And leave it to Mayor Slay to use the occasion to open mouth and insert foot.
I attended yesterday’s installation of Robert Carlson as the 9th Archbishop of St. Louis. I found the service, in which prayers were read in English and in the languages of some of the City’s historic immigrant groups and new Americans, deeply moving. With social and business issues often at the forefront, we sometimes forget that the Archbishop’s primary job is to lead tens of thousands of people who have a deep faith in God.
The Post-Dispatch’s able religion writer Tim Townsend has offered up a good “To Do” list for Archbishop Carlson. Among the line items Townsend identified for the new Archbishop to tackle are shrinking enrollment in the parochial school system; the complex financial, social, and theological challenges posed by St. Stanislaus Church; and friction between the archdiocese and Catholic Charities. To these, I would add the challenges posed by good stewardship of the Church’s real estate holdings in the City; more active engagement with new Americans, immigrants, and – particularly – our new Muslim neighbors; and a better relationship with Saint Louis University.
I find it interesting that the Mayor is promoting both diversity and Catholic K-12 education. The last I heard, the two don’t exactly mix — There are rumors going around among St. Louis real estate professionals that, back during the halcyon days of city rehabbing and gentrification several years ago, some of the big name rehabbers were offering secret deals to white homebuyers that included free Catholic school tuition as part of their house purchase. If you don’t know what that was a circumlocution around, then get thee back to thy cave. As far as anyone knew, the Archdiocese was unaware of the scheme.
