Posted on 09/03/2017 3:22:56 PM PDT by Hadean
Removal of a number of statues and other smaller Catholic icons from the campus of San Domenico School in San Anselmo has raised concerns among some parents. In an email to the school’s board of directors, Dominican Sisters of San Rafael and the head of school, Shannon Fitzpatrick objected to the removal of the statues and other steps the school has taken in an effort to make the school more inclusive.
“Articulating an inclusive foundation appears to mean letting go of San Domenico’s 167-year tradition as a Dominican Catholic school and being both afraid and ashamed to celebrate one’s heritage and beliefs,” wrote Fitzpatrick, whose 8-year-old son attends the school. She added, “In our time here, the word ‘Catholic’ has been removed from the mission statement, sacraments were removed from the curriculum, the lower school curriculum was changed to world religions, the logo and colors were changed to be ‘less Catholic,’ and the uniform was changed to be less Catholic.”
Responding to follow-up questions Monday, Fitzpatrick wrote, “There are other families having the same concerns I do. Many parents feel if the school is heading in a different direction then the San Domenico community should have been notified before the signing of the enrollment for the following year.”
Cheryl Newell, who had four children graduate from San Domenico, said, “I am extremely disappointed in the school and the direction they’ve been going. This isn’t a new thing that they’ve been intentionally eroding their Catholic heritage. They’re trying to be something for everyone and they’re making no one happy,” Kim Pipki, whose daughter left San Domenico two years ago after graduating from ninth grade, said some of the statues were also important to families who aren’t Catholic.
“The one main statue that has everyone fired up is the baby Jesus and Mary one,” Pipki said. “It was at the center of the primary school courtyard.”
Pipki said the school had a ceremony during which children would place a crown on the statue of Mary. “It was less about God and more about passing on some traditions,” Pipki said. “People were shocked that the statues were pitched in the basement.”
Amy Skewes-Cox, who heads San Domenico School’s board of trustees, said the relocation and removal of some of the school’s 180 religious icons was “completely in compliance” with San Domenico’s new strategic plan, approved unanimously by the board of trustees and the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael last year.
Of the 660 students who attend the K-12 school, 121 are boarding students and 98 of these are international students from British Columbia, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Mexico, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. The students attending San Domenico come from a variety of religious backgrounds besides Christianity: Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam.
Why do they even allow Muzzie students?
Unbelievable.
It does not make the campus more inclusive.
It used to appeal to about 99.5% of it’s students.
Now it appeals to 00.5% of it’s students.
Thus it just excluded 99.5% of it’s students.
Inclusive? Good grief...
I assume they don’t teach math at this school.
Their fear is disgusting. There’s no way a Muslim school would take away symbols of Islam. The people running this school need to be replaced.
Why is there a priority to not offend Muslims if it is a Catholic school? You would rather offend the Catholics?
snow flakes
Poison!
Removing Washington, Columbus, Jefferson statues. Removing Christian statues. Not unrelated. The left hates the Christian foundation of this country. They are moving the country to atheistic by eliminating all signs of Christianity.
They are importing m*slims to help in the process, because they know that the m*slims will kill the Christians. The politicians have abandoned us. They set up the tax laws to suck as much money out of our pockets as possible, and funnel it to their favorite people who they have brought in to replace us.
It is important not to offend murderers and evil people. Sick people in a sick world.
Dint these idiots get it?
Anything short of conversion is offensive to a muslim.
“The Onion” is no longer needed. Surpassed by real life...........
Some Muslims attended a Catholic college—they complained about the crosses. They come to conquer, not assimilate.
What do communists do when they take over a country? They kill Christians by the millions. What are socialists but gradualist, wanna-be communists. They admire their “big brothers” the communists who had the power and the viciousness to do what they would secretly want to do. How do we know this? Because they show their adoration and idolization of the communists at every opportunity.
Idiots. No matter what non-Muslims do, Muslims will be offended by something.
I agree.
That said, where is an iota of courage and feeling for traditions and religious history and culture from the school?
As an aside, one suspects that the decision might just have been, at least in part, driven by some cowardly legal advice. (Just guessing here.)
Why is a cross offensive to muslims? It has nothing to do with moosehamad. Of course, as a symbol that Jesus was the last true prophet, it gets a bit sticky. But it is what it is.
And if mooselimbs are all ‘world peace and tolerance of other religions’ well, it should be a duty of mooselimbs to protect other religions’ symbols and traditions. Otherwise they’re just hypocrites that hate everyone except other mooses and express such hate publically by calling for destruction of other religions.
There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who understand how ridiculous this action is and those too stupid to live.
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