The following comes from a July 29 SF Chronicle article by Jill Tucker:
Teachers at four Catholic high schools emerged from an emotional and drawn-out contract battle this week with a tentative agreement that limits the ability of San Francisco’s archdiocese to link their private lives to their job description.
Yet amid the gains at the bargaining table, critics feared that a morality war ignited by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone was not over.
In a letter early this year to teachers at the four high schools, Cordileone wrote that the schools must buck the “tremendous pressure the contemporary culture places on everyone to conform to a certain agenda.”
Cordileone also sought in the contract to redesignate teachers, calling them ministers, a label that teachers said could give the archdiocese greater power in punishing or firing those whose words or actions contradicted Catholic doctrine.
But Cordileone backed off on both counts. The handbook has been put on a back burner pending community discussion in the upcoming school year, and any reference to teachers as ministers was removed from the contract.
“We are grateful that the (archbishop) recognized the damage caused by the proposed changes and he decided on a different approach,” said Lisa Dole, union president and a social studies teacher at Marin Catholic. “We urge that he keeps listening to the men and women, union and nonunion, who work at our four high schools.”
Both sides, however, agreed to include language clearly stating that “the purpose of Catholic schools is to affirm Catholic values,” and that “teachers are expected to support the purpose of our Catholic schools in such a way that their personal conduct will not adversely impact their ability to teach in our Catholic high schools.”
But disputes over teacher conduct on and off the job would be subject to grievance procedures, offering teachers increased protection should their personal or professional actions be questioned, according to the tentative agreement.
“We strongly believe there are no remaining issues between the negotiating teams to be dealt with,” said Mike Brown, spokesman for the archdiocese. “The ball is in the union’s court. We’re optimistic and unaware of any further negotiating points that must be discussed.”
It might not be a done deal, though.
The agreement heading toward a teacher vote has not assuaged the concerns of vocal critics who say Cordileone has shown the community his cards and could still play them in the future — firing or punishing teachers for being gay, for example, or for having a child through artificial insemination.
While the contract doesn’t say teachers are ministers, federal law and legal precedent offer religious institutions “ministerial exemption” from antidiscrimination laws, giving them wide berth in whom they hire and fire. Cordileone could claim that exemption.
“We celebrate the fact that we’ve been able to stop him to date,” said Kathy Curran, a parent at Sacred Heart and one of the founders of www.teachacceptance.org, a group formed to oppose the archbishop’s proposals.
Still, behind it all is a “homophobic and anti-union agenda” that remains, she said. “We hold on to the fact that we’ve been able to stave this off to date.”
Faithful identity leads to success for Catholic schools
The following comes from a July 30 Cardinal Newman Society article by Justin Petrisek:
The best Catholic schools are those that remain true to their purpose and mission, says The Cardinal Newman Society’s Dr. Jamie Arthur, senior fellow and manager of the Catholic Education Honor Roll. That schools remain steadfast in the faith is increasingly important for parents who desire a genuine Catholic education for their children yet find themselves in a society where religious freedom, traditional marriage and the ability for schools to hire according to their mission are all under attack.
One of the latest developments on this front concerns Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s efforts to shore up the Catholic identity of his schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The archbishop has received criticism for adding language in contacts and handbooks which would ensure that teachers cannot publicly oppose Church teaching, but rather assent to authentically hand on the Catholic faith.
Despite the criticism, thousands of families have gone out of their way to let Archbishop Cordileone know that they value authentic Catholic education over the disparagement of a few dissenting groups.
Additionally, a report by Arthur issued by the Newman Society last month demonstrated that morality clauses for teachers are nothing new, and that they implement longstanding requirements of the Catholic Church for teachers. Another Society report this year showed that, among U.S. dioceses, there is evidence of a “broad and substantial movement toward high standards for Catholic school teachers with regard to faith and morals.”
But just last week, California State Assembly member Phil Ting called a judiciary hearing in order to gather information on the situation “because he was worried about the impact of the archbishop’s proposed changes on the schools.”
One of the lawyers present at the meeting reportedly stated that the Catholic schools must decide what brand of school they are going to be. “Are they religious institutions that cater to students of a particular faith and teach according to that faith, or are they private schools that adhere to state standards and welcome students of all religions,” the National Catholic Reporter questioned.
“Catholic schools cannot compromise on Catholicity for it is the integrity and reputation of this ‘brand’ that parents are desperately seeking to assist them in the intellectual and spiritual development of their children,” said Arthur.
Arthur explained further how Catholic schools sometimes depart from the mission of education to hand on authentic Catholic teaching and morality.
“When enrollment in Catholic schools wanes, strategic decisions made by administrators deviate from core values to accommodate a broader student population and fill empty desks. The Church’s mission in Catholic education is clearly outlined in the magisterial teaching,” and it is always nonnegotiable, she said.
“In the short term, tuition dollars increase. However, the long term effects of weakening of Catholic identity, the sole reason many parents choose Catholic education for their children, results in faithful Catholic families leaving the school with more seats to be filled,” continued Arthur. “This cycle, once started, ultimately results in a school that is secular in many aspects and no longer fulfilling the intended purpose of the Catholic Church.”
“With the closing of so many Catholic schools, when faced with enrollment decisions, school leadership should take note of others’ experience and make decisions with a full understanding of what’s at stake,” she concluded.
Many good Catholic parents gave up on educating their children in Catholic schools, after Vatican II– and simply home-schooled. Today, homeschooling by Catholic families, has grown tremendously! It is too hard to try to put up with a Church that plays too many silly games, trying to include ignorant, anti-Catholic laymen, in decision-making– who do not belong in our Church, at al!! Many years ago, when I was growing up, no parent in their right mind, would accept an immoral teacher, coach, or volunteer with kids, whether in a secular or religious context! Immoral “educators” (secular or religious) would get run out of town, by men of good conscience, courage, and conviction!!
….folks don’t seem to truly understand what parenthood requires. They have been convinced that material security is providing while increasingly negating the spiritual/moral well being of their offspring, Linda Maria.
It is better that a compromised ‘Catholic’ school shut down than be kept open to malform youth.
The ridiculous, anti-Catholic school-teachers of our Archdiocese, who believe in acceptance of sin, and immoral teachers– should all be immediately FIRED by the Archbishop, and their teaching credential should also be revoked! What a horrible DISGRACE they are! All Catholic schools, worldwide, should be run by the Vatican, and the Pope should be firmly in support of his bishops, and the implementation of Catholic education, worldwide! Laymen and their kids, should all respectfully stand up for the Church! Those who want to ignorantly protest, desiring filth and immorality– should all immediately leave the Church! Their anti-Christian views are clearly UNWORTHY of consideration!! GARBAGE!!
Linda maria, you crack me up!!
You want your local catholic school to be run by the Vatican?!? That is hilarious.
Yes, Anonymous! All Catholic schools, worldwide, should have the same basic guidelines for operation, coming straight from the Vatican! The Congregation for Catholic Education deals with Catholic colleges and universities. All local bishops should be required to be in charge of all Catholic schools, in their dioceses, and religious orders operating schools, should be required to work closely with, and report to the local bishop, too! The local bishop needs to BE IN CHARGE OF HIS DIOCESE! YES!! Vatican II RUINED EVERYTHING, didn’t it?? (Did it ruin your religious faith and morals, too?? Well– go to Christ, He will help you!)
Linda, there is a huge difference between the role of the Bishop in a circumstance like this and that of the Vatican, yet you gloss over the differences as though there were none at all. The idea that a local school should be run by a beurocracy 6 thousand or more miles away is kind of lunacy itself, and certainly a violation of the principle of subsidiarity.
Adding capital letters and exclamation points can’t save a bad idea. And trash talking the Church and her solemn ecumenical councils is not helping your argument either.
…the lunacy you promote is a Catholic Church run by no standard, not even Christ’s, Anonymous. Attempting to shame others for asking that Catholics be Catholic and Catholic Schools operate via truly Catholic principles is a simple request for truth in advertising. That and accountability.
If you’re not into that, well, you’re not into it. But Christ was pretty much for truth in advertising, actually Truth in everything considering He is Truth. As for the solemnity of the last ecumenical council, no doubt it was a solemn even. Obfuscating truth and introducing novelty when one is tasked with upholding the Deposit of the Faith is some serious risk taking.
Anonymous, it would be a great idea, if you would undergo Catholic religious and moral training, and choose Christ as your Savior, and follow Him lifelong! Why reject Him– while posting on this Catholic website??
You’re obviously not catholic Ann Malley, are you?
You are obviously pro heterodoxy.
Anonymous– all diocesan bishops make ad limina visits to the Holy Father, every five years. What shall they discuss? How all their Catholic parishes, schools, universities, seminaries, hospitals, charities, and other institutions– are lying in moral and spiritual RUINS?? And so many close– and no longer exist, too! What a shame!!
It would be a great idea, for the Vatican to implement its own distinct Catholic teacher preparation program, worldwide, for all Catholics desiring to teach in Catholic schools– whether nuns or laymen. After taking the required program, and receiving their teaching diploma, they should then be qualified to apply for Catholic teaching jobs, worldwide– including work in Catholic schools in the mission fields! All applicants to the teacher prep program, and subsequent employment, must be devout, sincere Catholics, in good standing with the Church.
There are too many non-Catholic children admitted to most Catholic schools in SFO. (40% to 60%) And non-Catholics do not want their children to be exposed to Catholic Church teaching.
1) No Catholic School should permit more than 15% of its students to be non-Catholic (close schools if necessary).
2) ALL students must be taught the Catholic Faith, whether Catholic or not;
3) ALL employees must give good example and adhere to Catholic Church teachings since children and youth learn by example. We are all called upon to be ministers of the Faith (CCC
4) Anyone who knowingly hires a person who supports moral evils – must be fired immediately themselves.
Sandra is right. 15% Not 14%, not 16%. 15% is the correct number! And I agree, that we should only hire people who support immoral evils. Anyone who supports moral evils are out the door immediately!
BINGO!
It’s really not that tough – if you are not living a Catholic life you should not be employed in a Catholic capacity. Working in the Church’s vineyard means you have an added responsibility to believe and behave according to Church teachings. If you can’t or won’t, go elsewhere as an act of charity toward the students. And go to confession too :)
For Catholic education to work correctly the school and the parents need to be faithful to all of what the Catholic Church teaches, including it’s teaching on contraception. Schools are not meant to be substitutes for the Domestic Church, they are meant to be supporters of the teaching that should be going on at home.
So do you really think that a teacher making teacher wages can have unlimited children? Get real! I guarantee you that every straight catholic school teacher in San Francisco practices birth control. You have to, or else you couldn’t survive in this city.
Anonymous– Birth control is a SIN! And to “survive in the city?” Big LAUGH! Mature educators will educate YOU as to proper Christian Morality, Anonymous, and try to encourage and uplift students, out of an ignorant, sinful, babyish, selfish life, and into a decent, mature, responsible adult life!! Mature teachers– Catholic or not– do not “shack up,” use birth control, seek babyish “partying” and nonsense, and do not have abortions, and KILL CHILDREN!! Mature educators are always ready to COMBAT IGNORANCE and IMMORALITY, and are NOT INTERESTED IN SIN!! You can always find some mature, good educators, in every city!
Maturity and responsibility means not having children you cannot afford to raise.
I repeat again that if the Church wants its teachers to not use birth control, it should pay them much better wages.
There are many articles in the paper this week about how public schools are having a hard time filling their teacher positions. It has been to expensive to live in cities like San Francisco, and nobody can afford to raise a family on a teacher salary. I don’t hear you crying foul about that, or calling Archbishop Cordileone to stop being immature and not paying his teachers enough. Maybe you should tell him to be mature and take responsibility instead of paying babyish salaries.
Maturity and responsibility, Anonymous– means ABSTINENCE, if you are unmarried, and accepting Christ’s teachings!
Who decides who is living a “Catholic life?” You, Kristin? CalCatholic Daily? The Archbishop? The Papal Nuncio?
What about the individual and her/his informed conscience?
Jim McCrea– The priest in charge, can easily know, who may be qualified for Church employment! Very simple! The eligible person will always be a devout, baptized and confirmed, registered Catholic parishioner, who is in good standing with the Church, who goes to Mass regularly, and daily practices the Faith! Single candidates must be living a chaste life. If married, the candidate should be properly married in the Church– and no marriage problems, such as divorce/annulment situations, outside of Church teachings. The candidate must state that he or she accepts all Church teachings, and also, that should be in the employment contract.
And if this ideal teacher accidentaly spills this contents of her purse and the teacher sees a pack of birth control pills, what happens next?
There are a great many educators in this world, C&H, who love and accept Christ, and follow His teachings! A great many teachers, who follow Christ, make great SACRIFICES in salary and job security, etc.– SACRIFICES, for love of their profession, and have no desire at all, to lead a sinful, hedonistic life!
C&H if a woman is nutty enough to bring birth control pills onto a Catholic campus, even in her purse, she deserves what she gets. There was a time when decent people kept their sex lives to themselves and did not blab the most intimate details about their lives to co workers and others. Questions about such things were kept for ones healthcare providers, pharmacists and a trusted relative. Now one cannot even listen to advertisements on the television without the most intimate things being discussed, even on supposed “family” channels. It is all so very disgusting. No romance any more, just pure vulgarity. I do not know about you, but I do not want to know about other people’s intimate life; they need to keep it to themselves.
I should have used the words “disrespectful enough” instead of “nutty enough”. I apologize for that, but taking such things onto a Catholic campus would be just as disrespectful as if I would have accepted a job at an Orthodox Jewish organization or school with a Kosher kitchen and have taken pork sandwiches or cartons of shrimp salad in my purse or lunch box and ate them at the complex. People who are respectful of others’ rights do not do such things. If a non Catholic who uses the Pill has a job at a Catholic organization and wants to take them, they have a home for doing that. Of course I do not recommend taking the birth control pill.
Anne T., you raise an important point here. In almost every case in which a teacher was fired from a school, it was a third party to blabbed the intimated details to the school or the diocese. People trolling into the lives of the teachers, that is, and then taddle-tailing to the school. In fact, CCD has a history of revealing the details of people in an effort to get them fired!
Marriage is a public matter, YFC.
You who call yourself YFC know very well that most of what is reported in the articles on this website are things that are very much out in the open — such as immoral activities going on in public in Catholic colleges, etc., or some renegade priest giving sermons that are against Church teaching. Most of the time there is an investigation only after Catholics who are trying to be faithful get sick and tired of seeing such stuff being presented around them and their families. It never stops unless there is an outcry.
C&H why it that you are always looking for a way to get around the rules with you hypothetical situations…
Good question, Canisius. It seems that some people have nothing better to do that spend their time seeing how many rules they can break without getting caught. It seems to be their goal in life.
Correction to second line of my last post: nothing better to do “than”, not “that”.
What about Satan, Jim? He was/is very well informed. Shall we all follow that example and call it Catholic life?
That would be a Catholic formed conscience not informed
No such thing, “Jim McCrea”. The lie about “follow your conscience” is no where in Catholic Faith, where to do so — say with using contraception, or having sex with someone outside of marriage — violateds what the Catechism, Catholic Tradition, or the Bible requires.
Zombie-Liberals, nicely resurrected by Francis, all want to follow dopy C. Bernardin and others that simply refuse to say that an act, usually sexual, is a sin, and that, more importantly, people can go to Hell because of it. Look at the reward given to Fr. (now bishop) Barron for teaching crap about the reasonable hope that all are saved.
But, perhaps, for centuries, Catholics have been wrong about everything. Yup, that is what Satan wants you to now believe.
No it’s not a lie to follow one’s conscience. It is the centerpiece of catholic moral teaching. CCC 1790: A human being must always obey the certain judgement of his conscience. If he were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn himself.” Conscience is such an important concept that the Catechism devotes all of Article Six to it.
But “YFC”, one must form a Catholic conscience! Can’t cherry pick for permission to do whatever one’s malformed conscience would abide.
Refer to CCC 1776, “Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment. . . . For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. . . .”
Kristin, he does not believe in a Catholic formed conscience.
Yes, “Your Fellow Catholic” both “Canisius” and “Kristin” are completely correct. Unfortunately, you (and almost all homosexual sexualists) demand that, “if it feels good to me” then it is OK, because I am “following my conscience”.
But, your view is not, and has never been, what the Church means about the “conscience”. And, what homosexuals likely know — in their conscience — is that what they do sexually is wrong. You ignore your conscience, in this way, to your soul’s peril.
You are right about that St C with them its all about self worship and renouncing the Cross..
Anonymous– PLEASE DO NOT POST NONSENSE!!
Well, too bad the Archbishop “caved”. Teachers that want to live the sodomite life, or any kind of sexual life that disrespects the Catholic Faith deserved to be told that such conduct gets them fired. Abp. Cordileone’s tail-dragging only lets the sex-crazed school administrators believe that they have a “victory”.
Unfortunately — because at least he tried — the Archbishop also created scandal, in that other bishops will now simply throw in the towel. Also, other people, including students, teachers and administrators that care about the Faith will now be dispirited, wondering who is watching the store? Sadly, not the Archbishop.
Our poor Archbishop is at the mercy of the insane idea of “religious freedom,” in the Vatican II documents, as well as the poor concepts of “no discipline, and “no authority of the clergy”– in the post-Vatican II Church! Very stupid way to run a church! I think the Vatican needs to be the one, to make all the decisions– and then have the bishops of the world, according to the “chain of command,” follow Vatican directives, on all matters of the Church! And the Church must daily follow the Code of Canon Law! Bishops should never be in this insane situation! These dumb, immoral, uneducated, rebellious, false “teachers,” have NO IDEA as to what the Catholic Church is!!
I say we turn the whole ‘morality issue’ over to one with a lot of experience in the field, former mayor (now Gov. Lt. / wannabe Gov) Gravid Nuisance.
Now that that Mayor Ed ‘Not Me’ Lee has joined State Senator Leeland Yee in the “Shrimnp Boy” Bribery scandal, and his aid was briefly exposed as another Larry Brinkin type Racist Toddler Rape-Porn purveyor…
Who can Sodom by the Sea turn to for moral guidance but the adulterer who was having it off during his own ‘catholic divorce’ with a subordinate employee (one with a “Substance Abuse” problem – Which Nuisance avoided mention of sharing with her) who was ‘married’ to his campaign manager?
Nobody Dare Ask Gravid Nuisance whether he Shared the same ‘Substance…
Nobody Dare Ask Gravid Nuisance whether he Shared the same ‘Substance Abuse’ problem with his back door lover – or was just an enabler while still her boss. The lamesteam media has certainly buried the story (save for the one below from the SFGate), but then they wouldn’t want to tarnish Gov. Lt. Gravid as he runs for Governor.
SEE
AIDE QUITS AS NEWSOM’S AFFAIR WITH HIS WIFE IS REVEALED / Campaign manager confronts mayor, who is ‘in shock’
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/AIDE-QUITS-AS-NEWSOM-S-AFFAIR-WITH-HIS-WIFE-IS-2652745.php
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s re-election campaign manager resigned Wednesday after confronting the mayor about an affair Newsom had with his wife while she worked in the mayor’s office,…
My Archbishop did not “cave,” Chris.
He is working in America of the 21st century, where certain laws regarding employment and such mean he has to do his best to uphold Catholic principles (for which he is FAMOUS!!), while also not getting our schools shut down.
As Jesus said, “you must be innocent as doves and wise as serpents” when dealing with this world, and of course this means that many will attack you, especially if you are a bishop, as opposed to a back-seat driver on the WWW.
Not sure if you are correct on this “Daniel”. Listen, Abp. Cordileone deserves respect for what he has done and tried to do. The problem is, that he did not finish with a score!
And, there are still the morally ruinous churches in SF, like Most Holy Redeemer, where nothing is done.
Better for Abp. Cordileone to shut down non-compliant schools and later reopen them with truly Catholic teachers and staff then to only change a little here and there. Same with MHR; have the FSSP in to run the place. Let the vermin leave, squealing and whining all the way. This is not being done.
“The priest in charge, can easily know, who may be qualified for Church employment! Very simple!”
Linda Maria, do you REALLY think a priest can delve into every detail of an employee’s personal life??
Do you believe a priest should ask married couples if they are having any kind of sex that is not capable of producing life?
Do you imagine a priest can interrogate employees, not just at hiring, but perhaps monthly, about how they are living out their faith, especially in terms of the bedroom??
SF Catholic teachers/staff should attend the NFP Conference August 21-22 taking place in SF @ Event Center St Mary’s Cathedral. Comments above indicate that you are perfect candidates for this conference whose stated mission is:
“Empowering sexual integrity and stewardship of the body, for individuals and couples, while building healthy, happy, and holy marriages.”
This Conference is a ‘mind-expanding,’ soul-enriching’ opportunity for you who are using contraception ‘under duress’ or for any reasons. Time to learn about some of the most important but least known aspects of fertility–all scientifically based– and how this all fits together for healthy marriages, responsible parenthood and more
Attend the conference– be…
. . . amazed!
Here are some helpful links:
“Impressive lineup at San Francisco NFP conference” on this site or link below:
https://www.canfp.org/education-events/statewide-conferences/2015-conference-aug-21-22/
“All Catholic schools, worldwide, should be run by the Vatican!!!”
Linda Maria, that is probably one of the most bizarre things anyone has said on this site – especially given the disdain and disrespect so many here show each day toward “the Vatican,” the Holy Father, etc.
How can you, with one breath, accuse Pope Francis of being a heretic, and with the next breath ask him to come in and run your high school in Weed Patch, California?
Karl, many Catholic teachers and professors DO sign a Mandatum put out by the Vatican, at least they did under St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI from what I have read. Many Catholic parents will only send their children to such schools and colleges (where the teachers have signed the Mandatum).
I hope I spelled “Mandatum” correctly.