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Parish School: American Catholic Parochial Education From Colonial Times to the Present
'...the best summary review of the history of Catholic education in the past half century' Rev. Andrew Greeley, University of Chicago. Now available for the first time in paperback. Also One Hundred Years of Catholic Historical Essays in Honor of the Centennial of the National Catholic Educational Association - ISBN 1558332960
Faithful Past Faith-Filled Future - ISBN 1558333142 NCEA Our titles help all catholic educators and administrators have the professional resources to meet the highest standards of excellence in Catholic education. We provide resources for school, parish, diocesan offices, professional organizations and higher education institutions. Some of the areas we publish in Administration and Planning
Classroom Materials
Legal Issues
Staff Development
Governance Boards
Religious Education
Research and History
Recruitment
Curriculum
Development
Seminary Education
Multicultural Issues
Technology
Faithful Past Faith-Filled Future - ISBN 1558333142 NCEA Our titles help all catholic educators and administrators have the professional resources to meet the highest standards of excellence in Catholic education. We provide resources for school, parish, diocesan offices, professional organizations and higher education institutions. Some of the areas we publish in Administration and Planning
Classroom Materials
Legal Issues
Staff Development
Governance Boards
Religious Education
Research and History
Recruitment
Curriculum
Development
Seminary Education
Multicultural Issues
Technology
Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 18, 2021
A fairly boring read that is far-too focused on a top-down look at Catholic education as well as the story from a legislation standpoint for my taste. Not enough knuckle-rapping descriptions to keep me interested.
May 8, 2014
A comprehensive history of the rise and struggles of the Catholic school system in the United States. Although this book is very informative, it is a little dry in spots. Overall, I recommend it for anyone interested in the history of Catholics schools in the US.
September 23, 2024
PERHAPS THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN ON CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES
At the time this book was published in 1996, Timothy Walch was Associate Editor of the U.S. Catholic Historian, the quarterly journal of the U.S. Catholic Historical Society; he has written other books such as 'Herbert Hoover and Dwight D. Eisenhower: A Documentary History,' 'Herbert Hoover and Harry S. Truman: A Documentary History,' 'Uncommon Americans: The Lives and Legacies of Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover,' 'Pope John Paul II,' etc.
He wrote in the Introduction, "By the middle of the 1960s, when the Catholic parochial school movement had reached its high point, there were more than 4.5 million children in parish elementary schools---fully 12.5 percent of all the children enrolled in the United States at that time. It is an achievement that has never been duplicated anywhere else in the world." (Pg. 1)
He adds, "Catholic leaders opposed ... public schools not only because these institutions usurped the traditional role of the church in the educational process, but also because the curriculum of the early common schools included heavy doses of Protestant instruction and anti-Catholic propaganda. The movement to establish Catholic schools was... an effort to prevent Catholic children from abandoning their religious faith." (Pg. 2)
He explains, "This book is an effort to trace the contours of American Catholic parochial education from its origins in the missionary and colonial eras and analyze the importance of these schools to successive generations of American Catholics." (Pg. 3)
He says, "Contrary to the popular belief that American Catholics uniformly supported these schools, less than half of the Catholic school-age population attended these schools. To be sure, many immigrant Catholics were eager and enthusiastic supporters of parochial education, but most Catholic parents did not join the cause. Indeed, not all Catholic bishops and pastors were uniformly supportive of parish schools." (Pg. 4)
He points out, "The ethnic Catholic school was a key element in the rapid growth of parochial education for the fifty years following the Civil War. More important, these schools served as the bridge from the old world to the new for many immigrant children. Yet these schools were destined to be temporary and transitional. With the pressure of American nationalism both during and after World War I and the end of mass immigration in 1924, the ethnic Catholic school gradually lost its value to the Catholic Church." (Pg. 82)
He observes, "No group made greater sacrifices for Catholic parochial education than did women religious. Throughout the nineteenth century, tens of thousands of sister-teachers staffed parish classrooms across the country and devoted themselves to the children of the church. They worked long hours, teaching classes with as many as a hundred students, all for subsistence wages. There is no doubt that the parish school system in this nation could never have grown as large as it did without these sister-teachers. They constituted a 'living endowment' that made possible a national system of parochial schools." (Pg. 134)
He summarizes, "It had been a generation of crisis in Catholic education in the years from 1950 to 1980. First there had been the crisis of growth in the 1950s when demand for parochial education had outstripped the available space. Then came the crisis of confidence in the 1960s when Catholic parents asked themselves if parochial schools were really necessary...
"[This] was followed by the crisis of decline in the 1970s when devoted pastors and parents asked themselves if Catholic schools would survive... it was unclear who would pay the high cost of sustaining these schools... Neither pastors nor parents could be sure that the generation of crisis was really over." (Pg. 186-187)
He reports, "The future of Catholic education, most journalists concluded by mid-decade, would be determined by the resolve of the Catholic people---bishops and pastors as well as parents. All of these groups came in for criticism from Catholic school advocates... Parents were the focus of a lot of the criticism. Catholic school advocates refused to listen to complaints about the cost of parish schools or the limited quality of the facilities and programs of parish schools... Other less passionate analysts dissected the lethargy among Catholic parents. Some writers attributed the school closings and enrollment declines to demographics." (Pg. 229)
This is a MARVELOUS book, that is "must reading" for anyone interested in Catholic schools.
At the time this book was published in 1996, Timothy Walch was Associate Editor of the U.S. Catholic Historian, the quarterly journal of the U.S. Catholic Historical Society; he has written other books such as 'Herbert Hoover and Dwight D. Eisenhower: A Documentary History,' 'Herbert Hoover and Harry S. Truman: A Documentary History,' 'Uncommon Americans: The Lives and Legacies of Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover,' 'Pope John Paul II,' etc.
He wrote in the Introduction, "By the middle of the 1960s, when the Catholic parochial school movement had reached its high point, there were more than 4.5 million children in parish elementary schools---fully 12.5 percent of all the children enrolled in the United States at that time. It is an achievement that has never been duplicated anywhere else in the world." (Pg. 1)
He adds, "Catholic leaders opposed ... public schools not only because these institutions usurped the traditional role of the church in the educational process, but also because the curriculum of the early common schools included heavy doses of Protestant instruction and anti-Catholic propaganda. The movement to establish Catholic schools was... an effort to prevent Catholic children from abandoning their religious faith." (Pg. 2)
He explains, "This book is an effort to trace the contours of American Catholic parochial education from its origins in the missionary and colonial eras and analyze the importance of these schools to successive generations of American Catholics." (Pg. 3)
He says, "Contrary to the popular belief that American Catholics uniformly supported these schools, less than half of the Catholic school-age population attended these schools. To be sure, many immigrant Catholics were eager and enthusiastic supporters of parochial education, but most Catholic parents did not join the cause. Indeed, not all Catholic bishops and pastors were uniformly supportive of parish schools." (Pg. 4)
He points out, "The ethnic Catholic school was a key element in the rapid growth of parochial education for the fifty years following the Civil War. More important, these schools served as the bridge from the old world to the new for many immigrant children. Yet these schools were destined to be temporary and transitional. With the pressure of American nationalism both during and after World War I and the end of mass immigration in 1924, the ethnic Catholic school gradually lost its value to the Catholic Church." (Pg. 82)
He observes, "No group made greater sacrifices for Catholic parochial education than did women religious. Throughout the nineteenth century, tens of thousands of sister-teachers staffed parish classrooms across the country and devoted themselves to the children of the church. They worked long hours, teaching classes with as many as a hundred students, all for subsistence wages. There is no doubt that the parish school system in this nation could never have grown as large as it did without these sister-teachers. They constituted a 'living endowment' that made possible a national system of parochial schools." (Pg. 134)
He summarizes, "It had been a generation of crisis in Catholic education in the years from 1950 to 1980. First there had been the crisis of growth in the 1950s when demand for parochial education had outstripped the available space. Then came the crisis of confidence in the 1960s when Catholic parents asked themselves if parochial schools were really necessary...
"[This] was followed by the crisis of decline in the 1970s when devoted pastors and parents asked themselves if Catholic schools would survive... it was unclear who would pay the high cost of sustaining these schools... Neither pastors nor parents could be sure that the generation of crisis was really over." (Pg. 186-187)
He reports, "The future of Catholic education, most journalists concluded by mid-decade, would be determined by the resolve of the Catholic people---bishops and pastors as well as parents. All of these groups came in for criticism from Catholic school advocates... Parents were the focus of a lot of the criticism. Catholic school advocates refused to listen to complaints about the cost of parish schools or the limited quality of the facilities and programs of parish schools... Other less passionate analysts dissected the lethargy among Catholic parents. Some writers attributed the school closings and enrollment declines to demographics." (Pg. 229)
This is a MARVELOUS book, that is "must reading" for anyone interested in Catholic schools.
June 15, 2024
It was interesting to learn about the variety of struggles Catholic schools in America have faced, and I think my main takeaway is that many of the problems simply don't have easy answers.
This book would have been better though if Tim Walch had a better editor - there were a decent number of grammar mistakes and the structure was needlessly circular.
I also just don't agree with some of Walch's takes, which isn't all that surprising given my beliefs about education.
This book would have been better though if Tim Walch had a better editor - there were a decent number of grammar mistakes and the structure was needlessly circular.
I also just don't agree with some of Walch's takes, which isn't all that surprising given my beliefs about education.
September 25, 2023
I learned quite a bit.
August 1, 2012
Overall, this is a great book. I would have appreciated more on the role of women in building/maintaining the Catholic school system. Otherwise, this was an excellent read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews