The reason we are having trouble keeping Catholic schools open is because there are fewer Catholic kids. Who came up with the profound thought? Would you believe a Buffalo, New York, business periodical? (Thanks to Tom for the link.)
Enrollment in Catholic grammar schools has been dropping for a couple of decades. ... The number of baptisms in the diocese has dropped 51 percent during the same period.
The publication doesn’t spell it out, but I will. Catholic schools are closing because Catholics, like everyone else, are contracepting so much that there are fewer kids around. Sure, down in the Southern parts of the country, there are all kinds of immigrant kids, but in the older Catholic dioceses—Boston, New York, Chicago, Detroit (all closing schools)—baptisms are dropping fast.
As Tom says, I’d love to hear a bishop come out and tell the people, “If you don’t want your schools and parishes to close, the first thing to do is to stop contracepting.” Yeah, I’m not holding my breath for that one.
Technorati Tags: Catholic, contraception, parish-closing, school
