It's been a while since I have posted a blog! So many good things have happened in the last few months that have made me quite busy! I got married to the love of my life, Mike. We went on a wonderful honeymoon to Maui. I discerned to leave Newman as the Director of Campus Ministry to pursue my passion and deep calling for social justice. And by the grace of God, tomorrow, I am starting a new job with Catholic Charities as the parish and faith community outreach liaison. In this position I will be teaching Catholic Social Teaching and spreading the mission of Catholic Charities to both Catholic & other Christian Churches in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. I immensely feel the love of God. One new thing that I am involved in is starting a Cristo Rey High School in Albuquerque! There are 24 successful Cristo Rey High Schools in cities throughout the country. These schools provide a private, Catholic, college preparatory education to students who otherwise cannot afford this type of education. In this model students go to school four days a week (the school day is extended so to meet regulations of hours students are in school) and the fifth day they work in a "work study program". The corporations who sponsor the work pay one salary to the school for each four students working at their organization. 70% of the funding for the entire school comes from the work that these students do in their work study programs. What I am really moved by with the corporate work study program is that students are given a sense of hope that they can become something greater than they previously imagined in their society via the avenue of a good solid education and working along side professionals in their communities.
Why does Albuquerque need a Cristo Rey High School? Did you know that the number of people living below the poverty level in the South Valley is over three times the national average? In 2009 the drop out rate for high school students was at 46%. These are just two indications that we in Albuquerque are in desperate need for additional educational resources for our residents.
Currently Archbishop Sheehan, two Marist Brothers, and a Task Force of over 30 individuals are conducting a feasibility study in Albuquerque to get Cristo Rey Albuquerque open for a freshman class in the Fall of 2012. Various sites in the South Valley have been evaluated and a decision on the location for the school is expected soon. We are going to be hosting a major event to be held on October 1st at the Hispanic Cultural Center to more widely inform the community about Cristo Rey where one of our special guests will be Fr. Foley, SJ, the Jesuit who helped establish the Cristo Rey model. These are just a few of the things that are occurring from the group conducting this study. If you would like to learn more information about Cristo Rey Albuquerque please look at our website, http://www.cristoreyalbuquerque.org. If you would like to learn more about the Cristo Rey Network please look at that website, http://www.cristoreynetwork.org. If you would like to make a donation to get this much needed high school started or if you know someone who would like to provide a job for the corporate work study program please contact Br. Jim Adams at jefajr@aol.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment