An Open Letter to Our Bishops - New Evangelizers

 Now this I say, that no man may deceive you by loftiness of words.  For though I be absent in body, yet in spirit I am with you; rejoicing, and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith which is in Christ. As therefore you have received Jesus Christ the Lord, walk ye in him;  Rooted and built up in him, and confirmed in the faith, as also you have learned, abounding in him in thanksgiving.  Beware lest any man cheat you by philosophy, and vain deceit; according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ: For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead corporeally.  Colossians 2:4-9 Douay-Rheims

Your Excellency,

I bring you greetings from all the practicing Catholics in all of the dioceses in North America.

The purpose of this open letter is twofold:

1. To ask you for a consideration
2. To beg you for action

The Consideration:

Your Excellency, it is evident that our education system is suffering. I would venture to say that the education system has failed in the education our young in preparing them for the challenges of life. More specifically, the publicly funded Catholic school systems are failing our children.

Our Catholic schools, because they are publicly funded, have to abide by whatever the public purse strings are attached to. Many times the public purse strings are attached to teachings not consistent with our Catholic faith. This is unacceptable. Catholic social teaching in Catholic schools should not be tied to anything but the Catechism of the Catholic Church which is based on scripture and not on social constructs created by the government of the day. If we, as a faith, would like our children to grow up and lead fulfilling Catholic lives, then we need to take back our Catholic schools. These young children are the future of our Church and our faith. Our failure to address Catholic education is a failure of the Catholic community in our dioceses.

The Action

Your Excellency,

Given the failure of the public Catholic education system to adhere completely to the teachings and spirit of the Church, we have no option but to slowly withdraw from publically funded Catholic education and introduce privately funded Catholic schools under the guidance, support and jurisdiction of Roman Catholic Church.

I am not proposing a massive withdrawal. I am proposing a slow, methodical process. I am proposing that every diocese in North America select one school district and in that school district open and operate one private Catholic school. As that one school grows and matures, then move on to the next one. This is a long process, but it will allow the church to solidify its presence in the school system over time. Yes, I am recommending a ‘rebuild’. This is not rocket science. The private Christian schools have been doing this for generations (as have other faith-based schools).

Of course the cry from some (or many), in the community will be, “We cannot afford it.” Of course we can; it is simply how much a community is willing to sacrifice for the betterment of their children and for their Catholic faith. It is not about money, it is about the Catholic faith. As long as Catholics are hesitant to sacrifice for their faith, the Catholic Church will suffer losses and a slow steady decline into a secular cesspool.

Your Excellency,

We need your support to make this happen. It starts with the first conversation. We need the Bishops to speak up, speak out, be bold and be leaders. We will follow. When will you set up the first conversation?

God Bless,

Luciano Corbo

Copyright 2016, Luciano Corbo

Luciano Corbo

Luciano Corbo holds a Master of Arts - Integrated Studies from Athabasca University. His major interests are Culture, Work, Organizations and Leadership, within a context of Catholic Social Teaching Principles. He writes from Canada.