Why Are Some Catholic Schools Booming and Some In Crisis?

I mention several times the frustrations I have as a Catholic. It is not all a bed of roses. Being an American Catholic is frustrating at times. For instance no one can tell me why the Diocese 15 miles from me (The Diocese of Little Rock Arkansas) and the Diocese just some 45 minute drive below me (The Diocese of Alexandria Louisiana) have a good many vocations and we do not.

I generally have an attitude that the United States Bishop Offices / Conference is about as effective as a warm bucket of spit at times. It seems in the end we are all doing all own thing just miles from each other and there is not an incorporation of what is working on a nationwide level (when practical) of what is effective.

I saw this very depressing report about Catholic Schools in New York today at the Deacon's Bench . See Catholic schools in "crisis"

I was over at Standing on My Head to get a hint of how the "troubles" are doing (see Other Bad Stuff) ,CNN has arrived, more in the my next post and I see Father is hawking tickets for a Car Raffle at Win a Car!

He notes :
My main job is chaplain to St Joseph's School in Greenville, South Carolina. St Joe's is a wonderful school. Just sixteen years old, it was started by nine families who felt called by God to start a Catholic school in upstate South Carolina.

They started with $800.00 in the bank and nine students in a house borrowed from the local Lutheran pastor. Sixteen years later we occupy a 38 acre campus and have nearly 550 students in grades 6 - 12
St Joseph's is a school that can best be described as 'classically Catholic.' We are orthodox and always faithful to the church's magisterium. This sounds maybe a little bit, ummm shall we say, 'stuffy'?

Not so. The school is an open hearted, loving and enthusiastic community with truly committed families, faculty and staff. With a full range of fine arts and athletics programs as well as high academic standards, the school also has a fine committment to the pastoral work and spiritual development of the students--seeking to form hearts and minds in the image of Christ.
Here's the school website, and here are the photo galleries. See what a great school God has given us!
Now here's why I'm writing all this: Every year St Joe's has a big fundraiser. Our Knight Before Christmas gala has a raffle. Each year you can win a car (or take the cash) Second prize is a home theater system with 47" screen and all the trimmings. Third prize is a vacation in San Francisco.
Tickets are expensive: $100.00 each, but there are only 2,000 of them, so your chances of winning are pretty good.

It would be great if some readers went to the site to buy some tickets. It would also be great, if you have a blog to help spread the word about St Joseph's and this raffle. Talk about St Joe's. Link to the school website, and use the link below to help people buy tickets.

This is a fun and practical way to support a terrific Catholic School.
Remember, Catholic education does not begin in college...
Help us educate the next generation of 'classical Catholics' to help renew Christ's Church.
Link here for more information on how to buy tickets.

Ok this school in one of the most hardshell Baptist areas of the Country (they are pretty near Bob Jones University) in a pretty sparse Catholic area is going gangbusters and then I read Catholic Schools in New York are in trouble!!

This is not a lone example. I have mentioned Catholics Schools are going gangbusters in places like Wichita Kansas of all places and you can even attend for free if you are Catholic!!!

Now Baptist South Carolina is not like New York but it is not Kansas either. Much like why I wonder why the Diocese above me and the Diocese below me has vocations and we are in Crisis I wonder what is going on with these wildly different stories.

Perhaps one day we shall learn from each other in this Country and start making progress