The school is claiming it has absolutely nothing to do with the latest war on historical statues, but a California Catholic school is receiving a bit of blowback after following through with a plan to remove all but 18 of their 180 statues and other “Catholic icons” including one beloved statue of Mary and the Baby Jesus.
San Domenico School in San Anselmo, California is hearing from upset parents after taking down the statues, with many viewing the decision as caving to political correctness. The Marin Independent Journal quoted frustrated parents who are alarmed at the trajectory the school has been on:
“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.
“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.”
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,”
The Marin IJ also spoke with Head of School Cecily Stock, whose quest to become “inclusive” ends up sounding rather confusing and illogical:
“San Domenico is both a Catholic school and an independent school. What we were finding after doing some research is that in the broader community we are known as being a Catholic school and are not necessarily known as an independent school. We want to make sure that prospective families are aware that we are an independent school.”
Here’s a short video teaser for the school:
Seems like a nice enough place, although, after poking around their website for a few minutes, there didn’t seem to be much mention of Jesus.
It’s their choice, obviously, to become more secular and go in any direction they so choose. It just seems a bit odd to call yourself a Catholic school and then have nothing resembling Christianity on campus.
Instead of emphasizing their Catholic heritage, which dates back to 1850, the San Anselmo school is trying to head down a path of so-called ‘diversity’ but in their quest for inclusiveness, however, they only seem to have angered just about everybody.
(h/t Daily Wire)