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Catholic Schools Have Served, Continue to Serve Community

by Tom Anselm

The old cliché “The only thing that is constant is change” is attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus. And it may never be as true as when applied to the history of Catholic schools in St. Louis.

The year 1818 saw Bishop Louis Dubourg setting up a seminary in Perryville, MO, and inviting the likes of Mother Rose Phillipine Duchesne, Father John Rosati and Father Peter DeSmet to work on establishing an educational system for the growing number of Catholics immigrating to this new fur trading post called St. Louis by founder Pierre Laclede. Throughout the 1800s many parish schools and several gender-specific high schools were set up. Archbishop John Glennon was instrumental in furthering this growth throughout the first half of the 20th Century.

Then, in 1947, Archbishop Joseph Ritter made a landmark decision to integrate all Catholic schools. Yes, 1947, a full seven years before the US Supreme Court in its own landmark decision of Brown vs. Board of Education ended, at least officially, the ‘separate but equal’ practice then in force for public schools. It would be a decade at least until the rest of the country caught up with what was established custom in St. Louis.

Pretty cool stuff. Talk about change, right?

My experience with Catholic education started in a neighborhood that was the model for growth during the early 1950s. All across St. Louis County, parishes and schools were sprouting up, surrounded by affordable housing designed to meet the demand created by the post-war growth in population

Recently Jill and I counted no fewer than 20 parish schools that were in operation in the North County area when we were kids. Our own, St. Pius X in Glasgow Village and St. Jerome, were only two miles apart. Others were even closer, like St. Pius X and St. Catherine, or St. Sebastian and Sts. John and James, just up the street from each other. And these were vibrant, full-to-the-walls schools. Few who attended these schools knew what a carpool was, walking to and from each day. Heck, I recall even coming home for lunch for a couple of years, it was that simple. And I say simple in the kindest of terms, as ours was as close to a small town experience as I would ever have.

These schools flourished, in part because they were affordable, due to most of the faculty being religious sisters. I didn’t see a non-nun in the classroom until seventh grade. And the schools had what seemed like a never-ending supply of students. In that same seventh grade, I had 70 kids in my classroom. It was an altogether cultural phenomenon that shaped the minds and memories of kids my age forever.

But, like good ol’ Heraclitus noted, things changed.

We Boomers grew up, got educated, took jobs out of town. Our parents also grew up, and grew older. They moved, or died. A population shift went west of the Missouri River. Schools struggled, closed, consolidated. Parishes sold their properties. But with these changes has come a new appreciation for the private, faith-based educational experience.

Today, our area parochial schools continue to provide an alternative to those who want it. The costs are higher, due in part to a full faculty of highly-educated teachers. But for the many who make that choice, the value continues to also be high.

My days in Catholic schools will never be forgotten. I thank my parents for their sacrifices in providing this. For me, and for the thousands who had this opportunity, (with all due respect to Mr. Heraclitus) it was a change for the better.

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