School Choice and Religious Identity

Here (thanks to Amy Welborn) is an important and interesting article, "Big 'C' or little 'c' Catholic?", about the "struggle" of Catholic schools in Milwaukee with "identity issues" as their student bodies become more "diverse."  (The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is running a multi-part series, of which this article is a part, on the city's ground-breaking voucher program).  Br. Bob Smith -- a true hero of education reform -- is featured prominently. 

I strongly support school-choice programs.  And, I agree with Br. Bob that "Catholic means universal.  We've always been an immigrant church, and opened our doors to the poor."  I'm not bothered by the possibility that (a) vouchers will bring more low-income, non-Catholic students to Catholic schools and, accordingly, (b) many Catholic schools will find it pastorally and pedagogically appropriate to be sensitive to non-Catholics students' beliefs and backgrounds.  That said, this statement, by a "religion" teacher, troubles me:

"We're ecumenical," said Sue Swieciak, who teaches classes on religion and faith at the school. "We're not teaching Catholicism. We're teaching about faith and Christian values."

Swieciak does not teach about the paschal mystery, the litany of the saints, or the assumption of Mary. The religion classes have a generic feel to them.

I would think (as a parent who is about to start sending kids to Catholic schools!) that the Catholic parents who are sending their children to Ms. Swieciak's school should reasonably be able to expect sacramental preparation, catechesis, and so forth, from their Catholic school.  In a way, it sounds like Milwaukee's parochial and Catholic high schools are wrestling with the same kinds of challenges that Catholic universities and law schools confronted a generation ago.  Frankly, I hope Milwaukee's schools do a better job.

Rick