'Optimism and Joy'
Catholic education celebrates 200 years and a bright future
By CLAUDIA McDONNELLSt. Patrick's Old Cathedral Fife and Drum Corps filled the air with stirring music outside St. Peter's Church in Manhattan Jan. 30 as parents, teachers and students gathered for a Mass celebrating the 200th anniversary of Catholic education in the archdiocese.
The site was appropriate: St. Peter's, founded in 1785, is the oldest parish in New York state, and it opened the first Catholic school in the state in 1800. The music was fitting, too, because when St. Peter's Free School opened, the United States was a young country that had only recently won its independence.
But the emphasis at the Mass and reception that followed was definitely on today and tomorrow.
"We look with optimism and joy to the future, to the generations of children who will continue to be formed in the faith in our schools," Dr. Catherine T. Hickey, archdiocesan superintendent of schools, told the congregation as the Mass concluded. "We look forward to growth, to expansion and always to hold fast to our mission to educate all children who come to us, so that they will be well-prepared to lead full and productive lives."
Auxiliary Bishop Robert A. Brucato, vicar general, was the celebrant and homilist. He blessed a plaque on the outside front wall of the church commemorating St. Peter's Free School. He offered greetings from Cardinal O'Connor, who celebrated Sunday Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral that morning, and noted the cardinal's strong support for Catholic education.
Irene Impellizzeri, vice president of the New York City Board of Education, represented Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani. In remarks to the congregation, Dr. Impellizzeri said that Catholic school teachers are able to talk in the classroom about what really matters.
Noting her position with the Board of Education, she said, "Many people look at our schools, and they look at our budget, and they envy us. But let me tell you there are many among us who envy you, because daily you are free to tell the youngsters, to remind the youngsters, that they are made in the image and likeness of God, that they are unique, that they are very special, that they have a purpose. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that motivating?
"We speak a lot about self-esteem," she continued. "Well, there's nothing better, in my mind and in many of my colleagues', that can give young people a sense of self-esteem than to know how very special they are in the eyes of God and how much you love them...we wish we were free to speak, as the teachers in parochial schools can speak, about the most important things in life."
She also read a statement from Giuliani:
"The New York Archdiocese school system has provided its students with the discipline, support and guidance necessary to be successful Christian citizens. On behalf of the City of New York, I thank the administration, teachers and staff of the New York Archdiocese for their dedication to the educational and personal growth of our city's children."
Dr. Impellizzeri remarked that Giuliani graduated from Catholic schools and "speaks so often of the glories of Catholic education."
She also told CNY, "All New Yorkers should be grateful for the work that the Catholic educators have done through the years...Catholic schools are a wonderful resource for the city."
About 350 attended the Mass. They included parents and students from the oldest continuously operating elementary school in each of the archdiocese's 10 counties, and the oldest continuously operating high schools: Xavier for boys in Manhattan and the Academy of Mount St. Ursula in the Bronx for girls, founded in 1847 and 1855, respectively. Students from all 12 schools marched into the church in procession as the Mass began.
The 10 elementary schools and the years they were founded are St. Patrick's Old Cathedral School in Manhattan, 1817; St. Peter's on Staten Island, 1839; St. Peter's in Poughkeepsie, 1844; St. Mary's in Yonkers, 1852; Immaculate Conception on East 151st Street in the Bronx, 1854; Kingston Catholic, formed by combining St. Peter's School with St. Mary's, founded in 1859; St. Lawrence O'Toole in Brewster, 1878; St. Peter's in Haverstraw, 1863; St. Peter's in Liberty, 1897, and St. Joseph's in Middletown, 1900.
St. Peter's Free School closed in 1935 because enrollment dropped
significantly as the area changed from a residential to a business district. From its
beginning at St. Peter's, the Catholic school system in the archdiocese has grown to 238
elementary and 54 secondary schools.In his homily, Bishop Brucato said that the 200th anniversary observance was "both a bicentennial and a bimillennial," because Catholic education began with Christ 2,000 years ago. He recalled that Jesus gave his followers the command, "Go forth and teach all nations."
Bishop Brucato noted that when St. Peter's Free School was founded, there were no public schools; virtually all schools in New York City were operated by Protestant churches.
"St. Peter's became one of the most prominent of the religious schools of that day and age," he said. At its largest, it served more than 1,800 students. It was founded by lay trustees of the parish, and later was served by the Sisters of Charity of Mount St. Vincent and the De La Salle Christian Brothers. The bishop noted that St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, founder of the Sisters of Charity, was received into the Church at St. Peter's in 1805.
He said St. Peter's Free School was founded by laity and began without religious congregations. And now, as the number of religious sisters and brothers has declined, lay people are taking over responsibility for Catholic education, he pointed out.
"We can rest assured that under the hand of God, in his way, what was started in this area...the establishment 200 years ago of St. Peter's School...that mission continues, and will continue," he said.
Lectors at the Mass were Sister Elizabeth Vermaelen, S.C., president of the Sisters of Charity; Brother Stephen Olert, F.S.C., director of La Salle Hall in Lincroft, N.J., and Rosa Paraza of the Bronx Catholic School Parents Association. Michael McComiskey, council member of the Federation of Catholic Teachers and chairman of the religion department at St.Michael Academy in Manhattan, presented the intercessions.
The Special Choir of Our Lady of Pompeii School in Manhattan, directed by Curtis Gomes, sang at the Mass; altar servers and ushers came from St. Joseph's School on Monroe Street in Manhattan.
Among 15 concelebrants were Msgr. Thomas J. Bergin, vicar for education; Msgr. Hugh F. McManus, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima parish in Scarsdale and former vicar for education; Msgr. Ferdinando D. Berardi, archdiocesan director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith; Msgr. Kevin P. O'Brien, vicar of South Manhattan and pastor of Immaculate Conception parish, and Father Kevin V. Madigan, administrator of St. Peter's.
Students at the Mass talked with CNY about their schools.
Lila Lee, 13, an eighth-grader at St. Joseph's School on Monroe Street, said, "The teachers really care about us. When we fail in a subject, they make us stay after school to help us and make us improve."
Amanda Rabain, a 17-year-old senior, and Emilie Mittiga, 16, a junior, attend Mount St. Ursula. Tim Williamson and Tom Wierzbowski, both 17, are seniors at Xavier.
Amanda said she likes the "unity" among teachers and students. "We're very close and friendly," she said. She was baptized in the Presbyterian Church, but attends Mass on Sundays and said that at school, "I'm not separated because I'm not Catholic." She added that religious instruction puts students "on a path."
"It's up to you to walk it," she said.
Emilie said that religious instruction in school "asks you to think about your faith and not just accept it--to accept it because you want to."
Tim said the academics at Xavier are "top of the line."
All four looked proud to be at the Mass.
"I think it's great that we came together to celebrate such quality, both in education and in direction for living life," Tom said.
Parents were enthusiastic, too.
Belkis Baez and her husband, Franklin, of Manhattan have four children in St. Patrick's.
"It means everything to me," Mrs. Baez said. "My nieces and nephews went to the same school. I saw the way they were growing up, the beliefs they were learning." Her children went to St. Patrick's beginning with prekindergarten. "They're very disciplined, they become very respectful, they learn very much," in religion and other academic subjects, she said.
Jeanne and John Moccia of Manhattan send their sons, William, 12, and Stephen, 9, to Our Lady of Pompeii.
"We chose it first for the moral and spiritual development of the children, but they also have a great academic record here in New York," Mrs. Moccia said. She graduated from St. Philip Neri School in the Bronx and Mount St. Ursula, her husband from the former St. Joseph's Academy in Greenwich Village, and Xavier. Both went to Fordham University.
Moccia said he thinks Catholic education in New York is "rebounding."
"It's starting to get a lot of the credit it deserves," he said.
Donna and Joseph Van Etten and Kathleen and David Heitzman represented Kingston Catholic School, where their daughters, Kate Van Etten and Jessica Heitzman, are eighth-graders.
"The teachers are excellent," Mrs. Van Etten said. "They can spend more time with the children" because classes are smaller.
"It's close-knit and family-oriented," Mrs. Heitzman said. Mrs. Van Etten added, "I recommend it highly to any parent."