral Academy now. There are many other Catholic elementary schools in the area that have openings for additional students. For example, St. Stephen School on Napoleon Avenue has made a place for any Cathedral Academy student who wants to continue his or her Catholic education next year. The buildings at St. Stephen School are in much better shape because they’ve just been redone through several million dollars in FEMA funds. We will be glad to accommodate families in any way that we can to find a place in a Catholic school. Our commitment is to make sure that every student who wishes to continue in Catholic education is placed in a Catholic school.
    Whenever a school closes, there must be sadness. How do you feel about the Cathedral Academy closing?
    The closure of the Cathedral Academy saddens my heart, and I know it will sadden the hearts of many others. It’s in the middle of the French Quarter and it has provided Catholic education for many decades, and we’re grateful to all of those who have taught our children there. But we have to be prudent and responsible in making good use of the resources we have. If we have a school that is really struggling and we can place a student in a stronger school, I think the Lord would want us to make that sacrifice. The low enrollment makes it very difficult to sustain a school.
    What about the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia who are currently running the Cathedral Academy?
    I have spoken with their prioress general, Mother Ann Marie Karlovic, and I have requested that the sisters remain in the Archdiocese of New Orleans and that they offer their services to another school in the archdiocese. Mother Ann is open to discernment, and she will be coming to New Orleans to talk about these things at the beginning of 2013.
    You also have announced that you are seeking more input in two important school matters – the grade-level structure of our elementary and secondary schools and the financial support of parishes for Catholic schools.
    As for the grade-level structure, everyone knows that our elementary schools and high schools offer many different configurations. Some elementary schools end after seventh grade, some after eighth. Some high schools begin at eighth grade and some even begin in seventh grade or sixth grade. After all the feedback we received, the Office of Catholic Schools established another committee to look again at the grade-level structure and summarizing all the proposals into four possible models. Those configurations are now available online (archdiocese-no.org) for everyone, particularly the principals and pastors, to look at. We’re asking for feedback from the principals and pastors. We will take that feedback and come up with a final decision. We want to incorporate the best model of Catholic education and formation for our young people.
    How will the parishes be affected by various financing proposals to keep Catholic schools economically viable?
    We’ve asked what is called the Parish Share Committee, which is headed by Father Rodney Bourg, to create an ad hoc group that would look in depth at these issues. This expanded committee has membership that includes priests, principals and lay people. The Parish Share Committee knows best about the resources that parishes have and the financial challenges they face. They know what is affordable and what isn’t. I’m going to ask this expanded committee to examine this and make recommendations to the Office of Catholic Schools and to me. These recommendations will go to the Presbyteral Council and the deans and the principals. We realize that we are not going to be able to completely implement the proposals about grade-level structure and finances within the next year or two, but every day counts. We’re making progress, and we want to make good use of our time and of the wisdom that is out there.
    Considering the overarching challenges to Catholic education that we face, did you anticipate the implementation might have to be done in stages?
    It’s impossible to do all of this at one time. We pretty much knew this was going to take stages to implement.
    What will happen to the Cathedral Academy’s buildings?
    The first thing we need to do is get in there and renovate the buildings. It did not receive any upgrades after Katrina. We’re not sure what the ultimate use for the buildings will be. We certainly will use it for the service of the archdiocese and the service of the community – and hopefully for the service of our young people – but we don’t have any definite plans at this point. We’re looking into a few possibilities.
    When do you think the grade-level and financial proposals will be announced?
    Our goal is to have it finalized by the end of this school year.
    Questions for Archbishop Aymond may be sent to clarionherald@clarionherald.org.