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Author Topic: How involved were priests in your pre-Vatican II parochial school?  (Read 1515 times)

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Offline Geremia

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How involved were priests in your pre-Vatican II parochial school?
« on: October 31, 2023, 09:10:22 PM »
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    • How involved were priests in your pre-Vatican II parochial school?
    Did they stop by your classrooms daily? Were they part of the school's administration? Were they the school's principal?
    (Nearly 100% of administrators of Catholic elementary schools were religious pre-Vatican II.)
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    Offline Nadir

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    Re: How involved were priests in your pre-Vatican II parochial school?
    « Reply #1 on: October 31, 2023, 11:33:40 PM »
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    • As far as I can recall, the priest called in occasionally. It was not seen as a duty, rather a gesture of being resposible for our religious education.

    Religious education in the school was under the control of the Brigidine sisters. Principal was a nun. There were no laypersons on staff bar a woman phys-ed teacher.
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    Offline moneil

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    Re: How involved were priests in your pre-Vatican II parochial school?
    « Reply #2 on: November 01, 2023, 09:15:06 AM »
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    • As they were parochial schools (i.e. part of the parish) the pastor was ultimately responsible for them and typically part of their finances came from the parish collection plate (I've heard that there were some schools with no tuition, they were fully funded by the parish).  Daily administration was left to the religious order which staffed the school, the principal was often also the mother superior of the convent, but the pastor would be the one on the hot seat if something went wrong, so they were probable paying attention.  The same order which staffed the school I attended (1958-1966) also operated the local Catholic hospital.  The pastor would go to the individual classrooms to hand out report cards at the end of each semester.  We would have a weekly school Mass (usually said by the associate).  All of the parish's altar servers came from the school and would be pulled out of class for funeral Masses.
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    Offline moneil

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    Re: How involved were priests in your pre-Vatican II parochial school?
    « Reply #3 on: November 01, 2023, 09:42:21 AM »
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    • I remember another thing ... the farm families (we were part of that) had a used school bus to bring us to town, either driven by one of the parents or they would hire community college student to drive.  The school also had a bus to bring the town kids to school, and for field trips.  Father Schmidt, the pastor, LOVED driving the bus and would always jump in when a bus driver was needed.
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    Offline montserrat

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    Re: How involved were priests in your pre-Vatican II parochial school?
    « Reply #4 on: November 01, 2023, 12:04:49 PM »
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    • Quote from: moneil on November 01, 2023, 09:15:06 AM
    As they were parochial schools (i.e. part of the parish) the pastor was ultimately responsible for them and typically part of their finances came from the parish collection plate (I've heard that there were some schools with no tuition, they were fully funded by the parish).  Daily administration was left to the religious order which staffed the school, the principal was often also the mother superior of the convent, but the pastor would be the one on the hot seat if something went wrong, so they were probable paying attention.  The same order which staffed the school I attended (1958-1966) also operated the local Catholic hospital.  The pastor would go to the individual classrooms to hand out report cards at the end of each semester.  We would have a weekly school Mass (usually said by the associate).  All of the parish's altar servers came from the school and would be pulled out of class for funeral Masses.
    Sounds almost identical to my school. Students attended Mass every day. If you received Holy Communion, you could eat in the classroom after Mass. I remember being filled with dread when the pastor passed out report cards and I was a good student . The changes started when I was in 5th grade or so. 
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    Offline OABrownson1876

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    Re: How involved were priests in your pre-Vatican II parochial school?
    « Reply #5 on: November 01, 2023, 01:34:54 PM »
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    • My Novus Ordo priest in third grade was Fr. Rick.  He weighed 500lb and the ladies had to make his vestments out of curtains (not joking).  He played a guitar, and it was my great desire that he not play a guitar.  He was ordained in 1972, so I put the word "priest" in quotation marks.  He was sent to weight camp by the bishop, and he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and other assorted goodies instead of clothes.  He died of a heart attack.   Unfortunately, it is not looking good for Fr. Rick.  We prayed the rosary a few times at school as I recall.  This was in the 1980's. 
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    Offline Geremia

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    Re: How involved were priests in your pre-Vatican II parochial school?
    « Reply #6 on: November 01, 2023, 05:47:46 PM »
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    • Quote from: montserrat on November 01, 2023, 12:04:49 PM
    Students attended Mass every day.
    Very good!

    Were school-wide rosaries prayed periodically, too?
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    Offline Seraphina

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    Re: How involved were priests in your pre-Vatican II parochial school?
    « Reply #7 on: November 03, 2023, 12:41:59 AM »
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    • I was too young to know the extent of the priest’s involvement in school.  I recall a Fr. O’Halloran coming in to our first grade from time to time and Sister always made us stand and sing for him.  Immaculate Mary and Holy God, We Praise Thy Name were two of his favorites.I’m not sure if he was the pastor, the principal, or his actual position.  There were other priests like Fr. Fagan and Fr. Murray who said Mass, but I don’t remember appearing in school.  After that we moved when the Navy transferred Dad to San Diego. We attended public school for a year, and then were sent to the Philippines where we attended the American school on base, so no more priestly visits!  
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