EDITORIAL: Congratulations and thanks (06/15/97)

EDITORIAL

Congratulations and thanks

Whether the caps and gowns are large or small, worn by kindergartners or by college students, this is an important time of year as graduation days abound. So, it is only natural that the pages of our newspapers and magazines, and even our televisions screens, are filled with words and images of graduates and references to the messages of commencement speakers. In this newspaper, in this space, we would like to reflect on our community's unique schools.

According to statistics cited in a recent article by the Rev. Frank Szadiak, pastor of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Newark, N.J., today there are 7,246 parochial elementary schools in America. Of that number, 15 are Ukrainian Catholic parochial schools (there are also two parochial high schools, one in New York and the other in Hamtramck, Mich.). These schools are subsidized - as tuition does not cover all costs - mainly by parishes and their parishioners, although, of course, alumni and other benefactors also help.

The number of our parochial schools has declined in recent years. For example, in the New Jersey Deanery alone, where there were once five parochial schools, today there are only three: Newark, Perth Amboy and Passaic. But, the work of our schools has not dwindled in importance. The priority of these schools is a Christian education with a focus on our distinctive Ukrainian rite, plus the Ukrainian heritage, language, history, geography and culture.

This came through loud and clear as we attended two graduations in the past few days. It was evident in the commencement program of the eighth grade, where the valedictorian's speech was delivered in Ukrainian and the salutatorian's in English. It was evident also in the songs and recitations presented, and in the sentiments expressed by all speakers. One could sense a true love for "two homelands," as one speaker put it - that is, for America and Ukraine. There was a similar scenario at the kindergarten ceremony we attended. The kids performed quite a show, and they sang their hearts out in Ukrainian and English. Though presented on a different level, one easily understood by the children, the message here was the same as that at the older students' graduation: we are proud of our heritage and we are happy to have the opportunity to preserve it.

Those present at these two graduation ceremonies - events that no doubt mirror those of other Ukrainian parochial schools - came away with a renewed sense of the worth of our community and the intrinsic value of our schools in preserving that community.

We extend a congratulatory handshake to our graduates; and to the teachers, parents and others who supported them, we offer a thank-you. And, we encourage our readers to remember: Our schools are our future. Thus, it is in our interest to support them in whatever ways we can.

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