Catholic school students know how to keep score

By Peter Finney Jr., Clarion Herald Commentary

Not surprisingly, our children and grandchildren have it all figured out.

Last year, the Clarion Herald thought it would be a fascinating idea to put out a call for students who attend Catholic schools to reflect on the rarefied air they breathe.

We asked three things:

What teacher has had an impact on your life and how? 

What blessings have you received from your Catholic school education, and what challenges have you overcome with the help of others?

How inspired have you been by your parents’ sacrifices to send you to Catholic school?

We received so many thought-provoking responses last year that we decided to do it again for Catholic Schools Week 2020, and the results are, quite frankly, mind-blowing.

At a time when a family often has to work two, three or four jobs to afford Catholic school tuition – which now  hovers in the $5,000 range for elementary school and $10,000 for high school – being a pro-life Catholic parent means making very hard choices.

Vacations? Yeah, right.

A new car? Not when the financial calculus shows a $2,000 transmission job, in the long run, is better right now than a $350 new car note.

Friday night menus? Egg-and-potato omelettes. Monday night? Red beans and rice.

The challenge of the affordability of Catholic schools  always will be with us, and it keeps Archbishop Gregory Aymond up at night.

When people my age were attending Catholic elementary school, there was a nun in every other classroom. Hot lunch – even the glorious shepherd’s pie that was the equal of anything Emeril could dish out on a plate – was 25 cents. There were multi-kid discounts. (Sports editor Ron Brocato recalls his grade school tuition at St. Rose of Lima School was $9 a month, and even that amount was an overwhelming burden on his family.)

Reading the comments from students in the 24-page Catholic Schools Week section is sweet balm for those who might feel overburdened  by the challenges of keeping Catholic education vibrant and life-giving.

Several students write candidly of being unable to  figure out how their parents – or their single parent – can make ends meet and still give them a safe, nurturing, God-anointed education.

Some students who had attended public schools previously – one of them walked through a metal detector every morning – remark how the caring environment and support of teachers have calmed their fears and allowed them to gain confidence in their latent abilities and soar.

Given the enormity of their role as molders of character, teachers everywhere are grossly underpaid, and, if truth be told, their hourly wage, taking nights and weekends into account, is an example of society’s skewed value system that worships the diamond and willfully forgets how it is forged.

There are things we all can do. Maybe your parish school needs volunteer after-school tutors. Put those degrees in accounting, medicine, marketing, business, communications and music to work.

There is also an annual collection called the Champions of Catholic Education, which transfers every penny to a general archdiocesan tuition fund that can help families struggling to afford Catholic education.

If you need a push, here’s a message from Lindsey Nguyen of the Academy of Our Lady: “Attending a Catholic school has placed me in an environment of love that is unlike anywhere else. My school really is like a second family. While some are placed in environments that lead them down bad paths, I am blessed to have learned many values from Catholic education that allow me to spread love all around.”

Read the love letters, and give back your time, your resources and your prayers.

Peter Finney Jr. can be reached at [email protected].