European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 18, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Christopher Connell associated press it was once almost an Arlite of Lailah Lor new roman Catholic parishes in Iho United sales they Buill the parochial school first and held sunday mass in tie auditorium the Church building could wait until Laler. That s Tho Way they did it Al most precious blood Parish in Norl cast Baltimore. The Allar and pews were placed right in the Middle of the two Story Brick school building which opened in 1960. The Church the Parish figured would Riso later on the vacant lot across the driveway. But Tho baby Boom ended Tho Church was newer built. The parishioners aged and their children moved to the suburbs to Start their own families in june most precious blood school will join a casualty list of 4.300catholic schools Hal have closed Sines the mid-1960s even Wilh tuition Starling Al $1.100 a year the school ran a Dett cil last year of $86,000, Mada up torn the dwindling resources of a Parish of 400 families. Mary Barlow a nurse who sent her three children to the school was on the Commilles Hal recommended closing Tow school. There was no fight. A s nol Hal we gave up easily but to had to Lake the inner costs of the few and think of the whole Parish Stia sped How do you ask an older group of people to raise a $100,000 subsidy it s impossible. It s  schools such As most precious blood have been squeezed in tha Vise of rising costs and declining enrolments that persist despite some studies that show Cal Hrisic schools in the United sales achieve belted academic result especially Lor minority students and Send More students to College Ihan their Public counterparts Catholic schools have lost 3 million students since 19g4, including 103,000 last year alone when 110 schools closed this year s enrolment of 2,623,000 is Down 3.8 percent Horn a year ago and of s3 percent from the Peak of 5 6 million in 1964. America s Catholic population actually has grown Over that same period and become More prosperous. But As catholics moved to the suburbs the schools did nol follow Ihm. Pastors no longer have the targe armies of Sisters and Tirol hers especially the Sisters to Salt the schools says sister Cal Herme t. Mcnamee president of Tho Valiona Catholic educational association Oncea. Nuns and priests taught 75 percent of the classes in Catholic schools in 1960. Today nearly 83 percent of Iho 140,000 leathers Al 8.d92 Catholic schools Are Lay women and men neither the parishes nor Tho dioceses nor the Catholic people As a whole were really prepared to absorb the costs Hal came about Aflex Vatican ii As Many nuns left their orders and some of those who remained chose Mim Sarics other Ihan leaching Mcnamec says. Mcnamee and the leaders of 21 Otto Catholic organizations will gather May 19 in Daylon. Ohio for a week song Summit to try to logo a common vision for the future of Catholic education in America. The issues on the Agenda Are Gigantic says Mcnamee. Whose organization began working Wilh the it s. Catholic conference Whiee years ago to Lay Tho groundwork lot Iho symposium called the Catholic education futures project. They will be exploring ways to spare other inner City parochial schools the Falc of most precious blood perhaps through new financial arrangement and organizing Catholic schools by Region and clusters of parishes instead Olas single Parish enl Ilies. The symposium at the University of Daylon also will explore religious cd Calion for the majority of Catholic children who do not a lond Catholic schools and adult Insi Duclion. The Rev Thomas g. Gallagher the us. Catholic conference s Secretary for education and a prime mover behind the Dayton meeting says la s probably she first Lime in 20 years that these groups involved in one form or fashion of Catholic education have Ever had the Opportunity to Sil Down. We Are not Only preparing ourselves for the future but preparing the future Tor us. We can shape the future the Baltimore archdiocese already has started Irving so revamp its parochial schools. In a i9b6 pastoral Teller. Archbishop William a Borders spoke of the need to adopt an me parochial school Structure and to set tuition at Lull Cost with tuition assistance for families unable to pay the full freight. The schools Are to be run nol by individual pastors or Parish councils but  Catholic school boards in each of 12 regions of the archdiocese which stretches from the Chesapeake to Cumberland my. We re being looked Al by other dioceses All Over the country says Lawrence Callahan. The archdiocese s superintendent of schools. We really have taken a position that has been somewhat unpopular among our  Barimore the first archdiocese in the United slates. Was the site of three 19th Century plenary councils that gave impetus to creation of the world s largest system of Catholic schools. The american Bishops Al their third plenary Council in Baltimore in 1884, proclaimed near every Church when it does not already exist a parochial school is to be erected within two years trom Iho promulgation o1 the Council and to be kept up in the future unless in the judgment of the Bishop the erection and maintenance of the school is  any Prial gravely negligent in eroding the school or running it con and must be removed trom thai Church ,." the Bishops decreed. All Catholic parents Are bound to Send their children to parochial  Catholic schools existed in the United sales As far Back As colonial Days bul their numbers grew in step Wilh Catholic immigration in the mid 1800s and beyond to the big cities of the East. There according to University of Virginia sociologist James Davison Hunter they provided havens for catholics committed to preserving their ethnic and religious heritage in a proles and dominated society. Bul in the modern Era. As catholics prospered and grow More comfortable Wilh life in a pluralistic and secular United sales. They came to rely less on their parochial schools Hunter says. The Bishops injunction to Catholic parents fell by Iho Wayside. The Laos of the Mailer was we did t have enough room says Gallagher of the u s Catholic conference. You could t go Oul and Lell everybody to put their youngsters in a Catholic school and you can l Lay a guilt trip on parents who can l Allord  the Catholic school enrolment slump has Hil elementary schools the hardest. High schools often were organized by Region or diocese to begin with or sponsored by such orders As the jesuits or Sisters of the sacred heart and they Drew from a wider Bass Ihan Parish schools. In 1965, Ballimore had 113 elementary schools with 61,000 students. Today in has 86 with 21.000. A Quarter Century ago 80 percent of its teachers were nuns drawing stipends of $600 a year. Today the archdiocese pays the nuns $7,000, while Lay leathers salaries Start at s12,416, almost $6,000 below the scale in Baltimore Public schools. As recently As 1970. Most Baltimore Catholic schools charged less than $100 tuition a year. Even at tuition Rales of �1,100 and $1.200 a year. Callahan says it is hard to pay a living wage to teachers who have families of their own. Tha superintendent also believes Catholic leaders have nol Dona enough to encourage parents id use the Catholic schools. Today you rarely hear anyone talk about the values of Catholic schools irom the  he says. So Many people have children in Public schools i hey Don t want to offend  Secretary of education William j. Bennett told tha Oncea convention in new York in april that Catholic schools Are closing in part because they have failed to make their Case to the  you can t wait around for lax credits or tuition vouchers or other Lorms of new government funding. They Are not imminent said Bennett a Catholic who attended both Public and parochial schools. He suggested that Catholic schools recruit irom Public schools the worst cases the dropouts. The problem discipline cases the so called worst five or 10 percent educate Ihm and Ihen ask society for fair  Bennett suggested that local communities or business groups pay halt inc $4 so thai Public schools now spend per student. By contrast. Catholic schools spent about $4 billion in 1985-86. Or $1,072 per elementary Pupil and for am we had Page 14 the stars and stripes Sitter immaculate Marie teacher at St. Coleman t room in water let , trip Toholt to tilt Ball during gym cats. Wal Unesda