‘Quit Catholic schools if you can’t stand our principles’ - Osei-Bonsu

[_Abyssinia]

The President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu has dared students who cannot comply with the religious rules and practices in Catholic schools to quit and move to other schools, if they so desire.

According to him, many of the students who attend Catholic schools chose the schools because of the age- long discipline and religious ethics that have existed in those schools.

His comment follows a statement by the Bishops Conference Tuesday that directed heads of Catholic schools to “remain resolute” and continue with all religious practices and training associated with the catholic faith despite a government order for school heads to avoid imposing religious beliefs on students.

m.starrfmonline.com/1.2017077

 

[Tigg]

Common sense responses to a world gone mad!

 

[jtauke]

Shouldn’t he be trying to bring people back into the fold, rather than push them out or dare them to leave?

 

[Mike_Dye]

I have always been against vouchers for Catholic education just because they would allow the government leverage in dictating what could and couldn’t be taught in Catholic schools. Little did I know that they would still dictate what we had to teach, but then again the way our country has been moving lately I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.

 

[St_Francis]

Shouldn’t he be trying to bring people back into the fold, rather than push them out or dare them to leave?

Even Christ said to His disciples, If they will not listen to you, shake the dust of that town from your sandals as you leave.

 

[phil19034]

Shouldn’t he be trying to bring people back into the fold, rather than push them out or dare them to leave?

How can you bring people back into the cold if you don’t have the fortitude and backbone to defend your religious beliefs?

I personally believe that the time has come to do this to teachers and professors in American Catholic schools and colleges. If some of them close because of it, so be it. I would rather have less, yet Faithful Catholic schools and colleges vs. many dissent schools/colleges.

 

[jtauke]

How can you bring people back into the cold if you don’t have the fortitude and backbone to defend your religious beliefs?

So defending your beliefs and bringing people into the fold are mutually exclusive? I hardly think that’s true.

 

[phil19034]

So defending your beliefs and bringing people into the fold are mutually exclusive? I hardly think that’s true.

That’s not what I said, nor meant.

Could his tone been different? Perhaps. But the point is that many people return to the Church or to evangelical communities because they do stand for something.

If we continue (in America) or other nations allow our/their Catholic education to be watered down or void of religion, we will lose future generations.

What good is it to attract some people now if 80 -90 % the next generation of Catholics do not come to Church?

Our schools have to teach our Children young so they do not fall into secularism and the false idea of “spiritual but not religious”

We have to fix and secure the foundation before focusing on growing. And that foundation is our children and young adults.

 

[tafan]

So defending your beliefs and bringing people into the fold are mutually exclusive? I hardly think that’s true.

Dang close to mutually exclusive. “bringing people into the fold” is asking them to transform their lives. People don’t do that for something that is not concrete and full of meaning. Recent history of both the Catholic Church and non-Catholic denominations also tells us that is the case.

Which protestant denominations are flourishing and which ones are slowly dying out. The fundamentalist and evangelical are flourishing, many older mainline denominations who have adopted very lax theological standards are dying out. The Church of England churches throughout Great Britain are mainly empty on Sunday mornings.

In the Catholic Church, those religious orders who adopted a anything goes attitude in the 60s and 70s are now simply a bunch of nursing homes, while religious orders who have stressed orthodoxy are seeing many vocations. Diocesan seminaries that were almost empty 10-20 years ago are now seeing surging vocations after much needed reforms. We had a generation of Catholics who were not educated in the faith, and many of those people are no longer in the Church. People who go through RCIA programs have a very poor retention rate in the Church unless the programs are well grounded in the faith.

Yes, the two are mutually exclusive.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peach on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in law; and a man’s foes will be those of his own household.”. Mathew 10:34-36

 

[Polycarp1]

Shouldn’t he be trying to bring people back into the fold, rather than push them out or dare them to leave?

Yes but the fold has to stay the fold and not changed to something else so other sheep will feel more comfortable there.

 

[zz912]

Shouldn’t he be trying to bring people back into the fold, rather than push them out or dare them to leave?

Bring them into what exactly what, if you’re willing to destroy the fold?

Even Jesus let many people leave Him when He taught about the Eucharist. He didn’t water down His teaching because they left.

 

[SouthCatholic]

Ah… I see… he is in Ghana…

His arrogance is very familiar. Our current parish priest is from Ghana. We have gone from a Parish of about 500-700 worshippers per week down to about 150-175 per week. And collections of about $10,000 to $12,000 per week down to about $3,000 to $3,500 per week. If they don’t transfer him soon, our parish will close.

 

[StSentry83]

You would think this sort of thing would go without saying. It’s a shame that it even needs to be said.

I mean, who the heck goes into a Chinese restaurant and then complains that there are only Chinese foods on the menu? But for some reason, people think this is OK to do with Catholic schools. Why?

 

[benotagoat]

Shouldn’t he be trying to bring people back into the fold, rather than push them out or dare them to leave?

They still have not a clue on how to bring people to God . Rules and more rules ,never made a Christian . If they give the pupils a chance to discuss both the catechism and the bible together ,most will chose Jesus .But a man telling them they are bad and will be dismissed if they dare to question him, will bring the same results as in the past ,the Loss of Catholic students to the Church .

 

[zz912]

They still have not a clue on how to bring people to God . Rules and more rules ,never made a Christian . If they give the pupils a chance to discuss both the catechism and the bible together ,most will chose Jesus .But a man telling them they are bad and will be dismissed if they dare to question him, will bring the same results as in the past ,the Loss of Catholic students to the Church .

Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

 

[Pulvis]

Ah… I see… he is in Ghana…

His arrogance is very familiar. Our current parish priest is from Ghana. We have gone from a Parish of about 500-700 worshippers per week down to about 150-175 per week. And collections of about $10,000 to $12,000 per week down to about $3,000 to $3,500 per week. If they don’t transfer him soon, our parish will close.

Are the parishioners leaving because of arrogance, or because Father teaches/preaches the full faith without compromise? Not trying to be snippy, I am really curious.

 

[benotagoat]

So defending your beliefs and bringing people into the fold are mutually exclusive? I hardly think that’s true.

Exactly it is this attitude which left most people adrift ,and it is time that the catholic teachers did their job. To do that they need to be better educated and better at inspiring .

 

[Vasallus]

Shouldn’t he be trying to bring people back into the fold, rather than push them out or dare them to leave?

Not by trying to be all things to all people.
Not by giving in to secular pressure.

 

[Catholic_farmer]

Catholic schools should not be muzzled in regards to teaching their religion. The quote is harsh. We don’t know the context nor do we know the full message or the question asked. If I knew the context, perhaps it would make more sense. I strongly dislike sound bytes because they typically misrepresent the speaker. I would not assume anything because of the nationality of the bishop.

I think Catholic schools in the US are doing a great job teaching students to a higher standard than the public schools while encouraging morals and Catholic values. 20% of the students at our son’s school are not Catholic. Obviously, their parents appreciate Catholic values and don’t mind sending their children to a school that requires the kids to attend school mass and take classes in religion. I think it’s a nice testament to the reputation of Catholic schools. As was explained to me, the major difference between public schools and Catholic schools is in the mission. The public schools have a mission directed entirely by the government. As long as they meet the government standard, it doesn’t matter what the parents think. In general, the parents are treated as a nuisance by the administrators (but not necessarily by the good public school teachers).

Catholic schools see their mission as directed to the students and their families and based on Catholic values. They are, by nature, an extension of the mission of the parish that supports them and therefore, act as missionaries for the Catholic Church as a whole. We do not need to discourage anyone from attending these schools. Everyone is worthy of the grace of God.

 

[ProVobis]

We have gone from a Parish of about 500-700 worshippers per week down to about 150-175 per week. And collections of about $10,000 to $12,000 per week down to about $3,000 to $3,500 per week.

Situation has been worse than that in Europe for the past 30 some years.