The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-09-07
DIOCESAN SCfo:<s:
First Annual Report on the Condfs on
of the ParochiaI Schools In the
Twin Cities-SchooIs in Splendid
ondition-Recommen of the
Board.

The first annual report of the Dio-
cesan School Board of the Archdio-
cese of st. Paul has been submitted to
the Most Reverend Archbishop.
The Diocesan School Board was re-
organized on November 27, 1911, at the
parochiar residence of St. Luke's par
ish, St. Paul, and is made up of the
following members: Rev. Thomas j.
Gibbons, Rev. J. C. Byrne, Rev. P. M.
Jung, of st. Paul; Rev. Othmar Erren,
o. S. B., Rev. Thomas E. Cullen and
Rev. J. Harrington, of Minneapolis.
Rev. Thomas J. Gibbons was elected
Chairman and the Rev. Thomas E.
Cullen, Secretary.
Owing to the fact that the Board
was organized late in the year II
was found impossible to do more than
visit the parochial schools of st. Paul
and Minneapolis. To facilitate this
work before the close of the school
wear it was found necessary to divide
the Board into three committees OF
two members each and to assign to
each committee certain number OF
schools The committees made a care
full inspection of the schools assigned
them and examined the pupils in the
different branches of the curriculum.
The Board found that good, serious
work is being done in the parochlal
schools of the Twin Cities. The
teachers are Jealous and efficient and
ambitious to utilize the newest meth
DDS in pedagogy and school govern
ment. The school buildings are we'll
kept and their furnishings and equip
ment are adequate. The Board re-
uuested from the pastors a statistical
statement of the number of children
enrolled, the average attendance, ana
the number of boys and girls in their
respective schools. Returns were re-
ceived from twenty-one pastors.
The Board commends the general
interest shown by pastors and people
in the erection of beautiful and COM
modious school buildings, but takes oc-
casion to emphasize the fact that it
is not the building, but the teachers
that make the school. Efficient
teaching is the principal asset for
WHICH, We uASCCboAASAJ ~
Competition on the part of the public
schools makes it imperative that our
teaching communities give sufficient
time to those engaged in the paro-
chial schools to study modern meth
ods of pedagogy and to prepare we'll
for the work of their daily classes.
Our watchword should be schools
g., IS1 in 0XTn n r.
ish and every Catholic child in his
parochial school,
The Board is pleased with the work
which the schools are doing and Of
fers the following recommendations:
First, that great emphasis be placed
upon the religious training of the
children. The teaching of the
Catechism and Bible History should
be the most important part of the
curriculum; second, that no change
of school books be made without a
recommendation from the Board;
third, that singing be taught by note
and not by memory; fourth, that
teachers emphasize the fundamentals
and exclude fads; fifth, that competl-
tive examinations be arranged for all
the parochial schools; sixth, that an
exhibit of parochial school work be
made at the Minnesota State Fair in
1913; seventh, that the teachers as
sign home studies to their pupils;
eighth, that the parochial schools OBJ
serve a uniformity of holidays and
days of opening and closing each
term. We recommend that the paro-
chial schools open on the Tuesday
after Labor Day and close about the
middle of June. We also recommend
the observance of state and national
holidays.