Julian Bauer’s letter (CR, Feb. 26) questioned why non-Catholics are in Catholic schools. I say, why not? As a teacher in an archdiocesan school, I’ve had a number of wonderful non-Catholic children in my classroom. I find their parents actively engaged. I do not believe we are in competition with public or private schools. Any non-Catholic choosing a Catholic school understands that their child will be attending religion class and Mass with the school population, but this is not really “evangelization.” While I have no statistics that reflect a growth in non-Catholics attending our schools, I feel that if the non-Catholic population is growing, that would help the financial standing of a school, rather than, as Mr. Bauer implied, compounding the economic crisis.
He should not assume that the non-Catholic is being “subsidized.”
I highly doubt that “marginal” Catholic children are being turned away and non-Catholics being accepted in their place. Mr. Bauer doesn’t ask the most relevant question: What would Jesus do? Our schools should be – are – welcoming havens for all children. I am proud to be a teacher in this system and am proud to have had many wonderful Catholic and non-Catholic children entrusted to my care. That rich, diverse environment leads to happy, healthy, well-educated children.
The writer is a kindergarten teacher at St. Joseph School in Cockeysville.