laboratory in La Porte

Caught between rising costs and ever greater demands for academic excellence, the nation's Roman Catholic parochial schools are in trouble. Last week, an official of the National Catholic Educational Association estimated that in the past year more than 200 schools had shut down. Concurrently, Archbishop Terence J. Cooke of New York announced that he had named an interfaith commission of education and business experts to undertake a survey of his archdiocese's 432 schools. "We must be certain," said Cooke, "that the resources, personnel and facilities of the church are employed in the best possible manner."

Concern over the proper utilization of resources has led a number of Catholic educators to consider alternatives to the parochial school as a means of providing religious education. One highly promising experiment is now under way in La Porte, Ind., where four Marist Brothers have set up an informal Christian teaching laboratory that has no texts, no formal classes, and no compulsory attendance--the students are all volunteers.

Self & the Future. La Porte (pop. 25,000) was selected partly because it has no Catholic high school, partly because the local bishop, the Most Rev. Andrew Grutka of Gary, was willing to give the brothers a free hand in their approach to teaching. Setting up headquarters last September in a donated house, the Marists refurbished it with comfortable sofas and chairs; teenage volunteers renovated the basement, complete with pop posters, a jukebox, and pilfered street signs. Sessions for high school students are held three nights a week, from 7:30 to 9 o'clock; junior high students meet in the afternoons. The curriculum is as unconventional as the surroundings. Instead of following a standard Catechism, the brothers conduct freewheeling discussions on four basic human themes: "Self," "Relations with Others," "Relations with God," and "The Future."

To stimulate student interest, the Marists show movies touching on topics under discussion; one recent evening featured Hud, followed by a seminar on the film's treatment of interpersonal relations. They also discuss modern novels (among them: Camus' The Stranger) and analyze the lyrics of such recorded rock-age prophets as the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel. The brothers are available to help with personal problems, and youngsters frequently drop by for confidential talks. To maintain accord between the Marists and their teen-age clients, there is a minimum of discipline.

Help Without Dogma. The Marists now have a regular attendance of 200 Catholic youngsters--half of La Porte's high school Catholic population--as well as 50 from other faiths. Says Frank Christian, 18, a senior and a Catholic: "I used to have nun-phobia because I had such a bad time in Catholic grade schools. But the brothers have got me involved in the church again." Adds Jim Baumer, 18, an Episcopalian: "The brothers help you without any dogma."

To broaden their contacts with La Porte's youth, the Marists--all of whom have master's degrees--were given permission to serve as substitute teachers in the public high school. The only conditions made were that they not wear Roman collars and habits in class, and that students address them not as "Brother" but as "Mister." Says School Superintendent Harold Margrave, who classifies himself as a "softshell Baptist": "We've had nothing but mutual understanding and respect. We feel as though we've gained a service for the public school." Other leaders in the community feel the same way: last January, the local probation board asked the brothers to help counsel La Porte's problem teenagers.

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