Naming Finalists
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Naming Finalists
Twenty names were submitted for consideration. The Committee of 9 (3 representatives each from MACS, St. Mary, and St. Henry) narrowed the list down to 16 and recommended which were the strongest on April 1st. April 4th, the MACS school board convened in special session. They narrowed down the list to five and created the list that has been submitted to the Archbishop. The Archbishop’s decision will be announced during the ground breaking ceremony (tentatively scheduled for April 29.)
Click here for a statement explaining the drive for a new name.
Top Five in alphabetical order:
St. Bernadette Soubirous
St. Francis of Assisi
MACS
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
St. Thomas AquinasSt. Bernadette Soubirous (Our Lady of Lourdes)
Bernadette showed devotion to her faith, just as we as Christians try to do. She had a special place in her heart for Mary, who told Bernadette she was the Immaculate Conception. We as Catholics, also hold Mary in very high esteem. We work hard to be good students. Although Bernadette struggled in receiving an education, she worked hard to learn at all the tasks she did throughout her life. She did all that Mary asked of her, without complaining, the same way we try to finish our tasks as students without complaining.
Bernadette had her first vision of Mary when she was 14. Miracles can happen to people of all ages. She worked hard through her illnesses like we work through our troubles to serve God. She never quit believing in God, even when she was sick, which is a good example for all of us. She made respectful choices just like we are supposed to do. St. Bernadette was honest when she told about her visions, just like we try to be honest in our lives.
St. Francis of Assisi
Francis did not complete his “literary education” which the kids at the school do not complete their Faith Formation/Education in the Catholic School since the school only goes to 6th Grade. His focus was on works of charity – especially Matthew 25:40-45 – Works of charity are an important part of growing in our Catholic faith and should be kept at the forefront. He worked on rebuilding churches – throughout this process I think that we will rebuild our Catholic identity as well as build unity between the two parishes. As an adult he began the Friars Minor (First Order of St. Francis) for men who wanted to follow him, the Franciscan Order of Poor Ladies (Poor Clare’s) for women who wanted to follow him, then the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance for those who wanted to follow but could not be cloistered. – So even if his education was not complete he went on to lead others to living a life of prayer and caring for the poor and evangelizing which is what we want from our children as well. St. Francis is best known for his love and care of animals – what a beautiful image for our school. What I get from St. Francis is a love for all God’s creatures, a deep compassion for the poor, and a deep sense of humility – all wonderful things for our school to be associated with!
MACS
This name was chosen because it was not just Marshalltown schools that were involved, but all the communities around us. All of the surrounding communities along with St. Henry’s and St. Mary’s have worked hard at keeping this school going for our children, grandchildren and future generations to come. If you lose any part of the AREA community because of this proposed change, I am afraid it will be a loss the school might not survive. MACS was created during a consolidation of Catholic education in the Marshalltown area…hence the name. We are consolidating again…so it fits!
MACS is strong and has stood the test of time. The community knows this. MACS is the identity of Catholic Education in this area. We will be changing a lot when this build occurs…location, the dynamics of the school etc. (too many to list), do you really want to confuse things more? People will wonder if “MACS shut down” and that a “New School” is opening up instead of the strong, well known, amazing program that is simply growing into a better situation. Our kids are going to be dealing with a lot of change in the upcoming years. I would like them to have some sense of “consistency”.
Kids in the public schools make fun of things really easy and if we change our name, it will give them a chance to make fun of our school. You can’t make fun of MACS. I want the kids to be proud of their school and a name is a very important part of it.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Mother Teresa’s life was one poured out like Our Lord in selfless sacrifice to become the love of Christ among us. She brought the healing touch of Jesus to every soul that Lord led her to. Her word’s, actions, and prayers flowed from her love for Christ true presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Mother and her sisters of Charity (the order she founded) began every day witth the Mass, rosary and silent adoration. Mother Teresa and her sisters were keenly aware that they needed to encounter Christ first in the Eucharist, so they were properly disposed to serve and love Christ in the poor, needy, and outcast of society. Mother Teresa is a model for the values of charity and piety that we wish to instill in our children.
St. Thomas Aquinas
“Parents Engaged in Prayer” have called upon St. Thomas Aquinas every week in their intercessions. From the repair of St. Mary to the capital campaign, student enrollment, and countless other requests, our prayers have been answered time and time again. When St. Thomas was five years old, he was placed under the care of the Benedictines of Monte Casino. At the same age, parents bring their precious children to MACS and place them in the care of our teachers and staff. It is a blessing to know that our children are in the hands of men and women who love Jesus, live their faith, and challenge them to be all God calls them to be.
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Why Change the School Name?
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Three weeks ago, there were articles in the parish bulletins about changing the name of MACS. It has come to my attention there are a number of people wanting more details about this. The important thing is this is an ARCHBISHOP DECISION. We’re making recommendations, but it is purely up to him. There is no vote by the parents, students, or church community.
The Archdiocese has been hinting for years now that they’d like to see our name changed. A saint’s name better represents the Catholicity of the school than a descriptive acronym. They have been okay with it up to this point because each school building inherited their respective patron saint. However, if we have one building, then the building name and school name should match. Think of it like the public school. Cedar Rapids School District has Kennedy, Jefferson, and Washington high schools. Marshalltown School District has Marshalltown High School.
The Committee of 9 (building committee) felt this would probably be a good time to cater towards the Archdiocese wishes and recommended we make formal suggestions to the Archbishop. There are a number of reasons that support a name change at this time:
1.) We wanted to make a clear distinction that the building is no longer “St. Henry’s building” alone. To continue calling it “St. Henry’s” leaves out not just St. Mary, but also the former parishioners of Immaculate Conception and St. Boniface
2.) The new name will signify a new school, with a retooled vision and rooted in a united Catholic community. Not just St. Henry and St. Mary, but also the former parishioners of Immaculate Conception and St. Boniface.
3.) It is not just the school, but a name we will use for other unified partnerships in the future. For example, the Faith Formation program will also identify with this name as a shared program. This is like in Butler County where 4 churches had their board and faith formation under the banner of “Holy Family” cluster prior to official consolidation. This is why we opened it to the parishes and communicated through the parish bulletins instead of the school newsletter.
4.) MACS gets lost in the shuffle with MCC, MCSD, MMSC, etc. This is especially true for people looking to move (or recent move-ins) to Marshalltown. I’ve heard a few times, “Oh, I didn’t know there was a Catholic School. All I saw was St. Paul’s preschool.” It’s because they’re looking for “Saint…” No one thinks to look for a Catholic school under ‘M’, and understandably so.
5.) The name is long and is often difficult to fit on signs. Almost all mail that comes to us says “Marshalltown Area Catholic Scho” with the rest going to “Marshalltown Area Catho”
A few concerns that have been discussed:
1.) What about the investment parents have made in MACS uniforms? We realize the investment and students will be allowed to wear out their MACS apparel for 2-3 years after the name change.
2.) Won’t there be a cost involved in changing all the signs? St. Mary’s will be torn down so that sign doesn’t count. There will be a cost to change the sign on the St. Henry’s building, but we feel it’s worth the expense. All other signs (baseball, softball, yard signs, etc.) are all considered temporary consumable and would be ready to be replaced in two years anyway.
3.) If we change the name, people won’t donate because they won’t know what it is. First of all, the name won’t be announced until near the end of the capital campaign. Second, there is a long legal process for changing over the corporation name and all financial accounts. It won’t change overnight. We’ll evolve into the new name over at least the whole next year. By that time, it is highly unlikely that there is someone oblivious to the capital campaign timeline and name change, but still feels close enough to make a significant donation.
Both parish councils and the school board support a name change. Ultimately, it’s the school board who submits the official suggestion to the Archbishop. The process we are using:
1.) Notified in the bulletins, parishioners are welcome to submit suggestions to the school or parish offices. We ask that there be some written support for the reason as this isn’t a vote, we’re trying to convince the Archbishop.
2.) At the same time, each MACS class began a project so that we have a number of names to choose from with well researched reasons behind them.
3.) All names are due March 22nd. During spring break, a list of possible names will be made public. During that time, we ask anyone with comments direct them to a Committee of 9 representative (including if you think the name should stay MACS.)
4.) The Committee of 9 has been tasked by the school board to organize the suggested names and data then create a proposal for the school board by April 1st.
5.) The school board will then create a list of suggestions to the Archbishop during a special board meeting on April 4th. The Archbishop has asked for a ranked list of three. “Leave as MACS” can be an option, but we’re not too optimistic the Archbishop would go for that.
6.) The Archbishop will take our suggestions and make a decision as to what the school will be called. The Archbishop has sole authority. If he decides he doesn’t like any of our suggestions, he can call us whatever he wants. That is why we need very clear and specific reasons behind our suggestions – including if we think the names should remain MACS.
If you would like to submit a name suggestion, feel free to email it to me. Please include support for why the name would represent our school. If you have very good reasons to keep it the same that we haven’t thought of, feel free to submit that as well. I will let you know “tradition” and “sentimental” reasons will not be considered sufficient.
If you would like to simply state that you are in favor of a certain name over others (released next week) or that you are against a name change, please contact one of the Committee of 9 representatives.
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