‘Catholic Boss Tweed’: Thomas Carroll’s Education Crusade

On Monday night, February 6th, Thomas Carroll came to speak at the St. Thomas More Society about the school system in the Archdiocese of Boston. He was on a special mission not only to inform the BC student population, but to recruit from them for his cause.

Carroll was made the superintendent of the system in 2019, and has been working furiously to revamp the state of the Catholic diocesan schools in Boston and its surrounding suburbs.

Carroll described the situation he entered upon through Cardinal Dolan’s comment that “American Catholic education has become hospice care.” The superintendent considers most Catholic schools to be hopelessly secularized and desperately in need of revitalization.

In particular, Carroll cited the statistics of a decline from 5 million to 1.6 million enrolled students in Catholic schools nationwide in the span of the 1960s to the current day. His assessment: “We are one generation away from the [churches] becoming museums.”

Though there is a dearth of teachers all around, Carroll noted in particular a lack of men stepping up to the plate. He cited the lack of strong male faith role models in the classroom as one of the critical maladies inflicting the Church and causing an outflux of young men throughout the years.

As a convert himself, Carroll emphasized that the battle he is waging is above all “a fight for souls” in the field of education. Thus, he stated that his efforts have been to reverse the secularization of the Catholic school system and make them places where young men and women grow in virtue toward eternal life.

In the wake of COVID-19 school closures, in which Catholic schools capitalized by opening unusually early and thus saw a reversal of the six-decade decay in numbers, Carroll saw a special opportunity to open the windows and clear the air.

One of the more surprising statistics Carroll presented was how radically he has cycled his subordinates. For example, in his relatively brief time in office, he has replaced 45 school principals, though he insisted that they cycled out of their own accord.

  However, more daring on Carroll’s part was the primary subject of his talk at the STM: The St. Thomas More Teaching Fellowship (no relation to aforementioned society).

Building on the albeit short-lived boost in finances and numbers, Carroll has initiated through this fellowship a program for rapidly collecting and training prospective teachers according to his ideal of a new evangelization starting in the classroom.

Carroll’s vision, which has already been tested with promising results, is to gather and instruct fellowship members in large cohorts, and then send them into the schools. They would also be required to share apartments and homes, found with the diocese’s help, for the duration of the fellowship to facilitate a sense of unity and fraternity in their efforts.

Here is where the self-described Catholic Boss Tweed’s scheme reaches BC’s broader population. Carroll’s vigorous campaign recruits fresh teachers without a degree in education. His requirements: Talent and a firm commitment to the teachings of the Church. In his view, BC is a promising recruitment ground.

Of course, the superintendent made it clear that he would not accept just anyone in this fellowship. Though a specialized degree in education is not necessary, his motto for selection is: “Talent, talent, talent!” He surveyed his audience at BC with hope.

Carroll encouraged all students present, but most especially upperclassmen and graduate students, to consider reaching out and inquiring further into the fellowship, no matter how certain the prospects of committing. 

Further information can be found on the Fellowship’s page on the Arcadia Education Group website.