For most of his first five years in Rome, however, Calasanz was concerned mostly with the instruction of poor children. As a member of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, he taught both children and adults on Sundays and feast days, and he became aware of the appalling lack of education among the children of the poor. He soon came to the conclusion that free schools were necessary for the religious and secular education of the poor. His attempts to convince the parish- schoolmasters, the Jesuits, and the Dominicans to offer this service were unsuccessful. Therefore, he opened a school himself in 1597, with the help of three other priests.
Catholic Education bump!
4 posted on 08/26/2002 5:43:22 PM PDT by Salvation