Catholic preschools on the rise; good for children and parents, schools and parishes
Catholic san Francisco Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
Lauri Hill is bringing a theology degree from the Franciscans to her latest undertaking – opening a new Catholic Montessori-inspired preschool at Immaculate Heart of Mary parish and school in Belmont. “We teach them the sign of the cross, the Hail Mary, Our Father, we teach them about the saints,” said the veteran pre-school director about her 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old charges. “We talk about the life of Jesus. We talk about God and creation. We talk about Our Lady.” The IHM preschool is located on the same campus as the elementary school. So is the new preschool at St. Thomas the Apostle School, perched above the Pacific Ocean in the foggy reaches of San Francisco’s Richmond District. With the two new parish preschools opening in the 2010-11 school year, the number of Catholic preschools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco rose to 16 – part of a boom in early childhood education by the Bay Area Catholic Church in the past five years. There now are seven Catholic preschools in San Francisco, six in San Mateo County and three in Marin, (See directory.) With just a handful of exceptions, the preschools are affiliated with the parish school and many of the preschool students go on to attend the Catholic “big school” next door. “A value for the parish specifically is that we become actively involved in the education of the children with the parents so the parents are not alone in the world,” said Father Kenneth M. Weare, pastor of St. Rita Parish, where St. Rita Preschool was founded in 2006. CATHOLIC PRESCHOOLS, page 6
(COURTESY, ST. RITA PRESCHOOL)
By Valerie Schmalz
“We’re there for the family,” says St. Rita pastor Father Kenneth Weare about St. Rita Preschool (above), where children are accepted beginning at age 3. At baptism, St. Rita gives parents a special certificate for a complimentary registration to the preschool and a discount on preschool tuition.
Catholic leaders and others decry reasoning of judge’s marriage ruling By Rick DelVecchio
Americans on Gay Marriage Do you think marriages between same-sex couples should or should not be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriage?
YES
40% 57%
NO
Do you think allowing two people of the same sex to legally marry will change society for the better, for the worse or will have no effect? 13%
WORSE
48%
BETTER
36%
NO EFFECT
Based on telephone interviews with 1,015 national adults conducted May 7-10, 2009. The sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. Source: Gallup
©2010 CNS
‘Archbishop’s Hour’ On 1260 AM Radio “The Archbishop’s Hour” with San Francisco Archbishop George H. Niederauer airs each Friday morning at 9 a.m. on Immaculate Heart Radio – 1260 AM in the Bay Area. Repeat broadcasts air Friday evening at 9 p.m., Sunday at 11 a.m., and Monday at 9 p.m.
August 13, 2010
The Aug. 4 court ruling striking down California’s voter-approved definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman as having no rational basis is drawing a rising chorus of criticism from Catholic bishops and others who believe the societal case for traditional marriage is inherently reasonable. Chicago Cardinal Francis E. George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, denounced the ruling by U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker. “The misuse of law to change the nature of marriage undermines the common good,” Cardinal George said. “It is tragic that a federal judge would overturn the clear and expressed will of the people in their support for the institution of marriage,” he said. “No court of civil law has the authority to reach into areas of human experience that nature itself has defined.” In his ruling, Judge Walker said the November 2008 initiative was hard-fought and was supported by a majority of voters but concluded that California’s obligation to treat its citizens equally overrides a popular vote to enforce what he called a moral principle. He called marriage a fundamental right and said the state can’t allow motives such as religious belief and tradition to get in the way of extending the right to all couples. He said Prop 8, which revised the state Constitution to define marriage as between a man and woman, is not only unequal but also “creates an irrational classification
on the basis of sexual orientation.” “What’s really irrational is the judge’s dismissal of marriage between a man and a woman — the basic bedrock of our society — as if it were some kookie idea,” Sister Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote in a commentary on the Washington Post blog, “On Faith.” “What’s really irrational is his ignoring the will of the people with real-life experience of marriage, who have voted down gay marriage not only in California but throughout the United States whenever legalization of gay marriage has been put to a vote,” she wrote. Yet more irrational, Sister Mary Ann wrote, are the judge’s “damning words” against freedom of religion.
See Guest Commentary, page 14 “Religious beliefs that gay and lesbian relationships are sinful or inferior to heterosexual relationships harm gays and lesbians,” Walker concluded. Walker rejected arguments that proponents gave in support of Prop 8: Preserving marriage as a union between a man and a woman and excluding any other relationship from marriage; proceeding with caution when implementing social changes; promoting opposite-sex parenting over same-sex parenting; protecting the freedom of those who oppose marriage for same-sex couples; and treating same-sex couples differently from opposite-sex couples. The judge wrote that the testimony of the main witness presented in defense of marriage as an institution CATHOLIC LEADERS, page 3
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION On the Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Abuse survivors to gather. . . 4 News in brief. . . . . . . . . . . 8-9 Global hunger crisis . . . . . . 13 Pointing us to the Father . . 16
Sisters seek to revive historic neighborhood ~ Page 11 ~
Jesuit guide to almost everything ~ Page 22 ~
ONE DOLLAR
Datebook of events . . . . . . . 21 Classified ads, services . 23-24
NEXT ISSUE AUGUST 27 VOLUME 12
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