Letters to the Editor

February 24, 2008

Anti-union bishop upsets woman with ties to Catholic schools

I am writing to express my great shock and dismay regarding Bishop Joseph Martino’s choice to ignore the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers.

I write as a concerned citizen with several connections to the area’s Catholic schools. I attended Catholic schools for 13 years in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area. I also taught at Bishop O’Reilly High School for three wonderful years before leaving to work on a doctorate in English.

More importantly, I was raised a Catholic and taught that social justice is a key tenant of the faith.

Your refusal to recognize the teachers’ union, a body whose purpose is to protect and improve the welfare of teachers and of Catholic education, defies the commitment I had hoped the church’s leader in Scranton would have to social justice.

I am saddened to say I have lost faith, but not in the committed teachers who daily work hard in the parochial system, when they could be making more money in public venues. I have not lost faith in the union that works to obtain medical coverage and decent salaries for overworked employees.

I have lost faith in Catholic leadership.

I hope that Bishop Martino will renew my faith by taking a Christian path and by working with these good people and the organization they have chosen to represent them.

Amy Lynch-Biniek Lyons

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