A second Catholic high school for Springfield?

The Springfield Catholic diocese is exploring opening a second Catholic high school in the capital city, a proposal that has prompted Sacred Heart-Griffin’s president to reassure parents that the Dominican-run school is “alive, thriving and stronger than ever.”

The proposed school could open as early as fall 2027, potentially in the former elementary school building on the campus of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Mark Newcomb, director of the diocese’s Department for Catholic Education, said an initial enrollment of 20 to 30 students could be enough to launch it.

But first, the diocese wants to know how many families are interested.

A survey appearing in parish bulletins the weekend of Nov. 7-8 will gauge interest in learning more about a Catholic high school offering a classical education. Diocesan officials stress that the survey is exploratory, rather than an enrollment commitment or an announcement that a school will open.

The proposal would give families an alternative to Sacred Heart-Griffin, Springfield’s existing Catholic high school, while placing the new institution under a different governing structure in the diocese led by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki.

For diocesan officials, the distinction is primarily educational. For at least one critic of the bishop, it also reflects competing visions of Catholic life.

For SHG’s leadership, it is an occasion to defend the school’s future.

“We are the high school you can trust for Catholic education in central Illinois,” SHG President Bill Moredock wrote in a letter to parents addressing the survey.

Moredock said SHG has experienced significant growth over the past four years and remains committed to academic preparation, extracurricular opportunities and an education rooted in Catholic faith.

“We will continue to be the Catholic high school that provides outstanding academic preparation, broad and meaningful extracurricular opportunities, and a student experience rooted in our Catholic faith and the values of kindness, respect, hard work, compassion and love for one another,” he wrote.

Newcomb said he was surprised by apprehension surrounding a survey intended to establish whether sufficient demand exists to pursue a school.

“We don’t know if we’re talking about five kids or, or, you know, 70,” he said.

He acknowledged SHG’s enrollment growth and rejected the suggestion that the diocese intends to compete with it.

Andrew Hansen, a spokesperson for the diocese, likewise said the proposed academy could attract families whose children otherwise would attend public school or be homeschooled.

“It’s not like we’re creating an SHG 2.0,” Hansen said.

He acknowledged, however, that some families might choose the new school over SHG if it opens.

Sister Mary Paul McCaughey, prioress general of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, said the effect on SHG is uncertain.

“It’s kind of the great unknown,” she said.

What is known, she said, is SHG’s record of educating students and building a community of faith.

“We love SHG. We know of its great tradition and its care for students and families,” McCaughey said. Her invitation to families: “Walk its halls.”

Newcomb envisions a small, coeducational high school emphasizing the humanities, classical languages, discussion and connections among subjects.

He pointed to Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage, Alaska, where he previously worked, as a similar educational model.

Students would likely study Latin and possibly some Greek. Literature and history would be taught in coordinated seminars, with science, mathematics, music and art connected where possible to the historical period being studied.

A four-year sequence could move from the ancient world through the medieval period, Renaissance and Reformation, and into modern history.

For example, students studying the Middle Ages might read the epic French poem The Song of Roland, learn how cathedrals were built, study pigments used by medieval monks and create an illuminated manuscript page in art class.

“Now you’ve got a curriculum where all the parts are coordinated to be mutually reinforcing,” Newcomb said.

The religious purpose would be explicit.

By organizing subjects around historical periods, he said, “it becomes very clear that Jesus Christ is the center of human history.”

Newcomb described character, citizenship and engagement with moral questions as central aims. Preparation for college and careers would remain valuable, he said, but would not be the school’s primary organizing principle.

He sees potential interest among homeschooling families seeking a full-day high school with small classes and a close community.

Non-Catholic students would be welcome, he said, although the school would teach the Catholic faith openly.

Families have raised the possibility of a classical Catholic high school for years, including before Newcomb arrived in Springfield in 2023, he said. Some previously expressed interest in a Chesterton Academy, a classical school model inspired by Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton.

Newcomb said that model could provide inspiration, but he would favor flexibility rather than committing to its prescribed curriculum.

Asked whether differences between Paprocki’s conservative outlook and the Dominicans’ approach factor into the proposal, Newcomb said: “Not from my standpoint.”

His department’s responsibility, he said, is to help families explore forms of Catholic education that meet their needs.

Dan Frachey, a Rochester resident who is a former Catholic lay minister and current dissident of the established Catholic church, sees broader theological differences at work.

Frachey, who describes himself as excommunicated, said the Catholic hierarchy does not recognize his priesthood. He also emphasized that he is not involved in decisions about the proposed school.

He views the Dominicans’ approach as broadly inclusive and rooted in the Second Vatican Council’s engagement with the modern world. He believes a school under Paprocki would appeal to a smaller, more traditional segment of Catholics.

“If you drive down Monroe, you’re going to see some old sisters in wheelchairs holding up signs about social justice,” Frachey said. “They would never do that at the diocese in the way that the sisters are manifesting justice. It’s two approaches to the church and the world.”

McCaughey declined to characterize the proposal as a reflection of theological differences.

“The spirit of truth in Dominicanism is certainly loyal to the church in every way,” she said.

Newcomb, meanwhile, described the diocese’s working relationship with SHG as increasingly cooperative. He said the bishop is represented on SHG’s board by the vicar for Catholic schools and cited plans for a joint faculty formation program.

For now, the proposal’s next step rests with families reading their parish bulletins.