School news: Plan is complete; some joy and pain

    May is the time for high school graduations. Will you be attending some?
    I’ve let our Catholic high schools know that I am more than happy to attend any graduation that I can schedule within my calendar. I’m probably going to attend about 10 this year, and several other schools already have begun to send me invitations to attend their graduations next year. I view this as a very concrete way of saying thank you to the faculty, the school leadership and to parents for their commitment to Catholic education. I also have a special place in my heart for the young church, and this gives me the opportunity to congratulate them for their graduation and also remind them that whatever they do in the future, they should make sure they make room for God in their lives. I would love to see our Catholic high school graduates who are going on to colleges and universities stay close to God and make sure they are involved in campus ministry.
    What is the latest on Xavier Prep, which the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament announced would be closing?
    Like many others, I was disappointed in the closing of the school on such short notice. We had hoped that we would be able to see the school continue for at least another year, and we offered financial support to keep the school open. Many leaders in the community who are committed to Xavier Prep and to its mission have rallied in an attempt to keep the school open. The group has formed a separate corporation with an intent to buy the property and the buildings so that the mission of Xavier Prep can continue under a different name. They have been very clear in their conversations with me that their desire is to continue the mission of St. Katharine Drexel. They want to be, in every sense, a Catholic school with strong Catholic identity and offer academic excellence and spiritual formation of young women in the ways of the Gospel. I am certainly willing to support this endeavor and want to work with them in any way possible to allow young women to continue their Catholic education.
    Has this been unsettling for parents and students?
    It has. I greatly admire Mr. Joe Peychaud, the Xavier Prep president, and all those who are working with him because they really have been scrambling to put something together at a very late date. The timing has made it difficult because some of the students already have registered in other schools. Nevertheless, we know that God’s blessings will be upon this effort, and we hope that Xavier Prep will continue for many years to come.
    What about the closing of Cathedral Academy?
    The closing of a school or a parish is nothing that I ever desire to embrace. In going through the strategic plan, it came out very clearly and strongly that we needed to begin to consolidate a number of our Catholic schools. The first step in that consolidation was the closure of Cathedral Academy. We are grateful for its long history and for the faculty and staff who have served the school for many years, most recently the very dedicated Nashville Dominican sisters. We also salute the members of the alumni association. Many people in the French Quarter spiritually and financially supported the school over the years. Nonetheless, we believe this is the right step to take. It’s very safe to say that as we look toward the future, there will be other schools that will have to enter into consolidation. We will miss the Dominican sisters. They have been very devoted in their commitment to Catholic education. We did offer to their religious superior the possibility of their serving in other schools in the archdiocese. While they declined our offer, we certainly thank them for their ministry and look forward to perhaps collaborating with them in the future.
    When will the final plan for schools be released?
    We will hold a May 6 meeting for presidents, principals and pastors to release the final plan. The plan has gone through many stages of consultation and revision. I can honestly say that I, along with Dr. Jan Lancaster and the staff of the Office of Catholic Schools, have listened attentively to all of the needs and the concerns expressed by many individuals for more than a year. Now comes the very difficult task of making decisions. When a leader makes a decision, some people will be pleased and some people will not. In making decisions regarding the Catholic family of schools, two things must be taken into consideration. First, what is God’s plan for our archdiocese? And, second, what is the most advantageous plan in the short run and the long run for the family of Catholic schools in the archdiocese? It’s important to keep in mind that we are a family of schools. When any decision is made about any school, it affects all the schools within the family. We hope that what we have done is to bring about a greater spirit of collaboration and justice, because the way we are organized now provide some schools with a definite advantage over others. I hope this plan will allow all of our schools to enter into a more collegial relationship.