Somebody Up There Likes Holy Cross High

When Jesus Pimentel stepped from the ring in San Antonio last week after fighting for what was billed as the North American Bantamweight championship, the city's Mexican-American majority had two reasons to be pleased. Not only had the Mexican contender won, but the fight also netted $1,000 for an unlikely beneficiary: Holy Cross High School, a parochial school that serves San Antonio's poorest Chicano neighborhood (median family income: $3,280).

Why is a high school connected with a prizefight? The answer goes back to 1968, when San Antonio's parochial schools were in deep financial trouble --like others across the U.S.--and Archbishop Robert Lucey halted all diocesan subsidies for three of the city's twelve Catholic high schools. One of the three schools was located in a wealthy white neighborhood, and it easily survived by raising tuition. Another, situated in a lower-middle-class area, gave up and closed its doors. It is now a warehouse.

Viet Nam Paychecks. The slum-centered third--Holy Cross High--was in no position to boost its $220 tuition, but the twelve brothers who run it refused to quit. In a city where 44% of the Chicano population are functionally illiterate, they argued, only the Catholic schools offer slum children a quality education. In fact, 85% of Holy Cross's 560 male students are Mexican-Americans and 80% of them go on to college, compared with 11% from the district's public high schools.

When the church canceled the subsidy, the brothers at Holy Cross suddenly had to raise $72,000 just to keep the school open for the rest of the year. A Holy Cross graduate now serving in Viet Nam began sending his monthly military paychecks. Several local businessmen gave $1,000 each. Even a shoeshine boy tiptoed into Principal Stanley Culotta's office to present his contribution: a stained and shredded $1 bill.

Cleaning Up. Holy Cross High got the $72,000 and survived the year. Subsequent donations and benefits have enabled it to continue. When Liberty/United Artists contributed more than 20,000 record albums, one parent provided an empty store, others offered to staff it, and Holy Cross found itself in the record business. The store made $9,000. A benefit performance by Singer Vikki Carr raised $20,000. A Christmas fruitcake sale netted $500.

"We don't have long-range financing yet, but we will if our cleaning project works out," says Brother William Dooling. Since October, 40 Holy Cross students have received city licenses to sell liquid cleaning products (wax, shampoo, polish) door to door. As a franchised distributor, Holy Cross nets $3,000 a month after paying commissions to the student salesmen. Eventually, the brothers expect students from other local schools to join in selling the products on the same basis.

Last week's fight marked the second time that Boxer Pimentel had done battle for the benefit of the school. The first time the school asked him; the second, he volunteered. Says Principal Culotta: "We realize now how concerned people are about education. Once aware of the problem, everyone does his best to help."

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