Archbishop Mitty High School - Excalibur Yearbook (San Jose, CA)

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Can we accomodate agnostics, jews, and Catholics? I think we can. - Bishop Pierre Du Maine 5l0l0l0l0l0l0l0l0l0l4 tis been a nineteen-year search for Mitty's religious identity, but it,s with- in sight. Father Rodney De Martini is in- strumental in Mittyis search for its reli- gious self. Present religious concerns are in no way an attempt to sway students toward Catholicism, rather a fulfillment of Mittyls duty to inform both faculty and students on what it means to be Catholic. De Martini concedes that for some these facts about the Catholic Church will re- main on purely an intellectual level, while others will want to learn how to integrate it into their lives. Steven Herrera, religion teacher and Mitty alumnus, agrees with De Martinfs assessment of Mitty's responsibility to its tion is to instruct Catholics in their faithf, she notes, then it is imperative that teachers both support that faith and live it as best they can, tough though it may be. U Michelle Sahami, one of several Mitty students of Moslem upbringing, looks for- ward to learning about the Catholic faith by attending masses and other such reli- gious activities. This enthusiasm, howev- er, is not shared by all. Campus Ministry, headed by Peggy Schrader, hopes to inter- est students by providing unique and in- teresting liturgies and retreat programs that will develop positive faith experience. Schrader does sense some fear and anger by both students and faculty about getting involved in the faith dimension of the school. just because they have rejected the Church because of past negative experi- ences does not mean they need to reject all faith experiencesf' says Schrader. She is religious identity. There is a move to have strict require- ments, but then that was only because people went too far to just teach psycholo- gy in their classes and not enough religious contentf' comments Herrera who has observed a move toward more conserva- tive religious ideals, particularly in the past year. Anne Egan, faculty member and Mitty graduate, concurs with Herrerais evalua- tion of Mittyis religious past and feels that Mitty is religiously at just the right point, she feels an attempt to move toward a strictly Catholic', policy such as that adopted by other schools will result in a feeling of restriction both by students and faculty. Egan noted teachers are being made increasingly aware of the impor- tance of the obligation to Mittyis Catholic, identity. We seem to be in this wave of trying to identify ourselves more as Catholic with a capital C and that makes the faculty more aware of their obligation as the liaison person between the administration and the studentsf, Egan sees the faculty fulfilling their obligation to Mittyis Catho- licity as role models rather than leading them into church during an activity period. Tensions, have been made prevalent by the search for Mitty's Catholic identity. Pressure, caused by these tensions, makes some uncomfortable while others feel it is the first step in the right direction. Patricia Bowers believes a Catholic school teachers primary responsibility lies in the promotion of that belief The notion that is also very strong in Bowers, mind is the idea of the teacher providing an unimpeachable role model. If the primary role of Catholic educa- quick to point out, however, that the free- dom of choice at Mitty is essential and must remain an integral part of the com- munity. Schrader has, however, observed this year a greater willingness of both students and faculty to get involved with the school at a more religious level. She further points out that each faculty member, as an employee ofa Catholic high school, has a three-fold responsibility: to look at their own faith lives, encourage students to look at their faith, and give students the free- dom to make faith choices in their lives. As with the faculty, the Mitty student body is comprised of a conglomeration of religious beliefs. Some students feel that with the great freedom at Mitty the Catho- lic identity of the school is not as de- veloped as they had hoped for or expected. This is a Catholic school so there ought to be more religion, not just religion classes. Right now it seems like only the name is Catholicf, suggests F arnaz jamali, who emigrated from Iran in August of 1983. As Iamali sees it, Mitty as a Catholic school does not promote its identity to the extent that it should. While the majority ofthe students seem to notice the lack of religious conviction at Mitty, they do enjoy the freedom that has been the school's trademark throughout the years. I feel no pressure at all. I don't like feeling pressured into a religion that is not mine, says Richard Klein who is jewish by birth but now considers himself lapsed. Mitty is a school in which religious deci- sions are constantly being re-evaluatedf' concurs Patrick Fitzgerald, a Mitty senior, not a school in which ideals are blindly accepted. by Mark Scully N J

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iyo Kachaliu dn-lnwl. .rticipatm-s in an gnrlm danm- an Hindu Il-stiml C'l'It'lll'illiIljl e end of the lmru-sl ln-ld lnmlly at Amerie-an High -lmnl in Fl'l'Il10lll. Faliln-r Do alrlini Kfijllln. walslws the ands of Bishop Pierre Du nine in preparation lbr ilu' crannent of eunnnunion. 1 5 5 a i 5 - I Reverend Rodney De Marlin: I alum I lm :dx an prayer ul ilu- npf-ning who an ass III I of an CRIIIKHQ' wlm-h IS an ITIIXLIUIIS NXIIIIDUI In CklfIlUlil'iSIll. S