Process of Compassion: Pastoral Care During School Closings

Abstract

Catholic education in the United States continues to face mounting economic challenges. Dioceses are being challenged with the painful reality of closing Catholic schools that have long served communities. These school closings leave behind wounded and disillusioned professionals. The Process of Compassion Workshop was developed to provide personal and professional help for healing so that teachers could move forward in their careers. This arti-cle provides a theoretical framework with action research to care for the dedi-cated people school closings leave behind. PROCESS OF COMPASSION O n February 24, 2005, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced the closing of 23 elementary schools affecting 500 Catholic school teachers, and 4,000 students in the Chicago-land area (Brachear & Dell'Angela, 2005). Demographic shifts and financial deficits were cited by the archdiocese as the reasons. This announcement came after months of self-study by archdiocesan officials about the fiscal viability of a number of the inner-city Catholic schools. The process of self-study had a detrimental effect on the morale of a large number of schools within the archdiocese, producing a palpable sense of fear, frustration, and anger among Catholic educators serving in the arch-diocese's neediest neighborhoods. The frustration increased as the date for the announcement of closures came closer, and the rumors that as many as 40 ele-mentary schools would be closing in the Archdiocese of Chicago. The authors believed that the faculty and administration of these schools needed support and assistance. Their search for programs found that little had been done to systematically provide the types of personal support that would help school leaders to minister effectively and lead through a traumat-ic time of transition. As a result, the Process of Compassion Workshop was developed by faculty whose expertise lay in the areas of educational