Chicago Tribune article - Quigley Closing - 9/17/06 - from Jon
Longtime Chicago Catholic high school seminary to close
By NATHANIEL HERNANDEZ
Associated Press Writer
Published in the Chicago Tribune - September 19, 2006, 7:10 PM CDT
CHICAGO -- The Archdiocese of Chicago on Tuesday announced plans to close its high school seminary, ending a more than 100-year-old legacy of preparing teenage males for the priesthood. Quigley Preparatory Seminary High School in downtown Chicago will be converted to an administrative facility at end of the current school year.
Church officials cited waning enrollment and less interest among teenagers in becoming Roman Catholic priests as factors in the decision.
"We really kind of searched our conscience and we feel that the present administration and faculty have done all that's humanly possible to make this a viable high school seminary. Times have changed and it just doesn't work," said Auxiliary Bishop Francis Kane.
Kane, a Quigley alumnus who said the school stood to be $1 million in the red by June 2007, served on the archdiocese committee that recommended the closure. "It was kind of like putting a dagger in my own heart," he said. The seminary named for Archbishop James E. Quigley, who established a Chicago school to train priests in 1905, was moved to its current location near the city's tony Michigan Avenue shopping district in 1918.
Only five other similar high school seminaries exist in the United States, the archdiocese said. The Rev. Dennis Druggan, rector president of St. Lawrence Seminary High School in Mt. Calvary, Wis., said he was saddened by the news. "Quigley was very respected. Their alumni are fairly well-esteemed folks," he said.
More than 3,000 males have graduated from Quigley during the last 16 years, but only one has gone on to be ordained as a priest, Kane said. The decision to become a priest now seems to come later in life, he added. "Perhaps it's a little young at the end of grade school for someone to make a decision about how they are going to commit themselves for the rest of their lives," Kane said.
At the beginning of the school year, there were only 183 students enrolled in the Gothic-styled seminary that stands opposite a Bentley dealership in the city's Gold Coast neighborhood.
Druggan, a native Chicagoan, said the school's lack of modern amenities and its busy downtown location may have made it more difficult to increase enrollment.
"It was not easily accessible," he said. "They were really landlocked there and they didn't have a gym, and those types of things are very attractive to boys."
Students were told about the decision during a Tuesday assembly in the school's chapel. "Mostly everyone was crying," said Gerry Medina, 15, a sophomore from Pilsen. A member of the school's cross country team, Medina said he was upset by the decision because it means he and his classmates soon will be forced to part ways. "I'm not going to see half of these kids anymore ... half of my friends," he said.
By NATHANIEL HERNANDEZ
Associated Press Writer
Published in the Chicago Tribune - September 19, 2006, 7:10 PM CDT
CHICAGO -- The Archdiocese of Chicago on Tuesday announced plans to close its high school seminary, ending a more than 100-year-old legacy of preparing teenage males for the priesthood. Quigley Preparatory Seminary High School in downtown Chicago will be converted to an administrative facility at end of the current school year.
Church officials cited waning enrollment and less interest among teenagers in becoming Roman Catholic priests as factors in the decision.
"We really kind of searched our conscience and we feel that the present administration and faculty have done all that's humanly possible to make this a viable high school seminary. Times have changed and it just doesn't work," said Auxiliary Bishop Francis Kane.
Kane, a Quigley alumnus who said the school stood to be $1 million in the red by June 2007, served on the archdiocese committee that recommended the closure. "It was kind of like putting a dagger in my own heart," he said. The seminary named for Archbishop James E. Quigley, who established a Chicago school to train priests in 1905, was moved to its current location near the city's tony Michigan Avenue shopping district in 1918.
Only five other similar high school seminaries exist in the United States, the archdiocese said. The Rev. Dennis Druggan, rector president of St. Lawrence Seminary High School in Mt. Calvary, Wis., said he was saddened by the news. "Quigley was very respected. Their alumni are fairly well-esteemed folks," he said.
More than 3,000 males have graduated from Quigley during the last 16 years, but only one has gone on to be ordained as a priest, Kane said. The decision to become a priest now seems to come later in life, he added. "Perhaps it's a little young at the end of grade school for someone to make a decision about how they are going to commit themselves for the rest of their lives," Kane said.
At the beginning of the school year, there were only 183 students enrolled in the Gothic-styled seminary that stands opposite a Bentley dealership in the city's Gold Coast neighborhood.
Druggan, a native Chicagoan, said the school's lack of modern amenities and its busy downtown location may have made it more difficult to increase enrollment.
"It was not easily accessible," he said. "They were really landlocked there and they didn't have a gym, and those types of things are very attractive to boys."
Students were told about the decision during a Tuesday assembly in the school's chapel. "Mostly everyone was crying," said Gerry Medina, 15, a sophomore from Pilsen. A member of the school's cross country team, Medina said he was upset by the decision because it means he and his classmates soon will be forced to part ways. "I'm not going to see half of these kids anymore ... half of my friends," he said.
posted by Jon Rochetti | 9:22 AM
2 Comments:
Jon,
I know that I was sad when I first heard this news. Thinking about it later, I understand why the Archdiocese can't afford to lose millions of dollars to keep the school open. Only one priest in 16 years--not a good return on the investment.
Also, the building will remain intact, as an administrative office.
Well I'm glad it's not being torn down to become more luxury condos or the latest Rush St. theme bar...The Seminary .
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