by Ed Wilkinson
Attendees at the annual dinner of the Cathedral Club of Brooklyn received a full serving of information about Catholic education. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, as well as the evening’s main speaker and its honoree, all devoted their remarks to the value of Catholic education and the need to preserve it.
Bishop DiMarzio said, “We come together to ensure that our Catholic voice is heard in the discussions taking place in the public square. We are here to be agents of real change. The time for that change has come in the form of the Education Investment Tax Credit. … Essentially, the bill enables for contributions to scholarship organizations such as Futures in Education to qualify for a dollar-to-dollar tax credit.”
The bishop pointed out that the diocese is currently assisting 6,100 students with more than $8.1 million in scholarships and grants to attend Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens. But he estimated that $20 or $30 million would be a more realistic amount to help the thousands of additional children who need the support. He emphasized that without the tax credit proposal, it is unrealistic to think that such a total could be achieved.
Father Walter Scully, C.S.C., professor of political science at Notre Dame University, South Bend, Ind., the main speaker, told his audience that “Catholic schools provide remarkable, often transformative, education, often on shoestring budgets.
“Catholic schools are indispensable instruments of both human formation and social transformation. Catholic schools contribute to the common good in unique and powerful ways. They are sacred spaces serving civic purposes. Their students succeed academically and personally.”
Father Scully, who heads the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at Notre Dame, praised Brooklyn State Sen. Martin Golden’s leadership in sponsoring the tax credit legislation.
He added that his group is “not willing to see a country comprised of only state-run schools, especially for children and families in our communities who are most vulnerable.”
“We are privileged to have the opportunity for ACE to be supporting schools in Brooklyn!” he pointed out. “Our consulting group has been involved in a number of projects. Currently we are partnering with the diocese to facilitate strategic planning for about a dozen academies.
Parental Choice is Key
Father Scully emphasized that he believes parental choice of schools for their children is one of the keys to a good education.
“‘Parental choice’ legislation empowers families to choose the best school for their children, to choose where and how they are educated.
“Vouchers or tax credits for education are about so much more than saving a struggling Catholic school system, or advancing educational achievement, or taking advantage of the benefits of free markets. This is a matter of basic human dignity – a dignity that the Church has affirmed in both word and deed for more than a century in the context of K-12 education.
“We live in a country in which the families of the poorest children, those on the margins of our society, have no choice about what schools to attend. We believe this is fundamentally unjust. We must give these families – and all children – the opportunity to flourish as individuals.”
More than 600 people attended the Cathedral Club’s 114th Anniversary Dinner on Feb. 6 at the New York Marriott Marquis in Manhattan. The dinner honored Louis S. Milo, a native of Queens, who is founder and president of Milrose Consultants Inc., one of the nation’s leading code consulting and municipal filing services company.
In his remarks, Milo credited Catholic education for his success.
“We need to support Catholic education,” said Milo, who attended St. Ann’s School, Flushing; Archbishop Molloy H.S., Briarwood, and St. John’s University, on the undergraduate as well graduate levels.
Vote Your Conscience
He urged Catholics to express their views to their representatives and asked them to “Vote your conscience and not solely along party lines.”
He said that Catholics have been too complacent and willing to stand on the sidelines.
“Someplace in my lifetime, many Catholic Americans lost their way and became concerned only with their personal needs. The ‘me’ mattered more than the ‘we.’ The message of baptism seemed lost for so many and we felt more distant; we were no longer part of the universal Catholic family.
“Government leaders want to strip us of our religious identity by requiring the Church to secure waivers for rights that are not theirs to regulate, by denying tax breaks afforded to others whose votes carry more weight in an election.
“Join me and make yourself heard. To deny your faith is to deny who you are.”
Milo was introduced by Franciscan Father Francis Gasparik, O.F.M., who applauded his involvement with the St. Francis Food Pantries in Manhattan. He also supports St. Dominic’s Home and is active in his home parish of St. Aidan’s, East Williston, L.I.
Martin Cottingham, president of the Cathedral Club, said it was an honor to recognize Milo and Father Scully.
“The Cathedral Club of Brooklyn has been an integral part of our diocese for over a century,” he said. “Our charge of promoting Catholic values to advance Catholic interests continues to be our mission.
“It is our awesome responsibility to preserve, protect and promote our most cherished institution – our church.
“As president of the Cathedral Club, it is a privilege to recognize two special leaders in our Church. These two men dedicate themselves to that mission. They literally feed the hungry, and educate our youth.”
Radio personality Jim Kerr was the emcee for the evening. Among those on the dais were Westchester County executive Rob Asterino, a possible Republican candidate for governor. Other political office holders in attendance were Congressman Michael Grimm, State Sen. Martin Golden and City Councilman Vincent Gentile.