Journal of Catholic Education

Volume 20 | Issue 2 Article 4

March 2017

Seminarian Perspectives on Catholic Schools and

the New Evangelization
Thomas A. Simonds S.J.
Creighton University, [email protected]

Barbara L. Brock
Creighton University, [email protected]

Timothy Jay Cook

Creighton University, [email protected]

Max Engel
Creighton University, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation
Simonds, T. A., Brock, B. L., Cook, T. J., & Engel, M. (2017). Seminarian Perspectives on Catholic Schools and the New Evangelization.
Journal of Catholic Education, 20 (2). http://dx.doi.org/10.15365/joce.2002042017

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98 Journal of Catholic Education / March 2017

Seminarian Perspectives on Catholic Schools and

the New Evangelization
Thomas A. Simonds, S. J., Barbara L. Brock,
Timothy Jay Cook, and Max T. Engel
Creighton University

Recognizing that pastors of parishes with a Catholic school play a vital role in
Catholic education, and that the seminarians of today will be the parish pastors
of tomorrow, this study sought to provide a better understanding of the percep-
tions held by Catholic seminarians about parish schools. Fourteen seminary stu-
dents from 12 seminaries and 14 different dioceses from across the United States
participated in focus group interviews to discuss their thoughts and perceptions
about parish schools. Themes that emerged from focus group discussions included
the reinterpretation of the New Evangelization, the understanding of the value of
Catholic schools, mixed feelings about leadership of a parish with a school, lack of
preparation for school administration, and minimal preparation specific to Catho-
lic schools. Recommendations include the addition of a focus on Catholic schools in
new editions of the Program of Priestly Formation (USCCB, 2006) and changes
to seminary curricula.

Keywords: Catholic education, Catholic elementary school, Catholic

elementary school pastor, New Evangelization, seminarian, seminary curricu-
lum, seminary formation

Introduction

P
astors of parishes with a Catholic school fulfill a vital role in today’s
Catholic Church as chief educational leaders of these schools (Dolan,
2010; King, 2013; Schafer, 2013; USCCB, 2005b). In light of the impor-
tance of the role of pastor as school leader, the research team conducting this
study asked, “How are current seminarians—tomorrow’s pastors—being pre-
pared in seminaries across the United States to lead the New Evangelization
and provide leadership for parish schools?” This research question is important
for three reasons. First, understanding seminary preparation will help dioc-

Journal of Catholic Education, Vol. 20, No. 2, March 2017, 98-108. This article is licensed under
a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License. doi: 10.15365/joce.2002042017
 Seminarian Perspectives on Catholic Schools 99

esan officials, school principals, and parish school teachers better understand
the perspective of new priests as these local educators help new priests transi-
tion to work in a parish school. Second, the results of this study will provide
seminary rectors with information they can use to review their practices and
curricula. Lastly, the findings shared in this article are timely because the
Committee on Priestly Formation of the United States Conference of Catho-
lic Bishops is drafting an updated version of the Program of Priestly Formation
(USCCB, 2006). This document will guide the formation of future pastors and
chief school leaders for decades to come, and this study can help to inform the
writers of this important new document about the need to prepare seminarians
for school leadership roles.

Literature Review
Catholic schools are uniquely gifted with all that is necessary to provide
faith leadership formation for youth (CCE, 1997; DiGiacomo, 2007; Dolan,
2010; Francis, 2013b). For example, Catholic schools encourage young people
to critique societal trends and values in light of the Gospel message (CCE,
1997; Cessna, 2013; Cook & Simonds, 2011; DiGiacomo, 2007; Francis, 2013b;
Priego, 2013; Simonds, 2009). In the words of the Second Vatican Council
(1965), graduates of Catholic schools become “a saving leaven in the human
community” (section 8).
Beginning with John Paul II and his announcement of a program he
called the New Evangelization, Catholic schools have had to reevaluate how
well they were providing faith leadership formation for their students (CCE,
1997; Francis, 2013a; John Paul II, 1997, 1999; USCCB, 2005b). At the same
time, Catholic school leaders and members of the Catholic community con-
tinued to wrestle with the problematic issue of financing Catholic education
(DeFiore, 2011; USCCB, 2005b).

The Pastor as Chief Educational Leader of the School

Today, in light of the New Evangelization and the unanswered questions
about how to fund parish schools, pastors of parish schools have a challeng-
ing role as chief educational leaders (Schafer, 2013; Weiss, 2007). Pastors
must engage in policy making for the school, create a board to help with
oversight duties, provide ongoing financial supervision of the school, and
lead or provide faith formation programs for faculty who will teach students
in the school. While the pastor may delegate the day-to-day operations of
the school to the principal, the pastor is the chief administrator of the school
100 Journal of Catholic Education / March 2017

(Schafer, 2013).
The importance of staying on top of school finances was underlined in a
survey of 1,042 pastors who had oversight of parish schools (Nuzzi, Frabutt,
and Holter, 2008). The pastors who were surveyed reported that operating a
parish school required regular and time consuming attention to the financial
details involved in operating a school. As noted by Schafer (2013), even when
a pastor seeks the help of qualified persons in the parish who can assist him
with development efforts, enrollment management, investment, and financial
reporting, the pastor is the person who is ultimately responsible for the finan-
cial well-being of the school.
The pastor must also understand the complexity of leadership roles and
domains within the Catholic school (Weiss, 2007). If the Catholic school
is to be an effective school, the pastor and the principal must work together
for the good of the educational mission of the school (Weiss, 2007). If the
Catholic school is to serve as an effective means of evangelization, both the
pastor and the principal must see evangelization of students and their fami-
lies as a key purpose of the parish school (Weiss, 2007). However, effective
management of the finances of the Catholic school is the engine that drives
both the educational and spiritual mission of the school (DeFiore, 2011). Un-
fortunately, the financial engine driving Catholic education continues to run
low on fuel (DeFiore, 2011; USCCB, 2005b).

The Bishops’ Mandate to Prepare Pastors for School Leadership

Through their involvement and leadership of parish schools, pastors and
associate pastors play a critical role in supporting the efforts of Catholic edu-
cation in the United States (Dolan, 2010; King, 2013; USCCB, 2005b). The
US Conference of Catholic Bishops (2005b) recognized that pastors, priests,
and seminarians need help in fulfilling their important role in Catholic
education. The Bishops asked Catholic educational leaders to develop new
programs to support priests and prepare seminary students for leadership of
Catholic schools.
In light of this request by the Bishops for help in developing educational
programs for priests and seminarians, the research team conducting this
study decided to explore how Catholic seminary students are currently being
prepared for future work in parish schools. The research team reasoned that
with a better understanding of how seminaries educate their students about
Catholic schools, we could then make suggestions about how to help prepare
future priests to be leaders of Catholic schools.
 Seminarian Perspectives on Catholic Schools 101

Method
In order to understand the current formation process of US seminar-
ians in regards to work in Catholic schools, members of the research team
met with 14 seminary students who volunteered to participate in four focus
groups. The 14 seminary students were all participating in a summer pro-
gram. The students were from 14 different dioceses in the United States and
were attending 12 different seminaries. All of the students had completed
their initial seminary studies in philosophy, and were now completing their
final studies in theology.
The four focus groups, facilitated by members of the research team, struc-
tured discussion around five open-ended questions:
1. How would you define the New Evangelization?
2. Describe some of the ways your seminary program, up to this point,
has helped you to understand the role of the Catholic school and the
New Evangelization.
3. If you were assigned as an associate pastor to a parish with a school,
how would that make you feel?
4. In your ideal future parish in which you would be the pastor, would
there be a parish school?
5. Describe some of the ways your seminary program, up to this point,
has prepared you to someday provide leadership for a parish school.
After the focus groups had finished their discussions, each member of the
research team individually reviewed field notes and identified key themes
that had emerged from the discussion of the five open-ended questions. To
ensure the validity of the findings, the research team then met two days after
the focus groups were completed to discuss the analysis of what the seminary
students had said. After some conversation, the members of the research
team reached consensus about the important themes that had emerged from
the four focus groups (Creswell and Miller, 2000).

Findings
Analysis of the focus group data resulted in identification of four com-
mon themes that cut across all the comments made by the seminarians. Each
theme is described in the sections that follow, and clear mapping of each
theme directly to comments made by the seminarians is included in each sec-
tion.
102 Journal of Catholic Education / March 2017

Reinterpretation of The New Evangelization

The seminarians participating in this study had clearly reinterpreted
the meaning of the New Evangelization. For this group of 14 seminarians,
evangelization was not driven by a new program with defined means and
goals. Rather, for these seminarians, evangelization meant using more effec-
tive means to communicate the perennial Gospel message. For example, one
seminarian explained, “To even say it’s a ‘new language and methods’ over-
looks the idea of evangelizing throughout time. It’s the old evangelization in
a new context.” Another seminarian suggested that the New Evangelization
is a “way of thinking and responding to our faith that feeds our fast-paced
society and culture; a way to reconsider the Gospel in light of a new fast-
paced and unreflective world breaking through the noise with a message
worth hearing.” A third seminarian thought that “The words New Evangeli-
zation get thrown around a lot. What we need to do is re-evangelize, mak-
ing it cool to be Catholic.” A fourth seminarian stated that “Families are not
living the Catholic faith. We need to find creative ways to reach the kids.” A
fifth seminary student expressed his opinion that “The college seminary was
excellent. We developed a community of belonging, and from that commu-
nity we could reach out to others and develop a relationship with them. We
need to go in their door first.”
The seminarians mentioned a number of specific examples of how they
saw the Gospel message being effectively shared today. These examples
included: Life Teen, Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism video series, Catholics
Come Home, and videos on You Tube. All of these examples fit with the
seminarians’ emphasis on effective means to evangelize rather than a newly
defined single program of evangelization.

Value of Catholic Schools

The seminarians agreed that Catholic schools are valuable for the future
of the Church. They reasoned that more time with students over six or eight
years in a Catholic school could have a greater impact on faith formation
than one or two hours per week spent in parish religious education. Along
these lines, one seminarian stated, “I’ve taught both [Catholic grade school
religion classes and parish religious education classes], and there is a huge
difference between the attitudes and understanding of middle school kids
in Catholic school and [those that don’t go to Catholic school]. Catholic
schools give a longer time in a Gospel-centered environment.” Another
 Seminarian Perspectives on Catholic Schools 103

seminarian shared that “Catholic schools can be a perfect place [for evan-
gelization]. There’s opportunity to follow up and develop, which continues
relationships.”

Involvement and Responsibility in Schools

The seminarians expressed enthusiasm about being involved with a
Catholic school. They used phrases; such as, “excited to be involved,” “really
happy to have the opportunity,” “a ministry of presence,” and “fun” to express
how they would feel about working in a parish with a school.
At the same time, the seminary students also expressed some reservations
about taking on a leadership role in a Catholic school. One seminarian said,
“I might wonder if I had adequate skills, but I would like the opportunity.”
Another seminarian noted that he wanted the “fun [of working in a school]
without the [administrative] responsibility.”
The most frequently mentioned concern involved school finances. One
seminarian reported, “[if the school was] financially stable, with good enroll-
ment…then yes, I’d want a school. Finance is the biggest thing. Support of
the community is second. If you have money and support, you’re fine.” An-
other seminarian stated that he did not want to be the pastor of a parish with
a school: “With great respect for Catholic schools, I don’t want the financial
and administrative responsibility of a school.” A third seminary student
shared that his mentor pastor told him, “The finances of the school are killing
me. I wonder at what point we can no longer do it.”
The time factor created by dual responsibilities was also cause for concern.
One seminarian explained, “I’ve always envisioned myself as a priest without
a school. Being in charge of both [parish and school] is a gargantuan task.
I’d rather be the pastor of a parish [without a school] than a parish with a
school.”
Notably in the course of our focus group discussions, the idea of free-
standing Catholic schools emerged. A freestanding regional Catholic school
would need priests to be involved in ministerial roles, but the administrative
responsibilities of operating a Catholic school could be taken on by principals
and regional school boards. The seminarians thought that Catholic schools
not connected to parishes would be a good concept to explore. For example,
one seminarian shared, “I believe in Catholic schools, but just not schools
in parishes. Have freestanding schools and then the priests can come to the
schools to help with pastoral needs.” Another seminarian agreed saying, “I
would desire to be assigned to a parish with a school, but my feelings would
104 Journal of Catholic Education / March 2017

be mixed. I would need others to do the administration.” Finally, a third

seminarian shared, “I imagine myself as a priest without a school. Doing
both parish and school is too much.”

Lack of Preparation for School Responsibilities

Seminarians reported that their seminary preparation included virtually
no academic content in the principles, history, purpose, or methods of PK-12
Catholic schools. For example, one seminary student stated, “Seminary has
helped us learn about United States culture in general, but we really have not
talked about Catholic schools in particular.” A second seminarian described
the preparation for working in Catholic schools as, “. . . learn as you go- if
any.” Seminarians noted that their primary preparation to work in Catholic
schools occurred during practicum courses and field experiences. One semi-
narian commented that “I saw a good principal and pastor relationship dur-
ing my pastoral year.” Another seminarian noted that “the ideas presented
in class get applied in the pastoral year.” The seminarians suggested the
following enhancements to seminary education to better prepare seminary
students for ministry in Catholic schools:
••Courses on school administration
••Workshops on the role of the pastor in a Catholic school including how
to collaborate with a school principal and staff
••Visits to the Catholic Schools Office to gain understanding of Catholic
education at the diocesan level
••Modeling by priests who are effective school leaders
••School experiences, such as teaching, to understand how schools operate
••Pastoral experiences in schools
••Conversations with Catholic school faculty members
••Conversations with pastors of parish schools

Conclusions and Recommendations

The seminarians we interviewed reported being open to involvement
in Catholic schools but reluctant to assume the responsibilities connected
with leading a parish school. While their openness to school involvement is
heartening, their reluctance to serve as pastors of parish schools is reason for
concern. Thus, the underlying causes of the seminarians’ reluctance to take
on school leadership responsibilities merit examination.
We think that one obvious reason for their reluctance to see themselves
as school leaders is because these seminarians had taken virtually no course
 Seminarian Perspectives on Catholic Schools 105

work that would serve as an introduction to Catholic education. The semi-

narians we interviewed were from 14 different dioceses in the United States
and were attending 12 different seminaries. None of them reported having
taken any courses on the history, philosophy, or purpose of Catholic educa-
tion during their seminary training, which indicates that the lack of prepara-
tion for leadership of Catholic schools is a consistent missing piece in semi-
nary education as a whole.
Given the seminarians’ lack of preparation for school involvement, it is
not surprising that they are reluctant to lead parish schools. Feeling unpre-
pared for success as leaders, seminarians perceive the role of pastor of a parish
school as a threat to avoid rather than a challenge they can master (Bandura,
1989).
Consistent with the theme of ongoing challenges in school finances high-
lighted in the literature review, the seminarians astutely demonstrated their
understanding of this key reality. Seminarians are picking up on the serious
financial troubles within the Catholic school system, and this situation is
another reason why they are understandably reluctant to take on the role of
chief educational leader in charge of school financial operations.
Given the importance of Catholic schools for the vitality of the Catho-
lic faith (Dolan, 2010; King, 2013; USCCB, 2005b) and the reluctance of the
seminarians in this study to take on leadership roles in these schools, it is
clear that changes are needed (McKnight, 2011). One change we recommend
is that seminaries include content related to the ministry of education, par-
ticularly leadership of Catholic schools, within their programs. An initial in-
troduction to the history, philosophy, and purpose of Catholic schools within
course work could lead to practical experiences in schools and seminars on
school leadership. Review and discussion of key Church documents would
be a good place to begin, and could include The Declaration on Christian
Education from the Second Vatican Council (1965), John Paul II’s (1979) On
Catechesis in Our Time, To Teach as Jesus Did published by the National Con-
ference of Catholic Bishops (1972), Called and Gifted for the Third Millennium
published by the US Catholic Conference (1995), The Catholic School on the
Threshold of the Third Millennium published by the Congregation for Catholic
Education (CCE, 1997), Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord published by
the USCCB (2005a), and Renewing Our Commitment to Catholic Elemen-
tary and Secondary Schools in the Third Millennium published by the USCCB
(2005b).
106 Journal of Catholic Education / March 2017

Seminars on school leadership could be provided through partnerships

with the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) and Catholic
Higher Education in Support of P-12 Catholic Schools (CHESCS), a na-
tional membership organization committed to supporting Catholic educa-
tion. Seminars could be provided electronically or at summer institutes.
As noted in the findings section of this article, the seminarians we inter-
viewed wondered out loud if freestanding Catholic schools not juridically or
legally connected to a Catholic parish might be a model to consider in some
contexts. Therefore, our second recommendation is that the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops and diocesan educational leaders explore this
option. If seminary based programs or specialized formation programs for
young priests are not put in place to prepare future pastors for school leader-
ship roles, then regional Catholic schools operated by lay boards might be a
better model to adopt. Regional Catholic schools may also provide new op-
tions to answer the vexing question of how to finance Catholic grade schools.
At the same time, if bishops and diocesan school leaders continue to view
parish schools overseen by a pastor as a more effective means of evangeliza-
tion, then it is critical for US Catholic seminaries to provide adequate prepa-
ration for future pastors of parish schools. Excellent and easily accessible re-
sources exist that any seminary professor could include in courses on spiritual
development, Church history, and pastoral Theology. Some of these resourc-
es have been mentioned already, and we would add these: Priestly Leadership
in Catholic Schools edited by James King (2015) and published by the National
Catholic Educational Association, A History of United States Catholic Schooling
by Harold Buetow (1986), Parish School: American Catholic Parochial Education
From Colonial Times to the Present by Timothy Walch (2016), and Beyond the
Catechist’s Toolbox by Joe Paprocki (2013).
Catholic schools are “a most valuable resource” (Francis, 2013b, section 134)
for the evangelization and formation of Catholic youth. They are in a unique
position to provide leadership formation for youth, share the message of the
Gospel with parish communities, and bring parents closer to the Church.
However, their success depends on quality leadership from the teachers, prin-
cipals, and most especially the pastors of parish schools.
 Seminarian Perspectives on Catholic Schools 107

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Thomas A. Simonds, S.J., Ed.D. is associate professor of education at Creighton

University, in Omaha, NE. He has taught in the online Catholic School Leader-
ship Program, and now he teaches in the secondary teacher education program at
Creighton. Dr. Simonds was the lead researcher for this study. Correspondence
concerning this article can be addressed to him at [email protected].

Barbara L. Brock, Ed.D. is former professor of education at Creighton. She now

teaches part-time in the online Doctoral Program in Interdisciplinary Leadership.

Timothy J. Cook, Ph.D. is professor and chair of the Education Department at

Creighton. He teaches in the online Catholic School Leadership and MS in School
Leadership Programs.

Max T. Engel, Ph.D. is assistant professor at Creighton. He teaches both theology

and teacher education courses at Creighton.