Fr. Neal McDermott, O. P. has a problem, or it should be said, multiple problems. Everyday he grapples with the devastation of Katrina, because his job is to oversee Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Fr. McDermott reports that an astonishing 74 of 107 Catholic schools have re-opened. Thus far three public schools in New Orleans have opened, along with a handful of charter schools.

The Archdiocese has seen 38,000 of its 48,000 Catholic students return to the classroom. Only 8000 of 60,000 public school students are presently re-enrolled.

The Window asked Fr. McDermott how the schools were able to re-open and the students return so quickly.

"This has been an experience of the Church like I have never seen," McDermott began. "When 200,000 people fled New Orleans to Baton Rouge, Covington, Houston, and other cities, they opened their arms to us. Wherever people went they took us in."

"Getting these schools re-opened began in places like Baton Rouge where our people went and found homes and schools who charged them nothing. It was in Baton Rouge that Archbishop Hughes set up a temporary chancery office for New Orleans."

"When the levees broke as soon as the storm was over, we met everyday to find out the situation. As soon as you heard a school could be utilized we sent parents, students and teachers back."

The problem of financing the school system was immediately apparent, says McDermott. "In September we paid the salary of every teacher, in spite of the schools being closed, and in October we paid their complete fringe benefits - that, by itself, cost millions."Schools need to be repaired, refurbished, employees paid, and teaching materials supplied for students and teachers. Jesuit High School alone in New Orleans will cost $10,000,000 for repairs caused by the flood.

"The Archdiocese had plenty of insurance for storm damage but none for the flood. That's what is really hurting us."

Father McDermott explains, "You have to see the level of devastation for yourself. Where I live on the Bayou St. John there used to be 12,500 homes. Mine is the only one that survived. In the evening I can't see a single light from my windows."

He talked to The Window at length about specific schools, some with historic significance, such as the three important African-American schools. St. Augustine's and St. Mary's Academy were completely flooded, but Xavier Prep escaped damage and is now teaching 550 students.

Again, damage to St. Augustine's alone is estimated at $10,000,000.

The Window asked Fr. McDermott the inevitable question, "How is the Archdiocese going to pay for this?"

"The good news is that we were just given $9,500,000 by the bishops. The Knights of Columbus have donated $500,000, and the Children to Children fund $400,000. The bad news is that I have 30,000 kids who need tuition assistance, and I have only enough to help 5,000 of them."

Where will the rest come from? The Archdiocese is going to ask the bishops for more money, but Fr. McDermott is also expecting major help from the federal government through the disaster relief bill (HR. 2863) signed on December 30 by president George W. Bush.

Congressman Bobby Jindal, a Catholic from Louisiana, was a key supporter of this legislation. Jindal's chief-of-staff, Timmy Teepell, and his legislative assistant, Cara Damolin, explained that the bill does provide funds for both public and private schools.

It provides $750,000,000 for infrastructure relief and $650,000,000 for direct financial assistance to public and private schools. Schools with displaced students can receive up to $6,500 in assistance per student. But that student cannot be charged tuition, and any tuition already paid must be refunded.

There are no funds for students returning to the same school. This creates a huge financial problem for Fr. McDermott since two-thirds of his 35,000 students have safely returned to the schools they left in the face of Katrina. "I have to find another $5,000,000 before the end of year."

The proposal that Catholic schools receive a share of federal funds sparked a lengthy debate in the Senate. The issue was resolved by language in the bill stating that federal money could be provided for secular purposes. In other words, no federal funds could be used to directly support the teaching of religion.

How this principle of "secular purposes" is going to be applied will be of special interest to the Catholic community. Federal funding for Catholic education is a contentious issue in the United States going back to, at least, the 1840s.

This bill represents something of a landmark if it doesn't run into trouble over the interpretation of what is secular and what is religious.

More important, however, is what Fr. McDermott reports about the experience of being part of the Church. At the end of our conversation he told me about the re-opening in October of St. Dominic's Parish where he had been pastor for 12 years. "3,500 families belong to the parish in an area that is still uninhabitable, but 1,200 people attended Mass - it was standing room only. That's what I mean by experiencing the Church."

(To help Fr. McDermott, you can send a check made payable to the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Specify "Assistance to Catholic schools," and mail it to: Archdiocese of New Orleans, 1800 S. Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, LA 70808. Write "Attn: Father Neal McDermott" at the bottom of the envelope.)

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