Opened in 1952, St. Catherine’s School was staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and at its peak had two classrooms for each grade level, one through eight, with 55 students in each classroom.
Fifty years later, the sisters were gone and there were just 57 students in the entire school. Fr. Raul, however, knew plenty of families in the community who would enroll their children if only they believed Catholic education were accessible to them. He teamed with the new pastor and other St. Catherine’s staff, and an idea began to take shape. No family wanting a Catholic education would be turned away from the school. Every family would be asked to sacrifice what they can, with partial scholarships making up the rest. The school would supplement its teaching staff with missionary-type teachers open to giving their whole lives over to God, who would receive only a small stipend and housing in the old convent, offsetting the lower tuition revenues.
It happened. St. Catherine of Siena School became the only Catholic school to say that no child would be turned away based on financial need. Enrollment increased from 57 to 262 children. Most importantly, each child is invited into a deep relationship with Christ by teachers who live the spirituality they teach.
Catholic school enrollment has dropped by 50% in the last 40 years — bad news for our church, since Catholic schools have played such an essential role in the gathering and forming of new Catholics. But what is happening at St. Catherine’s can happen anywhere. All that is still missing is you. Visit catherineofsiena.org and help make Catholic education possible for every child, one school at a time.
