A board of education in Oklahoma approved the first taxpayer-paid religious school in American history. It is an online virtual Catholic school under the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.
Governor Stitt, who I admire, praised it, and of course the local Church is also behind this. Apparently this is more than simply a school voucher program, but the whole program directly funded by the government. Those insisting on separation of Church and state are saying this is wrong and unconstitutional.
Here are my thoughts from the perspective of an Okie and a traditional Catholic.
First, the positive. It is great the state would get behind a Catholic school, and enable taxpayer parents to use taxes to send their kids to a Catholic school. It shows some increased trust between Oklahoma, a very Protestant state, and the Catholic Church, valuing what good works the Church historically gives including education.
Compared to public schools, Catholic schools tend to represent something more conservative and mature when it comes to morals and discipline, so I can see some local overtly conservative Protestants supporting this. The Catholic Church in her moral teachings is a beacon of light, and many non-Catholics appreciate this. Another positive is this is a virtual school, which would work with homeschooling of which I am a strong advocate.
Now the negative. Catholic schools have become watered down compared to what they were before the reforms of the 1960’s were implemented. Compared to the old schools, the new schools are not really teaching the entire Catholic Faith, with many errors mixed in. I myself went to Catholic schools kindergarten through 10th grade, after which, for religious and financial reasons, I finished out my last two years at the public high school. Our conservative pastor told my dad he didn’t think the Catholic high school I was attending was any longer Catholic, the tuition being hard to afford the hard decision was made to leave.
With rare exception, today’s Catholic schools have become a breeding ground for modernism and liberalism. I know this also first hand having taught in a Catholic high school.
In the practical realm, I hesitate to support this new government-sponsored Catholic school, until I should hear its principal and faculty are really establishing a devout, orthodox program, which statistically speaking is very unlikely to happen. That kind of school has become the exception to the rule.
But in the realm of principle, I support this because I do not believe in a separation of Church and state. I support the state sponsoring Catholic schools, to work mutually for a formal education centered on God. As a traditionalist, I think we need to bring back the integral unity between Church and state, and as a Catholic believing Christ established the Catholic Church as the true Church, naturally I support initiatives like this. In principle.
I will mention that if you are a Catholic in Oklahoma City who appreciates the Latin Mass, including the Society of St. Pius X, contact St. Michael’s Chapel to ask about a school program one of the families has established. The last I heard there are children from different households who have a classroom and a teacher. There is also a traditional Catholic boys school in the area officially under the diocese.
In conclusion, despite the widespread errors in Catholic institutions today, this development is a small sign of hope, in my opinion. At least in the principle of supporting Catholic education and the unity between Church and state that Christ intended, long before Enlightenment philosophers rebelled against that idea.
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