Here we are just a few days away from Christmas. It has been an amazing day for several reasons. In my Dubuque parish, we have a catholic grade school. Dubuque is an old catholic town with several catholic churches, at last count there were 11. Beside every church there is a catholic school. At one time, there were more than enough kids to fill these schools. However, things change and we no longer have that. That means, that some churches have had to consolidate their schools, which is an incredibly painful event. Unfortunately, some people have acted very selfishly in the process, not being willing to accept that keeping their parish school open was impossible. It's amazing that, in these situations, it's always the other guy who should have to suffer. So, it's hard for me to appreciate going to our catholic school. It's a reminder of the pain that is going to have to happen as people get angry that "their school" is going to close. However, this morning, we had a communal penance for the school kids. For those of you who don't know, catholics are obliged to go to penance or confession once a year to confess their serious sins. As the kids came over today, I realized that, in neglecting the school, I wasn't punishing the people who were being selfish. The kids aren't being selfish about this, it's their parents who don't have any vision for the future of the catholic schools. I realized that I should seek forgiveness from these kids for giving up on them even as they were approaching this unworthy servant to receive God's forgiveness.
1 comment:
Dennis,
Having been 1 of those who has gone through a school closing when I was in HS, I know it isn't easy. Esp when it comes about because of a lack of support from the parishioners who don't see its value. I won't comment on how Holy Family has handled it. All I can say is that my experience may have been sad at the time, but for me, a lot of good came out of it in the long run.
Post a Comment