Catholic Social Science Review

Volume 15, 2010

The Necessity of the Catholic School in America in a Time of Cultural Crisis: Propositions and Proposals

Without factoring in the possibility of some direct or mediated intervention “from above,” the present sociological prospects for the Church, the Catholic school system, and American civilization are not particularly good. The only chance for our civilization lies with the possibility of a massive cultural revival centered on the resurrection of the natural law, Biblical wisdom, and Catholic social teaching. On the one hand, cultural revivals cannot be merely engineered. But, on the other hand, there will be no chance of a cultural revival in either Church or society without a revitalized Catholic educational system manned by dedicated Catholic professionals and buttressed by cadres of Catholics who are willing to volunteer their services. This paper, first, offers a list of propositions about the state of the contemporary Catholic school in our present time of cultural crisis, and then, second, follows with a list of proposals aimed at assisting in its revitalization.