i CROSS PURPOSES: CATHOLIC DISUNITY AND THE DECLINE OF YOUNGSTOWN‘S PAROCHIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, 1964-2006 A dissertation submitted to the Kent State University College and Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Thomas G. Welsh, Jr. May 2009 i © Copyright by Thomas G. Welsh, Jr. 2009 All Rights Reserved ii A dissertation written by Thomas G. Welsh, Jr. B.F.A., Youngstown State University, 1986 M.S., Youngstown State University, 1993 Ph. D., Kent State University, 2009 Approved by ___________________________________ , Co-Chair, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Dr. Natasha Levinson, Ph. D ___________________________________ , Co-Chair, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Dr. Averil McClelland, Ph. D ___________________________________, Members, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Dr. Joanne Dowdy, Ph. D ___________________________________, Dr. Paul McBride, Ph. D Accepted by ___________________________________ , Chair, Department of Educational Melody Tankersley, Ph. D Foundations and Special Services ___________________________________ , Dean, College and Graduate School of Dr. Daniel Mahony, Ph. D Education, Health and Human Services iii iv WELSH, THOMAS G., Ph. D., May 2009 CULTURAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION CROSS PURPOSES: CATHOLIC DISUNITY AND THE DECLINE OF YOUNGSTOWN‘S PAROCHIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, 1964-2006 (471 PP.) Directors of Dissertation: Natasha Levinson, Ph. D., and Averil McClelland, Ph. D. This foundational study was designed to track the decline of urban Catholic parochial elementary schools in the former steel-production center of Youngstown, Ohio —a situation that I examine from historical, sociological, and philosophical perspectives. While my study employs standard historical research methods, it also features a strong theoretical dimension that draws on literature pertaining to American Catholic identity. The study will argue that Catholic disunity—a product of both sociological trends and religious reforms—played a significant role in the decline of urban parish schools. While the fragmentation of U.S. Catholic identity has often been addressed in general studies of American Catholicism, it has been discussed less frequently in research concerning the decline of one of the Catholic community‘s most iconic institutions: the urban parochial school. Hence, this study of Youngstown‘s parochial schools draws upon two distinct bodies of literature—dealing with American Catholic identity and American Catholic education, respectively—in an effort to identify and interpret factors contributing to the decline of a once robust system of parochial education. Key words: Urban education, private religious schools, Catholic schools, nonpublic schools, minority groups and education. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project benefited from the guidance and support of numerous mentors, colleagues, friends, and relatives. I would like to offer special thanks to the members of my dissertation committee, including co-advisors Natasha Levinson, Ph.D., and Averil McClelland, Ph.D. (Department of Educational Foundations and Special Services), and outside members Joanne Dowdy, Ph.D. (Department of Teaching Leadership and Curriculum Studies), and Paul McBride, Ph.D. (former chair of the History Department at Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York). My interest in the transformation of urban parochial schools was inspired by Dr. Levinson, who discussed this issue in a graduate course titled ―Modern Philosophical Theories of Education.‖ Dr. McClelland played a significant role in the development of a theoretical framework that enabled me to draw from literature on the topics of urban Catholic education and American Catholic identity. At the proposal stage, Dr. Dowdy recommended the inclusion of a chapter devoted to the development of Immaculate Conception Elementary School. This recommendation enabled me to provide a detailed account of the manner in which parish schools in Youngstown, Ohio, were affected by urban trends as well as the fragmentation of Catholic identity. Perhaps no one has done more to enrich this study than Dr. McBride, who carefully reviewed drafts of each chapter and generously shared his own insights on a variety of issues related to the topic. As a native of Youngstown, and an alumnus of Catholic elementary and secondary schools, Dr. McBride was well positioned to comment on the accuracy of my characterizations and conclusions. iv v I would also like to thank the scores of individuals associated with Kent State University who helped to make this study possible. I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge the contributions of my prospectus committee, which included Kim Sebaly, Ph.D. (Department of Educational Foundations and Special Services), Laurie Hines, Ph.D. (Department of Educational Foundations and Special Services), and John Jameson, Ph.D. (Chair, Department of History). Vilma Seeberg, Ph.D. (Department of Educational Foundations and Special Services) encouraged me to enroll at the Cultural Foundations of Education program and recommended me for an assistantship. During my three years as a graduate assistant at the Gerald H. Read Center for International and Intercultural Studies (an endowed office based at the College and Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services), I benefited from the guidance and support of Linda Robertson, Ph.D., Kenneth Cushner, Ph.D., and Marion Korllos. In addition, I would like to acknowledge the contributions of Daniel Greenfield, Ph.D., and his wife, Michele; my colleague, Deborah Campbell, Ph.D.; and the late Linda Conroy, an administrator at the Department of Educational Foundations and Special Services. Their personal warmth, sound advice, and good humor served as precious commodities during my years of study. Finally, I would like to thank the scores of Youngstown-area residents who assisted in this project. I am especially grateful to Wallace Dunne, Director of Government Programs, Resource Development, and Athletics for the Diocese of Youngstown. George H. Beelen, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus and former chair of Youngstown State University‘s History Department, kindly agreed to review several chapters of this manuscript and directed me to useful data on race relations in early 20th viv century Youngstown. Attorney Robert E. Casey agreed to share his memories of Immaculate Conception Elementary School, discussed his own evolving Catholic identity, and introduced me to his long-time friend, Dr. McBride. Attorney Casey was one of a number of local residents who agreed to be interviewed for this study. Other interviewees included Sister Julia Baluch, O.S.U.; Ida Carter; Elizabeth Fleisher Fekety; the late Joseph Hill; Sister Charlotte Italiano, O.S.U.; the late Sister Virginia McDermott, O.S.U.; Paula Lehnerd McKinney; Father Edward P. Noga; Jack O‘Connell; Father Joseph S. Rudjak; Theresa Trucksis Hickey; Joan E. Welsh; T. Gordon Welsh; Sister Teresa Winsen, O.S.U.; and Hank and Kathleen Zimmerman. In the course of conducting research for this project, I benefited from the assistance of the following individuals: Debbie Bushmire, Sally Freaney, Hanna Moses, and Melissa Williams, reference librarians at the Reuben-McMillan Public Library; Sister Bridget Nolan, O.S.U., archivist of the Ursuline Sisters Archives, in Canfield, Ohio; Lou Jacquet, managing editor of The Catholic Exponent, the bi-weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Youngstown; and Pamela Speis, archivist at the Mahoning Valley Historical Society. While completing this study, I benefited from the boundless support of my parents, Thomas G. Welsh, Sr., and Elaine M. Welsh. I owe a special word of appreciation to my aunt, Sister Marcia Welsh, O.S.U., a retired educator, who helped to arrange interviews with other members of the Ursuline religious community. Thomas G. Welsh, Jr. April 2, 2009, Kent, Ohio vi vii DEDICATION This manuscript is dedicated to the memory of Sister Virginia McDermott, O.S.U., a veteran religious educator who took a strong interest in this project. Among others, Sister Virginia agreed to discuss her experiences as an instructor at Immaculate Conception Elementary School and shared her views on the likely future of urban Catholic education. Her sanguine response to the dramatic transformation of her religious community in the decades since Vatican II served as a testament to her religious faith as well as her openness to change. viiviii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 II RISE OF A PAROCHIAL SCHOOL SYSTEM.......................................................... 30 Origins of a Catholic Community ......................................................................... 34 Emergence of a Pattern of Parochial Education ................................................... 41 Factors in a School System‘s Decline ................................................................... 46 III ―THE IMMACULATE‖: ONE SCHOOL‘S EXPERIENCE ..................................... 48 Origins of a Parish School .................................................................................... 51 Irish-American Hegemony at the Immaculate ...................................................... 58 Growing Ethnic Diversity at the ―Irish Church‖..................................................