Religion: School for Negroes

For a solid year, Father Joseph V. Rhodes, 37, of Paducah, Ky. has been pitching in with lathe, level, and paintbrush to help build a new parochial school. Last week classes began in Rosary Chapel School, a three-story brick building containing six classrooms and eight grades, living quarters for four Ursuline teacher-nuns, a cafeteria, and a basement auditorium seating about 200. But the statistic Father Rhodes was truly proud of was the enrollment: 150 Negro pupils.

Located in the middle of a Negro neighborhood. Rosary draws students from Pa-ducah's entire Negro community. Five years...