Eye On Education: Cardinal Sean On State Of Boston Catholic Schools
BOSTON (CBS) - Catholic school students got a rare opportunity to ask Cardinal Sean O'Malley big questions about a changing world, one the archdiocese is adapting to.
The cardinal met with the students as he tries to reinvigorate the Catholic schools -- and he believes he has a good story to tell -- after a decade of declining enrollment and school closings.
"No institution in the United States has been as successful in moving people from poverty in to the middle class as the Catholic school system," Cardinal O'Malley said.
"The children that graduate from our schools will go on to higher education and be able to find decent jobs and also to make a contribution to society because of the values that they have learned in our Catholic schools."
Over the past decade, enrollment has fallen by 10,000 students, but the archdiocese says that drop-off has now stabilized.
And the superintendent stresses Catholic schools have had to expand their vision.
"We're working to diversify our student enrollment so that we are educating more immigrant children and children with special needs especially," said Catholic Schools Superintendent Kathy Mears.
Cardinal Sean points out he oversees the second-largest educational system in Massachusetts and Catholic school students actually save taxpayers money.
"So we're not in competition with the public schools but we allow them to have a billion dollars more every year to spend on their own teachers and facilities," he said.
On this day -- the cardinal convinced one student they're on the right track:
"I think he was really inspiring," one student said. "He gave us some good advice to take with us."
The conversation with the cardinal was being filmed for Catholic Schools Week - the annual celebration of the history of Catholic schools in the United States.
It takes place the week of January 31 - February 6.
