Latest news with #BlessedSacramentSchool
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Vatican agrees to hear parents' case on Blessed Sacrament School
The Vatican has agreed to hear the case of Blessed Sacrament School parents who are fighting to keep the school open after the Diocese of Erie announced its closure on February 14. The decision by the Vatican to study the case comes after the Friends of Blessed Sacrament School hired a canon lawyer in late February to present their claims. BSS parents hire lawyer, petition bishop to revoke school closure The group filed these claims in March, seeking to overturn the diocese's decision, which they argue was made without sufficient transparency. 'It's mind boggling, but the fact that they would take the time to get back so quickly to us on our little recourse case here in Erie, Pennsylvania, that is amazing and it makes me proud to be Catholic,' said Dorothy Sexauer, a member of the Friends of Blessed Sacrament School. The Diocese of Erie announced the closure of Blessed Sacrament School, citing a data-driven decision by the Catholic school system. However, parents are requesting the release of the data used to make this decision. Bishop Lawrence Persico reaffirmed in a statement in March that there would not be a reversal of the decision to close the campus. Despite this, the parents remain hopeful that the Vatican's involvement might lead to a different outcome. EDP, Flagship City District announce downtown summer events The Vatican's letter to the group's canon lawyer stated, 'This Dicastery has received the hierarchical recourse you have made against the decision to close Blessed Sacrament School. The Dicastery has begun its study of the case and will respond according to the norm of law.' Dorothy Sexauer emphasized the unique community at the school, noting that it serves over 40 percent minority students and nearly 50 percent low-income students, providing them a secure and welcoming environment. While the group has not been given a timeline for a decision from the Vatican, the fact that their case is being considered is seen as a positive step in their efforts to keep the school open. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now All facts from this article were gathered by WJET/WFXP journalists. This article was converted into this format with assistance from artificial intelligence. It has been edited and approved by WJET/WFXP staff. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Editorial: Don't use tax dollars for religion — Supreme Court should reject funding for sectarian charter school
Should a blatantly sectarian educational institution qualify for public funding as a charter school? The Supreme Court wrestled with the question Wednesday. The answer must be no. Charter schools are public schools; we've said this many times, as have fellow advocates for the innovative instructional models they deliver. They are free and open to all, with limited seats typically distributed by random lottery. What distinguishes them from district-run schools is simply that they are privately managed, which means out from under the local education bureaucracy, including the teachers union. That gives them flexibility and the ability to take risks that can't be made in more hidebound traditional schools. Their quality, like the quality of other public schools, is uneven — but the model as a whole has been a success. Kids in charters tend to score higher in core subjects than in district schools. But with flexibility comes responsibility and accountability, and for charters, that means living up to the terms of their agreement with the government, lest they get shut down. It's a common boast that charters must perform or else. The same cannot be said of many lackluster district schools. St. Isidore of Seville is a virtual charter school looking to open in Oklahoma. It's a Catholic school. Its mission statement is explicitly religious, which is to say teaching students about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is every bit as important to its educators as imbuing them with knowledge and skills in science, history, math and English. It's the school's right to teach religion, but not to get taxpayer money in order to do that. To allow such a school to function as a public school would be to endorse state-funded religious indoctrination of children. That is directly contrary to the American way. We aren't among those who say there must be a hard, high, impenetrable barrier between church and state. We were OK with faith-based institutions doing some essential secular work under President George W. Bush. It's fine for a town square to be decked out in Christmas and Chanukah symbols. All Americans must take care not to turn the First Amendment's ban on establishment of religion from becoming a license to discriminate against religion. In the schooling context, this means that when and if the government runs a constitutional voucher program, in which the government makes funding available to parents to direct as they see fit, it's difficult if not impossible to exclude religious schools. But charters are different. They are state funded. If they can proselytize, there's essentially no meaningful prohibition of the state using its power to indoctrinate in religious faith. As Justice Elena Kagan pointed out in oral argument, a religious public school might well find it contrary to its core mission to teach the scientific fact of evolution. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor (a graduate of Blessed Sacrament School and Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx) pointed out, government would have a hell of a time letting Catholics or Protestants set up a school but saying no to Jews or Muslims. Oklahoma's attorney general had it exactly right: When an institution is a direct extension of the state, it cannot also serve as an agent of a religious faith. Many nations formally commingle religious faith and public schooling. America, thank God, has always been different. _____
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Barber National Institute celebrates Week of the Young Child
A local school is participating in Week of the Young Child (WOYC) by teaching students mind, body, and spirit. WOCY is being celebrated by the Barber National Institute with week-long activities. LECOM offering free dental services to local children Saturday Tuesday's event was 'Tasty Tuesday,' where students learned about making healthy choices and eating healthy foods. One classroom teacher said students made a rainbow of healthy foods followed by their 'worms and dirt' treat at lunchtime, which included ice cream, Oreos and gummy worms. Fight to save Blessed Sacrament School continues 'It's very important to teach that whole child and that social, emotional piece. So, are they emotionally happy? Do they feel safe when they come to school? Are they having fun, you know? They're babies, so we're teaching them, and they're learning, but we're being fun about it. They have to get up and move,' said Alyse Wienecke, a classroom teacher at the Elizabeth Lee Black School preschool. The rest of the week includes 'Work Together Wednesday,' 'Artsy Thursday' and 'Family Friday.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fight to save Blessed Sacrament School continues
The fight to save a local catholic school continued, with concerned families taking the battle countries away. In February, the Erie Catholic School System announced that Blessed Sacrament School would be shutting down after a continuous decline in enrollment. Blessed Sacrament families protest school's closure Since then, concerned parents haven't been able to secure the bishop's blessing to give the school back to the parish, but that hasn't stopped them from finding other ways to push back. Now they're taking the fight to the Vatican, with parents sending a letter to the Catholic headquarters stating their case. Cakery Cafe at Copperleaf set to close later this month 'There's no question. We're definitely confident in this fight. We love our children. We don't want to see them get ripped away from their home. Blessed sacrament is different from a lot of schools,' said William Grenaway, a concerned parent. Grenaway said they still have many questions left unanswered by the Catholic School System. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Holyoke Colleens visit school ahead of parade
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – As the celebration of Irish culture continues, the Colleens visited the Blessed Sacrament School in Holyoke Thursday afternoon. Each girl was able to talk to the students and get them excited for the festivities this weekend, this year's Grand Colleen, Moira Reardon, was able to pass the crown down to a future colleen. She told 22News that the future Colleen is chosen by a submission of essays. Then the Colleens choose which one stood out the most. We spoke with Moira about her time as a grand colleen so far this parade season, 'Being able to represent my family, my community of Holyoke, and my Irish heritage. It's so special,' she says. 'The girls are all great and there just making this the best experience I could ask for.' Moira was also a student at Blessed Sacrament School and competed to be a future Colleen almost 10 years ago. She says that this moment was a very full circle moment for her. The Saint Patrick's Parade kicks off at 11:10 Sunday morning and we will have full coverage on 22News starting at noon. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
