Fr. Timothy J. Sauppé, a pastor of St, Mary’s Catholic Church in Westville IL, explained to his parishioners his decision to close the parish school in May 2010. There were two reasons: “lack of incoming/retention of students and lack of income to both the school and the parish.” But he added: “Let me be frank, the problem here is much deeper than money and it is a problem not just at St. Mary’s but across our Western culture. The problem is cited in the concluding paragraph in my letter to Bishop Jenky:
Bishop, it is with a heavy heart that I request this of you. As you know, priests were not ordained to be closing grade schools but we were ordained to be Christ in the midst of sorrow and pain which will be happening as we come to accept both your decision and the inevitable that St. Mary’s Grade School is no longer viable. The efficient cause is simple….no children. The first cause is the habitual contraception and sterilization mentality of a good portion of married Catholic Christians–in short the culture of death. The final cause is the closure of Catholic Schools and parishes. Bishop, we need your leadership to address the contraception/abortion/sterilization mentality in as a forceful a way as soon as possible. This was my recommendation to the Meitler Study and it is my recommendation to you for the good of the Diocese of Peoria. May God Bless you in your ministry as our Bishop.
Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus and Mary,
Fr. Timothy J. Sauppé, pastor
St. Mary’s Catholic Church”
Another comment from Fr. Timothy J. Sauppé: “The greatest challenge we have as priests is contraception. It is killing our parishes left and right. As long as bishops and priests say nothing about contraception we will not grow as a Church or as a society.” ( “Madonna Chapel: Fostering the dignity of Motherhood,” by Kate Williams, Canticle magazine, Jan/Feb 2010, p. 23)