By Rayanne Damiano
Editor-in-Chief

Msgr. Michael J. Corona has some very solid ideas on how school administration should be done. He should. In his 35 years of priesthood, he has had considerable experience in Catholic school education, serving as teacher, vice-principal, principal and director of various schools within the Dioceses of Trenton and Metuchen.

Add to that his significant career in diocesan administration, including posts as director of communications, stewardship and development, as well as his 24 years as a pastor, and one might say that this is a man who knows his way around administration.

Now given the task of running the diocese’s Department of Education, Msgr. Corona wants to draw on what he’s learned over the years to "really make things happen."

Named in August as the department director, Msgr. Corona has responsibility over the Catholic Schools Office, the Office of Religious Education, the Commission for School Planning and the Campus Ministry Apostolate. In this capacity, he will provide direction and support to the 42 elementary and six high schools of the diocese, serving a total of 17,000 students, as well as the religious education programs of the 108 parishes in the diocese, in which some 50,000 children receive their sacraments and religious formation.

He will serve in his new post while continuing in his pastorate of St. Philip and St. James Parish, and overseeing Ss. Philip and James School, both in Phillipsburg.

Working with a staff that includes three new associate superintendents, and faced with challenges that have befallen many other dioceses across the country in regard to Catholic school finances and enrollment, the new director is looking for substantive and expeditious changes in the ways that things have been done.

In an interview with The Catholic Spirit, Msgr. Corona, stated, "I know we can’t change everything overnight. Some things will be slower than others. But we need to move forward. To coin a widely used phrase, we need to ‘think outside the box’."

So intent is he to forge a new path, that Msgr. Corona has developed a set of initiatives to which he has given the name "quantum resurgence." Literally meaning a "sudden and extensive advance" and a "rising again", the term best describes the director’s thoughts on what he’d like to see the Department of Education become to the parishes, schools and people of the diocese.

"Ours is an office of ministry. We are to minister in the bishop’s name to those who are ministering to our children," Msgr. Corona explained.

In order to foster this understanding of ministry, Msgr. Corona began by calling for a change in the mission statement of the largest office in his department. That statement now reads: The mission of the Catholic Schools Office is to minister to and collaborate with our Catholic schools, assisting them to communicate Gospel values to the school community, while leading students to become spiritual, ethical and competent members of the world community.

Often, that ministry will be to provide adequate direction, he acknowledged. In that regard, the Schools Office just published its revised policy handbook, which is now available to administrators for the beginning of the new school year.

But his vision for the office exceeds well beyond that of policy setting. "We need to get out there in the field more. We need to be more present to our faculty and parish personnel."

In many ways, Msgr. Corona feels that Catholic education currently stands at "a crossroad." He stated, "So many of our schools are fighting the battle of finances, trying to pay our teachers a decent salary and grappling with other rising costs, while striving to bolster enrollment. It really isn’t easy. We need to appeal to the state Legislature to pass a voucher program in New Jersey."

He spoke highly of the many professionals who have committed themselves to the ministry of Catholic education. "We have great support in our schools. I really give credit to the teachers and the many others who work very hard to help our children be formed in the faith."