At least two area Catholic high schools welcomed their largest freshman classes this fall despite tuition increases and a church that is still reeling from highly publicized priest sex scandals.

St. Xavier High School students fill the main stairway on their way to first bell classes in Springfield Township Monday morning. (Glenn Hartong photos) | ZOOM |

        A spot check of 18 Catholic high schools in Ohio and Kentucky shows overall enrollment is up slightly. The finding is significant because this fall's enrollment is the first opportunity to measure how Catholics responded to the scandals. Educators contacted by The Cincinnati Enquirer said the scandals have had no impact on enrollment.

        “The scandal within the church is certainly something we're concerned about, as all Catholic institutions are, but nobody said, "I'm not sending my kid to your school because I don't trust the priests,”' said Paul Zook, spokesman at St. Xavier in Finneytown.

        St. Xavier and St. Ursula Academy in East Walnut Hills, in fact, enrolled their largest freshman classes in history. Total enrollment is up by 59 at St. Xavier, to 1,481 students; St. Ursula's enrollment is 691, up 41 from a year ago.

        In Northern Kentucky, Catholic schools enrollment declined less than 1 percent from last fall. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati doesn't release its official enrollment count until October. National enrollment figures will be released next spring, but 43 percent of all Catholic schools have waiting lists.

        Even Elder High School, hardest hit by the priest scandals, has more students this year. A priest who was on staff last spring and a former principal have been accused of sexual misconduct. Another former principal is under investigation in connection with use of parish computers.

A group of juniors at McAuley High School look at the art installation by 2002 graduate Brittany Hartinger-McCoy Monday morning. | ZOOM |

        Nevertheless, the Price Hill school's freshman class of 280 is one of its largest in years. Total enrollment is up 28 students, even with a tuition hike of $400, bringing it to $5,600.

        “The community we serve knows this institution so well that, while they're concerned with (the scandals), I don't think they look at that as an Elder problem,” said Sean Kelley, Elder's marketing and public relations director. I think they look at it as a widespread church problem, instead.”

        Mary Beth Rieth, who has a sophomore at Elder, had no second thoughts about sending her son back this year.

        “Elder is a great school,” the Bridgetown mother said. “I think they have overcome the adversity.”

        The Catholic Church scandal erupted in January when it was revealed the Archdiocese of Boston moved a pedophile priest from parish to parish where he molested children for two decades. That opened the floodgates for hundreds of similar complaints in dioceses across the country.

        Four priests in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati have been suspended or voluntarily placed on leave since April. Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk has said four other unidentified priests have been linked to past allegations of abuse but remain employed by the archdiocese.

        In the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, last year's enrollment was 56,000, making it the 10th-largest Catholic school system in the country.

        Ann Battes Kirby, acting Catholic schools superintendent for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, agreed that the priest scandals hasn't affected enrollment in the 112 elementaries and 22 high schools.

        “It has an effect in terms of the hearts of people,” she said. “But the bottom line is there is such a basic trust because families and parents have developed relationships with people over time.”

        In March, the Diocese of Covington revealed that allegations of sexual misconduct had been made against three priests in the diocese. In one case, police concluded allegations could not be substantiated. In the other cases, attorneys were satisfied with actions of the diocese, which continues to monitor the priests.

        Enrollment in the Diocese of Covington's 30 elementaries and nine high schools this year is 12,221, down 110 from last year's enrollment of 12,331.

        Lawrence Bowman, director for Catholic Education in the Diocese of Covington, can't detect any impact at all from the priest scandals.

        “What has happened in the past isn't going to happen in the future. We're much too vigilant to allow it,” Dr. Bowman said.

        St. Ignatius in Monfort Heights is up 14 students from last year. Principal Tim Reilly believes some of the new families came from newly constructed homes in Monfort Heights.

        At Moeller High School in Kenwood, where enrollment stayed the same as last year, Principal Dan Ledford didn't anticipate any fallout from the priest scandals.

        “We called over 100 people who came through our open house and took our test who did not enroll here,” Mr. Ledford said. “In their response, the priest scandal was never mentioned and never hinted at. What we have been hearing is with the state of the economy, people are reluctant to make that four-year commitment.”

        William Madges, head of the theology department at Xavier University, said there are several reasons why the priest scandals haven't affected Catholic school enrollment.

        “I think the reputation that many of the Catholic schools have earned over the years simply outweighs the fleeting thought they have about maybe this could happen to my son or daughter,” he said.

        Other reasons he cited:

        The number of priests working in elementary or secondary schools in the area has gone down over the years. In the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, for example, only 3 percent of its teachers are members of religious communities.

        The number of priests involved in sexual misconduct or allegations of sexual misconduct is small, compared with the number of priests in the United States. Of the 46,000 priests serving in some kind of ministry, only 300 have been publicly accused of wrongdoing. That is less than 1 percent.

        For parents who don't know survivors or victims, it seems remote to them.

        Catherine Schildknecht of Sycamore Township has a freshman and senior at Roger Bacon, a daughter at Mount Notre Dame and a son at All Saints in Kenwood. She also teaches at All Saints. Her family is not Catholic.

        She had no concerns about sending her kids back to Catholic schools.

        “We've talked a lot about (the sex scandal) in our home, and I think my kids are pretty savvy about people,” Mrs. Schildknecht said.

        “It's a concern for the Catholic Church, but I'm not concerned about any of the schools my kids are attending.”

        What's more, she said, “A Catholic school education is the best education offered right now in the United States.”

Freshmen flock to Catholic education
West Nile virus blamed in Tristate deaths
Charges against priest still up in air
Educator urges lawmakers to push school vouchers
He's a good dancer, but no Big Bird
Museum Center asks for some help
Obituary: Charles 'Sonny' Edrich II
Reeve's progress limited, expensive, experts caution
Three senior centers to lose funding
Tristate A.M. Report
BRONSON: Horror story
KORTE: City Hall
SMITH AMOS: Interactive drama
After-school program is big hit with kids, parents
Clermont animal shelter to expand
Fairfax to match flood-proofing funds
Golfer was Butler Co.'s 1 heat-related death in '02
Now that's making a point
Zoning OK adds to mall count
Hagan puts new duck ad on the Web
Erlanger native among WTC dead
Hot dogs, horseshoes and politics on tap for senior citizens picnic
Justices weigh church, privacy
Kentucky News Briefs
Patton to help dedicate new NKU science center
Teen charged in fatal crash
Woman claims Patton affair