Friends –
I am a product of New England public schools and until Cathy and I had children, the subject of schools was never a discussion point for us. When our children reached school age, Cathy convinced me that a Catholic education is the best choice we could make for our children. I cautiously agreed. I thank God that Cathy convinced me of this direction and that I agreed.
My mother was diagnosed with MS when I was 13. The first couple of years after diagnosis the disease was very aggressive and left her with very limited mobility. While the house was always filled with love and support, my dad worked a lot and when he was not working his focus was with my mom. By the age of 16, I was coming and going with limited rules. My faith faded during this time and through college and early adulthood. I started attending Mass when I started dating Cathy, and as we grew together my faith began to grow again.
As the kids started to go to school, I started to get involved. At first it was just special times like field days and field trips. As they grew, my involvement in their school grew; I served a term on the St. Thomas Education Commission, I also helped coach and became involved in some of the Jr. Canes programs, I was active with the golf outing committee, and I continued to participate in field days and field trips. I also have committed my time at St. Thomas Church, currently serving as an EMHC.
I have become the biggest advocate and cheerleader for St. Thomas and Marian Central Catholic. I believe the primary reasons for my enthusiasm for Catholic schools is the affect it is having on our children and the effect it is having on our family. The teachers are great and are there because they have such a strong belief in a Catholic education. They care about the kids and do everything they can to insure the kids are learning, learning the right way, and prepared for life after school. Marian is a family and has become an integral part of our family. I know the friends we have made through our children and involvement at Marian will be lifelong friends.
Like many, after a couple of false starts I was confident that Marian was back on solid footing. We had a charismatic leader that cared deeply for the students, the school, the community, and the Marian family. Monsignor Hermes had just appointed me to the Council of Administration and I was looking forward to a deeper level of involvement at Marian. Then, like many, my faith was shaken as the leadership of the Diocese released Mr. Baldwin and provided the Marian family no reason or explanation (read more). Unfortunately, the Diocese didn’t stop there, they abolished the Council of Administration, the Executive Committee and the Leadership Committee (read more)…….thus destroying everything many people had worked so hard to put in place to continue the rich traditions of Marian. Parents and alumni are involved in Marian because it is a family, and eliminating our ability to be involved and actively lead and guide is like taking a piece of our family tradition away.
We send our children to Marian (and St. Thomas in our case) for the great teachers, the Catholic education, and the Marian family. I encourage you to share your story and support wearemc.net so that we may open a collaborative discussion with the Diocese regarding the direction of Marian and the many people that want to be involved and support Marian.
-John Tinkham
