Saint Michael School

Dear Friends of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Michael:

I am writing to you from Peru where we have a number of projects, one of which is the creation of a School in the south of the country for the education of children and teenagers of both sexes. We started work on this project several years ago, but for lack of funds the building of the School has stalled and everything remains in a half-finished state. Now, in 2017, we hope to galvanize the project and carry on until the buildings are completed and fully equipped.

As you probably know, the Church has always been interested in education. It was thanks to the Church that the great medieval universities in Europe were founded. It has been thanks to the Church that in the U.S.A. every level of education has been offered to all levels of society, whilst poor children have been educated in countries throughout the world. It is probably true to say that the largest single educator in the world is the Catholic Church, and although in most countries the State has taken upon itself the task of educating youth, the fact remains that there is still an important role that the Church can and must play. The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Michael the Archangel feels a call to participate in this undertaking.

It is legitimate to ask why the Fraternity should be preoccupied with this educational project in Peru. Although the State officially accepts the responsibility for education, it does not count on sufficient resources to guarantee a high standard for everyone, and so there is a serious danger that the poorer stratas of society will continue to be marginated as they always have been. Furthermore, the State has been imposing a school curriculum which is influenced by an ideology that runs counter to Catholic teaching and belief. For example, the State wishes to impose a gender theory in which there is no difference between male and female. Obviously, with regards to Human Rights, the Church promotes the equality between the sexes, but to say that there is no difference between the sexes is to promote confusion and falsehood.

It is in the light of these considerations that the Fraternity feels a call to participate in the education of youth in Peru, above all amongst the poorer members of society, and asks you for your support in this.