Ordinariate Schools, The Canon 803 Problem, and Mr Treco

Canon 803 reads,

Can. 803 §1. A Catholic school is understood as one which a competent ecclesiastical authority or a public ecclesiastical juridic person directs or which ecclesiastical authority recognizes as such through a written document.

§2. The instruction and education in a Catholic school must be grounded in the principles of Catholic doctrine; teachers are to be outstanding in correct doctrine and integrity of life.

§3. Even if it is in fact Catholic, no school is to bear the name Catholic school without the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority.

A visitor notes:

I, too, checked out the link to St. Barnabas Academy F/K/A The Chesterton Academy of Omaha. I am assuming F/K/A stands for “formerly known as”. There are some other Chesterton Academies around the country that tout themselves explicitly as Christian Classical schools but they all seem to feature daily Mass. There seem to be quite a few of them. Some of the schools overtly label themselves as Catholic, some play a strange little word game about not calling themselves Catholic but they want you to understand they are. Here is the wording I am talking about.

Chesterton Academy of the Sacred Heart does not claim to bear the name “Catholic” school (cf. canon 803). It is a private school based on the initiatives of parents and individuals attracted to the classical education tradition. Those involved in establishing Chesterton Academy of the Sacred Heart take seriously their duty and right to promote such an undertaking as affirmed by canon law in canon 216 “even by their own undertakings.” Faithful to the norm of canon 216 and 803, and always wishing to show deep respect toward our local bishop, Chesterton Academy of the Sacred Heart does not claim to use the name “Catholic” and would only use the name “Catholic” with the consent of the competent ecclesiastical authority.

Since they would only use the name Catholic with the consent of the competent ecclesiastical authority, and they don’t call themselves Catholic, I must assume ecclesiastical authority (namely the local Bishop) has not authorized or is affiliated with this school. This is the kind of home school/create a school type effort that is gaining traction; building a blueprint and sharing it for anyone else to copy. Sadly, I fear this is because the Bishops/Catholic schools in these areas have neglected to address the serious shortfalls in the local Catholic schools.

I think matters here are at minimum complicated. Canons 804-806 are rigorous in outlining the bishop's responsibilities, for instance Canon 804 §2:

The local ordinary is to be concerned that those who are designated teachers of religious instruction in schools, even in non-Catholic ones, are outstanding in correct doctrine, the witness of a Christian life, and teaching skill.

The visitor here, as well as other visitors, as well as the web sites I've checked on pickup schools or home-school supplements or whatever, are very clear in saying some are good and some are bad, which means I'd be very careful in evaluating any such choices I might have available, with a heavy bias toward an established, accredited school that the bishop calls Catholic. (I don't know what the possible redress might be under canon law if parents felt a bishop was not concerned that those who are designated teachers are outstanding in correct doctrine, witness, and teaching skill.)

This brings me to the parents who may be moved to start a non-Catholic "Catholic" effort, and this brings me to the numerous laments on the web that have been published since Vaughn Treco's removal as an ordinariate priest. Here's one:

On a winter day in early 2016, after months of attending the traditional Latin Mass at my local FSSP apostolate, I was asked what I thought of the Mass at a little parish called the Church of St. Bede the Venerable in St. Louis Park, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis. You see, the Church of St. Bede is a parish of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, and I was told the Mass was very traditional and not too dissimilar from the TLM.

. . . After each Ordinariate Mass in the undercroft of the church was a time of fellowship and refreshment. Those gathered were a unique group, each with his own idiosyncrasies. In the best possible way, they were a group of misfits, and found that I, as a traditionalist, fit right in. It was here that I met Fr. Vaughn Treco, parochial administrator and priest of this small community, who would become not just my pastor, but my friend.

. . . On the Feast of Christ the King on the Ordinariate calendar, November 25th of 2018, one week before Advent, Fr. Vaughn Treco delivered this homily. In this 38-minute sermon, Fr. Treco attempted to provide a deeper understanding of the current crisis in the Church and to offer a safe way forward in the years that lie ahead of us.

And that, apparently, was the homily that led to his removal. By way of context, the last 38-minute homily I heard was in early 2010, when Fr ___ at our former TEC parish declared he was "on a roll" and was gonna keep on talking. This led to several months of struggle to get him back into rehab for a second spin-dry cycle, in the course of which my wife and I decided to try a "continuing" substitute, which eventually led to this blog. This is by way of saying that a 38-minute homily is never a good idea, but the poor author of this essay seems to have thought it was.

It doesn't help that the author here ventures farther into strange territory:

Through his ministry, I have made much more progress with a particular anxiety disorder I suffer from than any amount of therapy or medication ever accomplished. . . . He even sent us recordings of his homilies when my wife and I were on vacation, just for the sake of encouragement. What other priest does this?

What's emerging is a picture of a cradle Catholic (which is important in itself) who seems to be in a psychologically fragile state and has come to depend personally on a particular priest more, shall we say, than might be prudent. The bishop here, probably unaware of this particular situation, nevertheless seems to have become concerned about how Treco was representing the teachings of the Church and eventually removed him -- I have no reason to think this action was anything but correct.

In discussions of Canon 803, I see reassurances that just because a particular "academy" isn't a "Catholic school" doesn't mean it's automatically run by a schismatic or fringe group. On the other hand, I would definitely say this doesn't automatically mean it's a safe or orthodox place. (Just for starters, how many in the local home school co-op have been through Virtus certification?)

My wife and I have been there with the self-identified group of misfits in the undercroft after mass. Take it from us, it's not a good place. If a school startup emerges from such a thing, I'd be running fast in the opposite direction. Just sayin'.