SUPPORTING OUR SCHOOLS Bishop Barnes gathered with students of Holy Rosary Academy, San Bernardino, in 2008 to record a video message against the rising problem of bullying. In his 25 years as Ordinary Bishop he maintained a consistent presence at the Catholic schools of the Diocese, always eager to hear what students had to say.
Bishop Gerald Barnes often noted that the character development provided by the Catholic schools of the Diocese was as critical as the academic rigor they offered.
Through his support of fundraising events, scholarships and endowments, Bishop Barnes aimed to make Catholic education available to more and more young people.
“Catholic schools transform lives,” Bishop Barnes said on the occasion of Catholic Schools Week in 2018. “They don’t give up on people. They accompany them. They believe that the children will succeed.”
The Bishop’s Golf Classic, started in 2001 to benefit the Catholic Schools of the Diocese, has become the largest fundraising event held by the Diocese, generating about $300,000 annually. In addition, the Catholic Schools Endowment established under Bishop Barnes’ leadership distributes about $240,000 every year in tuition assistance.
In 2012, he established the Bishop’s Scholarship, which annually provides a four-year scholarship to four eighth graders to attend each of the four Catholic high schools in the Diocese.
“He truly believed that Catholic education is a value that all families should be able to access,” said Dr. Samuel Torres, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese. “Under Bishop Barnes leadership our Catholic schools grew in stature and stability.”
The Bishop also made himself present at Catholic schools on a regular basis, celebrating Mass with seniors at the Catholic high schools each year, visiting schools as part of his Episcopal Visitation program and celebrating a back-to-school Mass each August with Catholic school principals, teachers and staff.
Angela Williams, Principal of Sacred Heart Academy, recalls that when Bishop Barnes would visit the campus, he often made a point of meeting with the eighth-grade class privately.
“He really wanted to know what the older kids had to say,” said Williams, who called Bishop Barnes’ leadership “deeply thoughtful and wise.”
“He really cared about them and wanted to know their thoughts.”
The national trend of declining enrollment in Catholic schools was felt in the Diocese during Bishop Barnes’ Episcopacy and it led to painful decisions to close four local Catholic schools; Queen of Angels, Riverside; St. Mary Regional School, Apple Valley; St. Anthony, San Bernardino and Precious Blood, Banning.
“Though it hurts and though we may look for flaws in the decision making, the timing and the process, we must look at and respond to the reality,” Bishop Barnes wrote in a letter to the St. Anthony School community announcing the school’s closure due to dwindling enrollment and financial insolvency.
In 2007, Bishop Barnes addressed the Catholic school communities of the Diocese directly with a powerful video message against the rising problem of bullying. It was the beginning of an anti-bullying campaign and curriculum in the Catholic schools.
“Mean, disrespectful words and fighting will not be tolerated,” Bishop Barnes said in his video message to elementary school students. “You are always God’s children, so learn and play together in friendship.”