Marian Central Catholic High School is reeling after years of destabilizing and ill-conceived actions by the Rockford Diocesan leadership. We prayerfully hope for peace in our school and a return to the rich and successful history for which Marian has always been known.

Marian is great because we’re a family.

Our teachers, coaches, and administration have a passion for helping young men and women grow in their faith, enrich their education, and develop their leadership skills. Our parents and families invest themselves in their school. Together, for over 50 years, we have nurtured our school through faith, trust, and tradition, and made Marian a beacon of leadership in McHenry County.

We have seen many successes over the years because of that local leadership and family environment. Our graduates are strong in their faith, leaders in their communities, and nurture strong and loving families. Over 99% of our graduates enter institutions of higher learning, and our students score above the state and national averages academically. In addition, our students actively participate in volunteer work, and our athletic teams continue to achieve excellence.

Sadly, over the past 6 years, we have experienced a dismantling of that family atmosphere that has been our identity since 1959.

The Marian administration has seen tremendous turnover since 2012. Since then we have had five different superintendents in five years, not to mention the Diocese-driven selection, hiring, and termination of these superintendents. Several of these changes in staff were made by the Diocesan leadership without cause, in a wrongful manner, and without input from the Marian Council of Administration (which is required according to Marian’s constitution and by-laws). The few allegations that were made public were quickly found to be untrue and unfounded. Making matters worse, many of the wrongfully terminated individuals had tremendous support from their Marian family, including the Board, Council, Executive Committee, teachers, parents, staff, and graduates.

Then, without discussion, the Diocesan leadership recently dismantled Marian’s governing body established over 30 years ago and supported by previous Bishops. This body included priests and laypersons from all 17 parishes in the McHenry deanery.  These leaders and representatives of the Marian family are now gone, soon to be replaced by diocesan selected bureaucrats. How can this action possibly restore trust and confidence in future administrator’s ability to lead the school? What is the rationale for these actions and who is making these decisions?

But this much turnover at Marian in such a short period of time points to a much larger, systemic problem with the administration at the Rockford Diocese.

Marian leaders point to a lack of support from the Diocesan leadership and a lack of response to repeated efforts to constructively resolve challenges and conflicts that has diminished trust in the Diocese’s ability to lead our schools.

Marian now faces new challenges and that will be left to appointed leadership from the Diocese. Enrollment for the freshman class is at an all-time low, Marian’s public image that was recently on the rise had been tarnished again, and fundraising is suffering with little direction and support for development. Most critically, the morale from within the Marian family is at an all-time low.

Now, our only option is to keep our Marian family united and appeal to our Bishop to listen and support a change in direction in how the Diocese runs its Catholic schools. 

We must inform our Bishop that we are united in our belief that a change in direction in how the Diocese runs its schools is needed and that the subsidiarity (local governance) of governing the school is restored.  Our community is convinced that a collaborative approach between the Diocesan leadership and the Marian family to resolving this crisis is the only way trust and confidence in the Diocese and the Church can be restored.