SEATTLE – Nearly 5,000 people responded to the archdiocese’s survey seeking input on the ministerial covenant required for teachers, presidents and principals employed at archdiocesan Catholic schools.
Such high participation in the survey “reflects a population eager to engage with current issues in Catholic schools,” states a preliminary report from the Archdiocesan Ministerial Covenant Task Force.
The goal of the survey was to “assess, analyze, and summarize the understanding, convictions, beliefs, and opinions of a variety of archdiocesan stakeholders regarding the ministerial covenant and its use in employment decisions.” (The covenant applies only to schools operated by the archdiocese, not independent Catholic schools in the archdiocese.)
Some 60% of survey respondents strongly disagreed or disagreed with the ministerial covenant provision allowing teachers to be terminated if their lifestyle or conduct varies from Church teaching, the report states.
About half the survey respondents were current Catholic school parents. Of all respondents, 80% were Catholic and 75% were female.
The survey results were released earlier this year to principals, pastors and school communities and is now available to the public. (Read the survey results here.)
Majority disagree with termination provision
The taskforce of 10 people — including teachers, principals, archdiocesan Catholic school leaders, pastors, a parent and a grandparent — is chaired by Father Ronald Nuzzi, professor emeritus at the University of Notre Dame.
In appointing Father Nuzzi to the taskforce in June 2020, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne said “the ministerial covenant ensures that our 73 Catholic schools reflect our Catholic faith. How it is applied across our Catholic schools is of great interest not only to me, but to all our principals, teachers, parents and students,” the archbishop said.
The survey, developed by the taskforce in consultation with professional researchers, asked respondents their impressions of Catholic schools and their level of personal agreement on specific statements from Church teaching and canon law, and provisions of the ministerial covenant.
Participants were also presented with a list of 13 actions that are at variance with Catholic teaching, and were asked to choose which they considered serious enough to break the ministerial covenant.
The top four actions of greatest concern, each with about 3,000 responses, were: providing alcohol to a minor, bullying or ridiculing students, striking a child and expressing a racist attitude. The bottom four, with less than 800 responses each, were: marrying outside the Church, getting a civil divorce and remarrying without an annulment, cohabiting before/outside of marriage, and marrying a same-sex partner.
Those who participated in the survey “largely disagree with the fact that people can be terminated for actions at variance with Catholic teaching, particularly when those actions only relate to one’s personal life and do not have a direct impact on students,” the report summary states.
“A minority of participants expressed support for the ministerial covenant, along with a desire for Catholic schools to be ‘more Catholic’ and uphold traditional Church teachings, while a much larger number of participants felt that the Church teachings are ‘outdated’ and, in particular, desired greater acceptance for LGBTQ people,” the summary continued.
The survey is just one piece of input the taskforce is considering. The panel is expected to complete its work this summer, making concrete recommendations to Archbishop Etienne for revisions to the ministerial covenant, including language, policy, employment and catechesis, detailing an approach to the formation of the faith at every level.