South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 38, Ed. 1 Friday, March 23, 1984 Page: 3 of 16
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March 23,1984 - 3
Local
Superintendent agrees
with national study
By William G. Bilton
STC executive editor
CORPUS CH RISTI—Incarnate
Word ,ind Blessed S;« nimcnt Sister
(dimelia Herlihy, diocesan superinten-
dent of schools, agrees with a jus:-
releasrd studv from the Nauonal Center
tor Kduc ation Statistics t'hat says
Catholic high school students take more
(lasses m hastes than public or other
private sc lion) students
Sister Camciia Herlihy, IWBS
"I certamlv agree with the study,"
Sister Herlihy said. “Our sc hool, have
high requirements ior graduation. St.
Augustine, Incarnate Word Academy
and Corpus Christ! Minor Seminary all
require four years of Fnglish; three
years of math; two and a half years of
social studies and t>vo or more years oi
science.' ’
“Study of a foreign language is either
required or strongly encouraged in our
schools,” she said.
The National Center for Education
Statistics, part of the U.S, Department
of Education, analyzed more than
12,000 transcripts of students who were
graduated in 1982. The center’s study
was done in light of recommendations
made last April by the National Com-
mission on Excellence in Education.
’The* commission said the United
States is lac mg a crisis in education and
< ailed ha both state and local districts to
establish “new basics" course re-
quirements ior graduation.
The commission’s recommendations
urged that the muiimum requirements
ior a high school diploma be four years
of English; three years of math, science
and social studies; a hall-year oi com-
puter sc ience and two years of a foreign
language for those1 sjudents v, ho are
college-bound.
Calholh' schools have always main-
tained those standards, according to the
superintendent “While' there' is much
talk about general and academic tracks
of stud'" ior students, our s» bools have
always maintained a basic coilege-
prepar«tnr\ curriculum,’’ Sister
Herlthc observed.
“Out numbers are not as large as
public school systems, ,o it is impossible
lot us to oiler dual curnculums oi study.
We emphasize the basics—knowing we
are preparing students well, whether
thev are planning for college or the job
market,” she continued.
The studv bv the National Center for
Education Statistics showed that
Catholic school students took an average
of 15.7 credits in new basics courses,
private school students took 15.5 credits
and public school students look 12.5
credits.
The higher numbers for Catholic
school students is directly related to the
one curriculum program maintained in
diocesan schools, Sister Herlihy
believes. “We require 20 to 24 credits
for graduation from our high schools
and since we offer fewer non-academic
electives than other systems, our
numbers can only be high,” she said.
Numbers go down...
Now there are only three. Walter Mondale, Jesse Jackson and Gary Hart are the
remaining candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to oppose President
Reagan in the November election.
...and numbers go up
Responding to Bishop Rene H. Gracida’s request that Catholics register to vote,
parishoners at St. Theresa’s Church, Corpus Christi, sign up to be able to par*
ticipate in the upcoming election.
Diocese expands, reorganizes services in Laredo
Bishop Rene H. Gracida gestures from the podium dur-
ing a press conference Iasi Friday in Laredo announc-
ing expanded services in that city.
By Salo Otero
STC staff writer
LAREDO—“To make the
Church more visible, effective
and responsible to the needs of
Laredo,”
With these words Bishop
Rene H. Gracida announced
Friday, March 16 the opening
of a new facility: The Catholk
Diocese of Corpus Christi
Pastoral Center in Laredo.
The pastoral center is cen-
trally located at 1901 Corpus
Christi St., a building purchas-
ed by the diocese from the
Jackson Insurance Company.
Msgr. William Thompson,
vicar general of the diocese and
pastor of Blessed Sacrament, is
the center’s director.
Bishop Gracida said an office
for immigration and refugees
will also be opening in Laredo.
The budget for the immigra-
tion office and the hiring of per-
sonnel has been approved.
Msgr. Robert Freeman, direc-
tor of Catholic Charities, has
been working on establishing
the immigration office. He said
it will be operating “within two
weeks.”
Msgr. Freeman said Isela
Sanchez, who formerly worked
with the San Antonio ar-
chdiocese immigration center,
has been hired as the director of
the Laredo office. A caseworker
has also been employed.
A possible site for the
Catholic immigration office is
at 402 Corpus Chri d, which
now houses Laredo Family
Counseling Services.
Laredo Family Counseling,
under the direction of Roxanna
Guerra, will also be moving to
the new facility at 1901 Corpus
Christi.
“The Catholic Diocese of
Corpus Christi Pastoral Center
in Laredo will be a center ac-
tivity for the total life of the
Catholic Church in Laredo.
The Church has been very ac-
tive, but the identity of those
activities is not fully known.
Catholic Charities is reorganiz-
ing and will now be known as
Catholic Social Services of
Laredo, Inc.,” the bishop ex-
plained.
Bishop Gracida says similar
reorganizations are taking place
elsewhere in the diocese where
“we will soon have Catholic
Social Services of Alice,
Beevtlle and Kingsville. We
want more local input and
response to local needs,” noted
the bishop.
The new building will also
have an adoption service, an
outreach project from the Cor-
pus Christi office; an FM
(88.1) radio station which the
diocese received permission to
start within a year and televi-
sion studios for Catholic pro-
gramming over a religious ac-
cess channel via Rogers Cable
System; offices from the cur-
rent Laredo Catholic Center at
the Airport Complex (religious
education, South Ttxat
Catholic, computer center,
family life and youth ministry)
will be relocated.
The new building is “a
dream come true for us,” said
Msgr. Thompson.
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Bilton, William G. South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 38, Ed. 1 Friday, March 23, 1984, newspaper, March 23, 1984; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth840329/m1/3/: accessed June 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .