The ship has finally docked for the Doyle Family.After 23 years enrolling five children in our parish’s Catholic school — Incarnation in Glendale — the youngest is graduating from eighth grade and my emotions are mixed.No more First Holy Communions, Blessing of the Animals or All Saints Day celebrations where your student dresses up like their namesake saint on Nov. 1 — the day after they had a slightly-less-than-holy costume for that other holiday.No more California missions, Holy Childhood Association fund-raisers or Rice Bowl collections during Lent. The last student is heading for the Catholic high school big leagues now and mom and dad have to take a berth below decks on a “cruise ship” staffed by a bigger crew of administrators, teachers, coaches and counselors who, hopefully, will sail our baby — the tech whiz/basketball center/drummer girl — to the college destination of her dreams.Walking down the gangplank of the Catholic grade school ship that my husband and I have supported with our sweat equity, spending years along with the other parents attending school auctions to raise money for things like air conditioning that finally was installed after Christmas in my eighth grader’s classroom, I have this to say:I would do it again. I would spend hours making saints’ costumes and baking brownies for Boy Scout meetings and camping in the cold with the Girl Scouts. I would sit in the bleachers watching Little League games where my sons yearn for a home run and I long to run home to catch up on lost sleep. I would volunteer again to chaperone field trips, act as playground monitor and serve on the school board. Why? Because now that my sons have graduated college and they are starting their working lives in part-time jobs with few benefits, they tell me they realize they grew up in a happy bubble of security, where many school parents looked out for them and cheered for their success. My three sons are confident and optimistic in spite of the precarious economy. They still come home for Easter and Christmas, getting up early to attend Mass because mom won’t feed them the big meal unless they go to church. (It can’t be child abuse if they are adults now, right?)They know right from wrong, and they are loyal to their friends — many of whom they met in parish grade school or Catholic high schools — and their friends represent the diversity they experienced on campus and at church.In spite of challenges they face now in finding gainful employment and meaningful relationships, they know it’s a wonderful world and a wonderful life. And I know that it had a lot to do with the wonderful foundation, and faith, they received in Catholic school.
