This site goes into the figures with a slightly different presentation than the press. It seems the 160,000 was a shortfall, presumably from last year. What is it doing on the books now; the year should have been closed and this written off. But it appears that the number is included in the 650,000 which is the projected deficit for the coming year. No idea why, seems rather strange to me. The figures provided to the MSM and the students are not very clear.

The church’s site also covers a grade school, but the information shown is for the 2006-2007 school year. Again, odd.

The more I look at the data provided, the less I understand the situation.

The question assumes the nonsense that we live in a “terminally overpopulated world.” We don’t.

If Western countries were overpopulated, we would have to have millions from the third world pour into our nations to pick up slack in labor. If Catholics were overpopulating, our families wouldn’t be dwindling and we wouldn’t be suffering from the demographic problems (including vocations to the priesthood, sisterhood and other orders.) that we are now. If America was overpopulated, we wouldn’t have millions upon millions of acres of land owned by the federal government, with vast amounts more being confiscated by the day. Neither would we our environment be among the cleanest on earth.

Even if we were to assume that we’re overpopulting, which we’re not, Catholics (unlike seculars, heathens or heretics) are forbidden from engaging in birth control just so that they can have mate for sheer pleasure, without fear of procreating children and cramping their lifesyle. Catholics are also forbidden from killing their offspring through abortion.

So whether or not I “have a problem with smaller families” is not at all the issue.

On the $650,000 owed, owed to whom? How does closing the school take care of the problem? It is very odd to talk about liabilities, which these are, without also talking about assets. Knowing the net worth of the school (the difference between assets and liabilities) would make some sense of the situation. Among the assets are memoribilia, what is going to happen with this? Are the movable assets going to be sold? What about the physical plant, is it worth more as an empty building than as a going concern?

If students have signed up, there are contractural obligations in force. Just wait till the lawyers get into this.

Was there any attempt to merge the school into a stronger one? That would seem like a prudent path to follow.

Waving around big numbers and saying we must act now is not a very convincing business plan.

First and foremost, new parishes have been formed in communities that were formerly part of Immaculate Conception parish. IC’s boundaries no longer include those communities. Thus, students who in the 1960s lived in IC parish would today live in other newer parishes — despite having the same address!

Second, as far back as the 1940s, when my mother attended TC, TC had many students from other parishes, including those in Baltimore City. The 1960s MSA championship men’s basketball teams, in fact, were comprised largely of students from St. Ursula’s parish, several miles away.

Third, as the divorce rate has risen, more and more single mothers are struggling to pay tuition so that their children might attend Catholic schools. In some cases — including instances at TC — the students whose mothers fell behind in tuition were summoned to the principal’s office and informed they would be unable to return to school unless the delinquent tuition was paid. Instead of a helping hand — a hand up, not a handout — students and single parents are shown the door.

Fourth, IC pastor Fr. Tinder and others have commented that TC draws from a “different community” today (rather than the parish). Several have cited the students coming from Baltimore City. I recall that Jesus said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me” — not “Suffer the little children who live in my parish to come unto me.” Could this be subtle snobbery or racism?

The Vatican II/Novus Ordo experiment has left in its wake a clergy and sisterhood that has gone completely off the rails spiritually and morally and decimated their numbers. Well-formed priests and sisters used to run these schools for pennies on the dollar while giving a solid Catholic education. Now we over-pay for outsiders to do the same work, while the few priests and nuns left are either luke warm or even in full rebellion against the dogmas, doctrines and de-fide teachings of Holy Church. Of course most traditional/orthodox/conservative minded parents pull their kids (and their money) out.

As far as the laity goes, they have been divorcing and contracepting themselves out of existence for nearly half a century. Many of those kids who actually make it into the world wind up walking away from the faith - often because they never had the faith imparted to them at their local parishes or by their parents. If they still have any degree of faith, the “Catholic” colleges (like Notre Dame) will be sure to beat what’s left out of them.

Then we say “oh no, another school/parish is closing,” as if some other result could be expected after committing spiritual and demographic suicide for four decades.

The good news is that while the hand of God is wiping away the Vatican II/Novus Ordo man-centered/world-centered edifice, traditional cirlces are staying married, having kids, producing exponentially more vocations, building churches, opening schools and basically thriving as Catholics always have.

I have friends who are Catholic, some sent their children to Catholic schools when they were younger, but many of them pulled them out by 4th or 5th grade. A few couples I know pulled their teen aged children out of Catholic high schools because the education had become substandard, or because the violence and drug use were as bad as in the public schools.

For several years there was another (retired) priest in the area who offered to help out. But there was a problem. He was a Pastoral Provision priest. Married 40+ years, of course his ordination approved at the highest level of the Vatican in the mid-80’s. The Seattle archdiocese forbade him to do anything whatever at the parish. Don’t tell people about a clergy “shortage” when things like that happen. As long as the worship of celibacy by hierarchy is more important than ministry to laity this will continue. When it stops (It is simply a perverse view of marriage) the problem will cure itself. 7000 souls have no chance in the world of having a useful relationship with one priest, so it must not matter.

1) Humanae Vitae—when my wife went to this school several years ago, she was not taught about Humanae Vitae, nor was her older sister. In fact, it wasn’t until about 2000 when the teachings of the encyclical were enforced. This is similar to the level of theology taught during that time.

2) The pastors of the area have encouraged married couples to use contraception and sterilization to limit family size. One couple I know, when a condom failed, had the husband sterilized, on the advice of their parish priest.

3) Several pastors have made remarks in homilies that discouraged people from attending Catholic schools, saying that CCD classes are just as good.

Now, things are changing. Bishop Martino has had a more active role in the organization and running of the schools. The local pastors are no longer in control. Starting with my predecessor, the theology department is carefully monitored to ensure orthodoxy. We have some younger priests who teach Humanae Vitae from the pulpit and actively support the school, and younger families are heeding the message.

Humanae Vitae, or at least opposition to it, is a big issue. Catholics of my parents generation did not continue the large families that they were accustomed to, but had smaller families. We feel the pinch now. We can’t anticipate one family having four or five kids go through the system any longer. Now we are lucky if we get two.