CAN YOU COMPARE THE TWO?
Despite assurances from administrators and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston that their school would remain open, students at a southeast Houston Catholic high school will attend a different school next year.
The announcement that Mt. Carmel High School would close was made Friday afternoon during a school assembly.
School administrators called a meeting Thursday with teachers and staff letting them know that a job fair would be held to place them in other positions. Immediately following the meeting, information was leaked about the school possibly closing.
Dawne Baumann, an alumni of the school and parent of a current student, initiated an e-mail campaign Thursday encouraging current students and alumni to fight hard to keep the school open.
"They are blindsiding us without ever giving us a chance to try to come up with the funds needed or time to put up a fight. We would never have known about anything until tomorrow had the info not been leaked. I do not blame Mt. Carmel, by the looks of things they were blindsided as well," Baumann wrote in the e-mail.
The school is run by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Some people who FOX 26 News talked with Friday said they think money that should have gone to the school went toward the building of the archdiocese's new $40 million co-cathedral.
"We don't have the answers. The Archdiocese is being very secretive. We have no idea what's going on. The whole issue has just been, in my opinion, a web of deceit," an assistant dean of students told FOX 26's Isiah Carey Friday morning.
About 200 students attend the school, which opened in 1956.
Question: Some parents are asking why the Diocese spent $40 million plus on the new co-cathedral downtown and not a few million to keep Mt. Carmel open. Those parents also say they should've been given a chance to have fundraisers for their high school to save it. Do you agree or is this comparing apples to oranges?
It would be interesting to see the enrollment figures showing how many students were being subsidized by the Diocese each year. If enrollment has been declining for years, subsidies have been on the increase...what sense does it make to continue the program?
ReplyDeleteFor those who are not Catholic, the Diocese,and/or local Church parishioners, often(very often) subsidize students whose families claim they cannot pay all or part of the tuition requirements each year. Yes, it does make the Catholic education more expensive for those who do pay, and no, it is not fair or right either.
A free public education is offered to all children so why allow freeloaders in the Catholic school system? This is what happens after years of being taken advantage of by those not willing to pay for that precious Catholic education.
Comparing the closure of a failing school serving a very limited number of parishioners children (and some, even many, no doubt on the "free-ride" subsidy) to the expenditures on the design and building of the new Co-Cathedral is absurd.
ReplyDeleteAll the parishioners, and the general public as well, may share in the beauty, both physical and spiritual, of the new Co-Cathedral of the Houston-Galveston Diocese.
This grand building will stand for centuries as a public testament to the faith of the members of the Diocese and will be used and enjoyed by tens of thousands or even millions over the years.
If we don't continue to educate our children in the Catholic faith, there will be no one to worship in the Co-Cathedral. Don't put brick and stone before a child's religious education.
ReplyDeleteIf we don't continue to educate our children in the Catholic faith, there will be no one to worship in the Co-Cathedral. Don't put brick and stone before a child's religious education.
ReplyDeleteOne of the major points here is the way in which the Mt. Carmel School Board, principal, faculty, students and families were advised, by the Archdiocese, of the closing: no notice. They were essentially dumped on the street.
ReplyDeleteI think that it as outrage the way that the Diocese has handles this. Blindsiding parent's, faculty, and students like that is a disgrace. And to add insult to injury, there is a huge un-necessary co-cathedral downtown, that was built using funds that could have gone to support catholic education in a time that desperately needs it!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am a former student, Class of 1998. My parent's attended Mt. Carmel, my aunts and uncles attended Mt., Carmel and many of these people that went to school with my parents have become family to us. Not to mention the relationships that I myself have from attending that great school.
The Catholic Church is not giving itself a good name right now. It really does make me question where the morals and ethics of the church itself lie. How can I be a member of a religion that expects me to support it with money, time and energy and I get nothing in return for that.
Enrollment at Mt. Carmel has never been huge, but that has always weighed in it's favor. Smaller class sizes and more personal interaction are the hallmarks of a better education. I wouldn't be an attorney today if I hadn't received the strong groundwork from Carmel. If this closing takes place, the Diocese will have succeeded in ripping the soul, heart, and education away from the current students. An education from and the experience of attending this school stays with you for the rest of your life.
ReplyDeleteAs a freshman of Mt. Carmel High School, I can tell you right now that the diocese claimed to have knowned about the problem (us) for 10 years. They informed us that they had no plans to sell the building, but to just let it sit there. If they are not attempting to make money off it, why not lease the property to us for a dollar a year?
ReplyDeleteAlso, this is the third and last diocesan high school that they have shut down. The second one they shut down had more notice so they bought the schol property and are still open today as an independent private high schoo (O' Connell in Galveston.) So, why is the diocese shutting down all of their high schools? Why do they say they support Catholic education yet they're shutting down schools? Where do you think the religious (nuns and priests) come from?
Cardinal DiNardo stood in front of over 100 people at our auction on March 8 and said that he will see 50 more years of Mt. Carmel. Recently he signed the papers for closure. It makes you wonder who are "shepards" really are. I have never heard on the shepard striking the sheep.
Oh and also, the wonderful and beautiful Co-Cathedral which will be enjoyed for years to come is really a modern day Tower of Babel for the diocese.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the Anonymous bloggers negative comments: Mt husband of 18 years is a 1973 MCHS Graduate, as is my mother and two of her sisters. My son is a Senior this year at MCHS. I did not have the privilage of going to a private school, I went to a public school. Believe me, the atmosphere, the frienships made, the family closeness in the community is awesome!(You don't get that in public school..been there, done that!) Yes, there are many that have "reduced tuition" due to financial matters, however, your comments are quite uninformed and quite frankly, uneducated. Not only do we chose to send our child to MCHS for a better education, and a Catholic one at that....WE still pay for that! And, not only are we paying the tuition (even if it is reduced), WE are also paying for PUBLIC school taxes where we live and our child is NOT even attending public school! And, we cannot claim it on our income taxes either. (just so everyone knows that...lol) So...there is not a "free-ride subsidy" as you say. The MAIN point being the fact that the kids, faculty and staff have been thrown to the wolves. (pssttt...Jesus never abandoned his flock.) The wonderful "Job Fair" that was quickly thrown together by the AD was a joke! They knew that most positions at other catholic Schools had been filled, but as a "CYA" move, they put it on KNOWING that contracts are let by schools by April 30th (I believe) and most positions had already been filled. I think (last I heard) that only 2 teachers were placed in other schools. There are kids that received scholarships to attend MCHS for next year... the AD said "I am not sure, you will have to talk to the other schools and see if they will accept them." Registration down payments for next school year,amongst other things have already been paid, etc...etc...etc... And, Jr. class ring ceremonies were held, but the rings will not reflect the school that they will be graduating from? They should be reimbursed for their rings that are now incorrect due to the AD's decision! The AD stated that they had been "reviewing the demographics for 10 years, and had to make a quick decision to close immediately?" What sense does THIS make? Well, duhhh....if they had reviewing them that long, wouldn't it make more sense (a few years ago) to say, "Ok, we are going to have to shut down this school that we a have been reviewing the last few years, but we need to think logically and get a plan together to do this. We need to make this change by the year 20??, so we need to get all students that are currently there graduated (accept no more enrollment) and that should give the teachers a long enough period also to find other suitable jobs. See, when the Seniors are gone this year, alot of the teachers would have been also, then it could have dwindled down like that each year. But, the way it has been done, everyone, including parents are "out in the cold." The AD could have at least warned us a few years ago (since they have supposedly been looking at this long), and we could have found other alternatives to keep the school open. Who knows what they are thinking....I don't even think they know what they are doing because they sure can't give any answers that's for sure (or won't.) And by the way, let's go back to when this all possibly started being a major problem. It is my undestanding that #1. The AD hired a ("person"..no names or positions) that was, let's say, "not so trustworthy." This "person" created a major deficite for 3 years I believe, which was carried over for the last 2 years. The "person" after the "not so trustworthy" "person" that was there for three years, got sick and had to leave. After finally getting a new "person" that has only been here for one year, but has made many positive changes for the school and is getting grants and help from many other areas other than the AD, NOW they want to close it? Come on! Did changes still need to be made? Yes, I believe so. But they were on the way to making those changes. Which goes back to the old cliche, "Rome wasn't built in a day," and guess what?! Neither was the Co-Cathedral! LOL. I will end on one final comment to the previous Anonymous negative comments: I hope you are not too old and I hope you are never poor and I hope your child or grandchild never goes down the wrong path that they may need to be lead by faith....because when you do get old and/or run out of money, it is THIS generation of children whom will be taking care of you (or not..HA!)because that new building (that is wonderful to look at) will not feed you, clothe you or teach your grandchildren. So, maybe you can "share in the beauty" of it then. ;)
ReplyDeleteAlso, check this out...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.diogh.org/newsevents.htm
The bottom article "Thousands ‘Step’ up for Catholic education,
raise more than $200,000" then be sure to read the last 2 paragraphs of this article also.. one of our own MCHS kids!
Look at the picture and ask if you can compare! The place is falling apart, I'm sorry that a small percentage of kids need to find a new school but get real people. That place should have closed years ago. To compare it to a cathedral is unrealistic, and quite honestly sacrireligious. The education at this school has been below par for decades. "The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me"
ReplyDeleteAs a parishoner of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, I sympathize with the students, parents and faculty of Mt. Carmel high school. Having a beloved school close is heatbreaking, however the attacks on the Archdiocese about the Cathedral are unwarranted.
ReplyDeleteThe Cathedral was Arch Bishop Fiorenza's project and he has spent over 10 years working to raise funds with the concept of a House of God big enough for the congregational demand that the previous Cathedral could not accommodate. Previously, at Sunday mass there was standing room only in a building equipped to hold 800 and since the new Cathedral has been built, a sanctuary for 1,800 congregants, it has been packed. The Cathedral was a necessity for the Catholic population in Houston. There was no doubt that it would succeed in housing God's flock.
Also, what is a Catholic education if you cannot perform the basics by worshipping in church and receive the sacraments such asa baptism and the Eucharist from you parish priest? Catholic religious education is provided by the Cathedral and every other parish at NO COST every Sunday - just read the bulletins.
Do I think the circumstances invloving the closure were appropriate - of course not. But please do not say that having an amazing house of God to worship in was a bad choice on the part of the Archdiocese.