By Joseph Kenny, Review Staff Writer

Progress as promised.

Pledges for the capital campaign for Kenrick-Glennon Seminary are being collected and are being put to use, including for building the endowment.

In February, the Archdiocese of St. Louis announced that the "Faith for the Future" campaign exceeded its goal. The effort raised more than $61 million, an amount that was $11 million more than the target.

So far, 46 percent of pledges have been collected. The campaign is far ahead of the anticipated schedule for collecting pledges — an unusual but pleasing circumstance for the first nine months of a five-year collection period.

Because of the pace of collection of pledges, Archbishop Robert J. Carlson has directed staff to:

• Pay all campaign expenses, which were held to 5.1 percent, lower than expected;
• Set aside $3 million for plans and initial stages of building improvements;
• Pay off a loan of $2.3 million to build additional rooms needed for growth experienced by the seminary;
• Deposit more than $19.1 million in the endowment funds. The endowment goal of $20 million is expected to be reached by November.

The campaign was conducted to increase the endowment as well as provide repairs, updates and physical improvements to a building that dates to 1931.

More on the Faith for the Future campaign » | Continue Reading on the St. Louis Review website »

In January when I published my vision for Catholic schools, I wrote: "We cannot be content with the status quo or, worse, with declining enrollments in our schools. To truly be Alive in Christ our schools must be vibrant centers of evangelization and missionary activity. Promoting growth is not optional — no matter how difficult the challenges."

I know the challenges are enormous. The demographics seem to be against us. Even the largest Catholic school in our archdiocese must prepare for the day when its numbers begin to decline. Given this reality, how do keep our schools growing? What does it mean to be a vibrant, growing Catholic school in a time of population decline?

In this brief column, I can only suggest a preliminary response to this vitally important question. Many hours of prayerful discussion and planning are needed to frame a long-term response to this serious challenge. At the same time, I believe there are things that we can say, and do, immediately to keep our schools growing. Here are three things we should consider prayerfully:

First, we can make sure that our schools are Alive in Christ! We can strengthen our commitment to providing schools as places of prayer and learning that promote the intellectual, emotional and spiritual growth of their students (and staff and families). A school that is growing spiritually — and that is also excellent academically and reaching out to serve its community — will attract new students and their families. Why? Because a vibrant faith and a dynamic school environment are contagious!

Second, all Catholic schools in our archdiocese should either have a commitment to increase their enrollments or, if a school is filled to capacity, to refer families to nearby Catholic schools and assist them in enrolling there. Proactive recruitment and enrollment-management strategies are an essential sign of life for Catholic schools. The decline in student population may be beyond our reach, but it is our responsibility as a Church to make sure that every Catholic family is invited and encouraged — as personally as possible — to send their children to a Catholic school. If that means going door-to-door in our neighborhoods to talk to the parents of elementary- and high-school-aged children, then that's what we should be doing.

Third, I think we need to make a conscious effort to fill every empty seat in our schools with children who otherwise could not afford a Catholic school education. It makes no sense to conduct classes that are a third or half empty. When we do that, we are depriving children who need our help from reaching their full potential and breaking the cycle of poverty. As a matter of social justice, we need to work together as parish communities and as an archdiocesan family to make it possible for every child who wants a Catholic school education but cannot afford it to be welcomed into one of our school communities.

When I say that our schools must be "vibrant centers of evangelization and missionary activity," I mean that quite literally. The same statistical information that tells us the school-aged population is declining also tells us that increasing numbers of young Catholic parents are not bringing their children to their parish to be baptized. This is a serious matter that every parish must address. Baptism is the primary sacrament of initiation into our Catholic way of life. Until our children are baptized, they cannot participate fully in the life of the Church. The "new evangelization" that Pope John Paul II urged us to embrace is vital — for the salvation of souls and for the health and vitality of our parishes and schools.

In order to remain viable, a Catholic school must be able to demonstrate that it is Alive in Christ! The three priorities I have set for our schools are: 1) strong Catholic identity, 2) evidence of growth and vitality and 3) financial health and the ability to help those who otherwise could not afford a Catholic school education.

The measures that we use to assess all three of these priorities can vary, but they will always involve a combination of factors ranging from deeply spiritual values to extremely practical considerations. The growth and vitality of a school community is directly related to its Catholic identity and its financial health. To keep our schools growing, we must keep them Catholic. And we must help them meet their financial obligations. These are enormous challenges today — and every day — but with God's grace all things are possible.