Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend
Two south side Fort Wayne schools to merge
Msgr. Julian Benoit Academy, St. John the Baptist, Fort Wayne, unite schools
By Tim Johnson and Vince LaBarbera
FORT WAYNE — Bishop John M. D'Arcy has announced Msgr. Julian Benoit Academy and St. John the Baptist School in Fort Wayne will merge. Students enrolled at Benoit Academy will relocate to the St. John the Baptist School location on Fairfield Avenue.
In making the decision, Bishop D'Arcy said, “As bishop you have to be concerned about the education. Is the present situation the best educationally for our children?”
Bishop D'Arcy said Benoit Academy is a great success story in its 14-year history. “It's helped many young people - Catholic and non-Catholic - who had some individual instruction,” he said.
But class size was getting small. “We just felt that educationally the children would be better in a larger classroom that was not too large. … Some of the classes were so small you might have two grades together with five or six children.
Bishop D'Arcy added, “We kept it as long as we could. We can place all of (the Benoit students) in St. John's or other Catholic schools. And that's our intention; to get everyone, Catholic and non-Catholic, into one of our Catholic schools.”
Catholic Schools Superintendent Holy Cross Father Stephen Kempinger said, "The merging of Msgr. Julian Benoit Academy and St. John the Baptist School will provide an increase in ethnic and cultural diversity. As a result of this, multicultural education must continue to be incorporated in all curricula areas."
He added, "Every effort must be made to meet the academic as well as spiritual needs of all students. This may be evidenced through the integration of multicultural history and perspectives.
"Teachers will be prepared to offer varied strategies in instruction so that all students may experience success regardless of race, gender, ethnic and/or cultural backgrounds," Father Kempinger said. "This gift of diversity will strengthen a sense of commitment to build community that will be expressed through the weaving together of students in unity and respect much like a tapestry of the people of God."
Benoit Academy was the result of merging St. Henry, St. Patrick and Sacred Heart schools in 1994. In its 14-year history, the school enrollment has ranged from about 320 students in 1994 to a current enrollment of 73 students in grades pre-kindergarten through 8. Of that number, 28 students are Catholic, 45 are non-Catholic. The school has seven teachers.
Benoit Academy Principal Mary Schreiber noted that 56 students are registered for next year. It is anticipated that most will enroll at the merged school, but a few, because of location, may opt for St. Joseph School-Hessen Cassel in rural Fort Wayne.
“The diocese will help financially as need be to place the students in another Catholic school,” Bishop D'Arcy said. The diocese also will offer assistance in placing the Benoit administrative staff and teachers, he added.
The merger, which will take place at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, will increase enrollment at St. John the Baptist School by about 50 to 60 students. Current enrollment is 299 students in grades kindergarten through 8. St. John is starting an early education program for three-, four- and five-year-olds in the fall of 2008. “Hopefully, this will address the needs for the present pre-school families at Benoit,” said St. John the Baptist Principal Jane Sandor.
Schreiber said, “Our parents will follow and trust us as long as they believe in us,” and she plans parent meetings to discuss the transition and merger. Schreiber said she is willing to address each and every concern of the parents.
Multiculturalism is evident in both schools. Sandor has been participating in multicultural workshops and working with diversity. Later this August, Sandor has invited Sister Toby Lardie, a Sister of the Humility of Mary, who will speak to the staff on understanding all the different components of multiculturalism.
“We are an urban center of diversity,” Sandor said. And, socio-economically, St. John School truly represents the south side of the city's financial spectrum.
St. John School adopted the motto, “Our Faith, Your Family, Their Future” in the marketing of the school this year.
Sandor said that motto represents the awareness and the willingness to bring our faith to everyone, whether it is Benoit, St. Patrick or any community. “It is through our faith that we are able give families support and guidance,” Sandor said.
“Whenever we are given the gift of a child and their education we must see it as an opportunity to bring them one step closer to God as they travel their faith journey,” Sandor noted. “The merger is simply a continuation of our journey of faith which we share with everyone.”
With Benoit merging with St. John, “that's the opportunity to bring in the St. Patrick's community with its Hispanic population that is not that prevalent in our Catholic schools,” noted Schreiber. St. Patrick's originally was merged as one of three schools with Benoit, “but now (St. Patrick Parish) will be linked with St. John School where it is closer, and there's more to bring them into.”
Both Sandor and Schreiber have talked about ways they can bring the two communities together and how they can give the communities pastoral guidance and comfort. “We need to remember to be respectful, responsible and reverent,” added Schreiber. Already, in some Catholic Youth Organization sports, St. John the Baptist, Benoit Academy and St. Joseph-Hessen Cassel have combined athletic teams. For the rest of the year, both principals are encouraging communications, visiting one another's buildings and inviting the HASA groups, executive boards and school boards to meet.
Schreiber noted, “When Msgr. Benoit began Catholic education (in the 1840s) right here in this area of town, he turned to Mother Theodore Guérin for help.” Mother Theodore was canonized a saint in the Catholic Church in 2006.
“Mother Theodore was the one who came and sent some staff here to assist Msgr. Benoit to help Catholic education begin,” Schreiber added. “Now it's going in reverse, because Mother (Theodore's legacy) helped to begin St. John the Baptist with the Sisters of Providence. Presently, Msgr. Benoit Academy, which bears the Catholic schools' founder's name, needs the help. These saints keep helping each other back and forth.”
“It was a wise thing to name Benoit, Benoit Academy,” Schreiber said. And St. John is exploring means to keep the Benoit name an active part of the merged community.
Father Daryl Rybicki, pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish, told Today's Catholic, “We welcome the opportunity to strengthen Catholic elementary education in south central Fort Wayne, continuing the rich tradition begun and envisioned by Msgr. Benoit and St. Mother Theodore Guérin of schools that are truly "catholic" - that is, with room for all.”
He added, “We open our hearts and our doors to the students and families from Benoit Academy and are considering several possible options for including the tradition-rich name of Msgr. Benoit into the St. John the Baptist tradition that has been active for nearly 80 years.”
Father Daniel Durkin, pastor of St. Henry Parish, where Benoit Academy is located, and Sacred Heart Parish, said, “I know many will wonder what we will be doing with the school building now that it will be empty. We know that it has been kept in good shape and it is to St. Henry's benefit to have it used. We will soon be putting together a committee to explore its many potentials.”
Bishop D'Arcy told Today's Catholic, “We are very grateful to the pastor there, Father Dan Durkin, who has been very devoted. I know this breaks his heart, and I am sorry about that. But we had to do what is best educationally for the children.”
Father Durkin mentioned he has always enjoyed working with young people, especially in a school setting. He plans to be as involved as much he can in the new Benoit-St. John the Baptist School framework so the Benoit students will see in him a familiar face that will make the transition go smoother.
(Go to the website of Today's Catholic) †