Courage and Cristo Rey Columbus

By Barbara Brown, Cristo Rey Feasibility Study Coordinator

Cristo Rey Columbus is an effort to open a diocesan Catholic high school for urban youth in the Columbus area in August, 2011. There are currently 24 Cristo Rey high schools in a nationwide network. Each school has contracts with local employer sponsors who help pay the cost of educating each student; in return each student works at the employer site one day a week.

This article is entitled 'Courage' because it takes great courage to try to gain support for a new innovative Catholic high school when so many Catholic schools have been closing across the nation.

The word 'courageous' is also the perfect word to describe the folks who brought the idea to Columbus--especially Stephen Baine and David Colina--who took the idea for this effort to Superintendent Lucia McQuaide and to Bishop Campbell. And then, of course, it was courageous for our Bishop and Ms. McQuaide to say yes--go ahead and do a feasibility study to determine community, parent, student and business support for this unique effort targeted for urban youth so we may perhaps move forward for preparation of opening a Cristo Rey high school in Columbus.

Volunteer Lori Crock and I recently had the privilege of visiting the St. Martin de Porres High School (Cristo Rey Cleveland) where staff, students, and parents have implemented the Cristo Rey vision of empowering urban youth and have made it work with great success since opening in 2004. Again, we witnessed great courage as every single senior was accepted to a two- or four-year college for the second year in a row. Not only do many of these courageous youth face the challenges of poverty, many do not have ideal family lives--and in a typical high school their chances of graduating high school or college would have been very low.

The word 'courage' also describes the young professional group who has taken the lead in planning the second annual awareness event on May 19th at Sushi Rock restaurant in Columbus. This event will help us learn more about Cristo Rey as we meet Cristo Rey Students, Faculty, Alumni, and Employer sponsors from Cleveland. This young professional group is generating excitement for Cristo Rey Columbus and is creating more awareness in the community.

We will continue to share the Cristo Rey story with you. Please visit our web site at www.cristoreycolumbus.org for more information and to reserve your spot at our awareness event on May 19th or contact me at barbara@cristoreycolumbus.org.