The kingdom of heaven, the Rev. Anthony Legarski has preached from his pulpit at St. Mary Catholic parish in Hollidaysburg, is like a merchant searching for a fine pearl.
"That Bible passage describes heaven, not just a pearl," Legarski said. "But a pearl that must be pursued relentlessly."
Parents of more than 4,000 children have been working relentlessly toward that pearl by providing Catholic education for their children in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.
"We have a lot of students whose mother goes to work for tuition. A lot of them work two or three jobs, and they watch what they spend to afford Catholic education," Sister Donna Marie Leiden, diocese director of education, said.
Tuition has been rising for the past five years to keep up with cost-of-living raises for salaries and health insurance, Altoona Central Catholic Elementary School Principal Jeff Maucieri said Thursday, during Catholic Schools Week. Not all Altoona-area Catholic schools have released tuition costs for the the 2012-13 school year, but Maucieri said tuition at Altoona Central Catholic will go up $100 to $3,325 next year.
Enrollment growing
Despite a decline in parish attendance in northern Cambria County, Johnstown and Altoona over the past decade, the Diocesan Education Office reported an enrollment jump of 56 students this school year, making it the only diocese in Pennsylvania to post an increase.
Catholic school elementary and secondary enrollment for the 2011-12 school year is 4,002 students, while preschool enrollment is 480 students.
A lack of private charter schools in the Altoona-Johnstown area may be one factor for the increase; another may be a concerted marketing effort.
The diocese's four high schools - Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic in Altoona, Bishop Carroll Catholic in Ebensburg, Bishop McCort Catholic in Johnstown and St. Joseph's Catholic Academy in Boalsburg - each contribute $5,000 annually for marketing purposes, including TV and billboard ads, Leiden said.
Statewide, Catholic school enrollment is 138,831 students - a 6 percent decrease from last year, Pennsylvania Catholic Conference Director of Education Sean McAleer said.
"With the financial times that the state and nation are going through, you have to decide to feed children or send them to school - priorities change. People can't afford to pay local public school taxes on top of tuition anymore," he said. "We pray for a voucher system so kids can go to Catholic or any private school," McAleer said.
Catholic schools rely on parish contributions to stay afloat, by helping to keep tuition costs down.
Financial aid from donors also helps. At Bishop Guilfoyle, the Angel Fund provides funds for students including diocese elementary students whose family income may be affected by a parent's injury or job loss. Donors also sponsor high-performing students by committing at least $1,500 over three years to help with their tuition.
Setting standards
There are enough public school children who attend Sunday school in local parishes to fill the diocese's schools, according to Leiden.
Misconceptions about Catholic schools that may deter enrollment include notions that students pray all day, and teachers are not certified.
"All of the diocese's teachers are state-certified, except theology teachers," Leiden said.
The graduation rates for the diocese's high school students is 99 percent, and 92 percent of those students pursue higher education, Leiden said.
"We continually have to prove that we are good educators, when the proof is in the results of our students," she said.
Tapping into potential
The diocese's enrollment spike this year does not include the 40 students attending classes for the inaugural year of Saint Joseph's, diocese spokesman Tony DeGol said.
"The school was started by a group of folks interested in Catholic high school in Centre County," said Dennis Scanlan, St. Joseph trustee and Penn State professor.
The board of trustees bought a former State College School District elementary school for $750,000 and began remodeling it in June.
It has been financed with a combination of a loan from the diocese, a donation campaign and tuition. The board has planned a multi-purpose facility for music and arts.
"We didn't even have a building to show people until June, so we are happy with enrollment this school year and expect it to increase now that the school is real," Scanlan said.
The school has also sparked interest from Huntingdon and Lewistown residents, according to the diocese.
The school's curriculum includes Advanced Placement courses, college in high school and opportunities for students to attend Penn State University for courses. Extracurricular opportunities include golf, girls basketball and volleyball.
Diocese administrators anticipate St. Joseph's to outgrow the diocese's other high schools, including Bishop Guilfoyle in Altoona.
"We predict it will be our biggest high school," Leiden said. "State College is our only growing area in the diocese."
Bishop Guilfoyle was established 1922, nearly 90 years before St. Joseph's.
Sam Dunning, a senior at BG, guided parents and grandparents of students on a tour of the school earlier this week.
"I have attended Catholic school all my life, and I love it," Dunning said. "You know everybody - students and teachers."
Among the adults on the tour was Shirley Voltz, whose children and grandchildren have attended Bishop Guilfoyle. She was impressed by the school's features including modern computer labs, a soundproof music room and the school chapel, which some alumni noted has not changed since the '60s.
"The education is worth the cost," Voltz said. "Parents are willing to make the sacrifice because Christian values are so important."
Mirror Staff Writer Russ O'Reilly is at 946-7435.
