A concern about Catholic schools

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**A concern about Catholic schools.

Hello all,
I have had many friends who have gone through both Catholic middle and high schools, and it seems that even though they are good Catholics when they enter they always leave school hating the church and everything about God.

And almost everyone I know who has gone through one is fallen now…

But now I also know many Catholic’s who have been through a general public school and are better Catholics by the time they are out…

It seems to me, and I have asked many others that Catholic schools are some how destroying people’s faiths… perhaps not through the teachers fault but perhaps; I wish to say this without you thinking I am crazy, but the lingering of evil?

It seems to me that Satan seems to… prey on those who go in to Catholic schools.

Has anyone else noticed such a thing?

It concerns me that people try and get their children a good Catholic education and they end up worse off by the time they’re out… **
 
I think it is impossible to make such a global generalization about all graduates of all Catholic schools based on personal experience and observation. Studies have been done many times on Catholic schools in all aspects, academic as well as faith and practice of graduates, which are probably more reliable.
 
I don’t think there is a fair way to assess your premise, perhaps some parents that send their children to Catholic schools think that the kids are not needing parental involvement? My kids are going/have gone to Catholic schools, we are very involved in their education and catechesis… but I know others who aren’t. But then, my own sis admits they haven’t been to mass since her kids were confirmed:( and they go to public school. I think it is more about the current attitudes about our responsibilities as parents.
 
Some parents send their children to Catholic schools due to the reputation for discipline. Such students arrive with a handicap, as they are disciplinary problems already. For other students, this is their only catechesis. Mass at school ends up being the only time they attend. This breeds weakness in faith, and you know who senses weakness-then attacks! You mentioned the proof of this.

Students arriving with a strong faith and a good catechesis based on a faith life at home have a much higher chance of remaining faithful. They had a solid foundation to begin with. The role of parent is of paramount importance.

Christ’s peace.
 
I sympathize! There are some not very good Catholic schools around here. I really think it’s worse when a Catholic school is teaching bad things than when a public school does. At least at the public school you can teach your kids to be on their toes! But at a Catholic school it’s easier to assume everything is okay unless you really know your stuff. :o

I agree with some of the other people here that you have to stay on top of everything regardless, but there are some good Catholic schools out there. Around me, it’s 2 out of 6 or 7, but at least there are two!
 
Are we talking about “good” Catholic schools? I’ll never be convinced that the way for someone to learn something is to not teach it to them.

I think around here people want it to be true. We have a very good, faithful Catholic school here and it’s not very expensive. By the time our family was done deducting the foundation grant and the tuition rebate money, our bill for 6 children in preschool through 6th grade is about $1400. But not a lot of Catholic families send their kids to the school. Even a penny is too much. And the congregation is not supportive because it “costs too much”. A lot of people I know use what you’re saying as an excuse.
 
IMHO Catholic schools are a place where we should feel confident that what we teach our children at home is consistent with what they are taught in school. Many public schools teach things that are contrary to Catholic teaching. For grade school anyway, Catholic schools are a great supplement to our faith.

I think the problem comes in when parents assume that the Catholic school is teaching them all they need to know and fail to teach the children the faith in the home.

Perhaps, parents who send their children to public school are more aware of the danger of false teachings that their children are exposed to and thus reinforce the teachings in the home more.
 
Well my daughter went to catholic school till 7th grade, and she loves her faith, shes married now and still goes to mass. I think it depends on the school, and the teachers. Plus theres alot of parents who don’t participate in after school events , or go to mass. I never seen the parents at hardly any mass that i can remember.
 
My oldest just started Catholic School, we will all be Catholic this coming Easter.

I really think all of this has to do with the parents…
 
Stylteralmaldo said:
IMHO Catholic schools are a place where we should feel confident that what we teach our children at home is consistent with what they are taught in school. Many public schools teach things that are contrary to Catholic teaching. For grade school anyway, Catholic schools are a great supplement to our faith.

I think the problem comes in when parents assume that the Catholic school is teaching them all they need to know and fail to teach the children the faith in the home.

Perhaps, parents who send their children to public school are more aware of the danger of false teachings that their children are exposed to and thus reinforce the teachings in the home more.
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Amen. Some of my daughter’s Catholic friends at school do not attend mass and experience little to no faith experience at home. The school is not a seminary! Faith and discipline, like love and the other virtues, must come from the child’s first teachers at home, and be nearly as natural as breathing. It is unfortunate indeed, that Catholic schools are sometimes viewed as a “fix” for problem children.

The blessing is that the children who are not faithful are exposed to those who are. On the other hand…

Christ’ peace to all.
 
You must start off very young to take them to mass, if parents are going then children will follow.
 
AndrewA said:
**A concern about Catholic schools.

Hello all,
I have had many friends who have gone through both Catholic middle and high schools, and it seems that even though they are good Catholics when they enter they always leave school hating the church and everything about God.

And almost everyone I know who has gone through one is fallen now…

But now I also know many Catholic’s who have been through a general public school and are better Catholics by the time they are out…

It seems to me, and I have asked many others that Catholic schools are some how destroying people’s faiths… perhaps not through the teachers fault but perhaps; I wish to say this without you thinking I am crazy, but the lingering of evil?

It seems to me that Satan seems to… prey on those who go in to Catholic schools.

Has anyone else noticed such a thing?

It concerns me that people try and get their children a good Catholic education and they end up worse off by the time they’re out… **
Click to expand...
Every single one of the people that I know (around 30) who went to Catholic school are now Atheist or non religious…including almost a dozen who I haven’t met through the Freethinker’s Alliance here at MSU. Over half of the Freethinker’s Alliance were raised to be Catholic and most went to Catholic school. I find the apparent coorelation to be interesting. I only know two Catholics who didn’t didn’t go to catholic school though so I can’t really make much of a comparison between the two.
 
My husband went to Catholic school, elementary through high school. He is a faithful Catholic today. I am a public school grad and a convert, now teaching at a Catholic school where many of our parents bring their kids because they came here themselves, and now are raising strong Catholic families. Many of the teachers I work with are strong Catholics who went to Catholic schools themselves. I’ve been privileged to witness families from our school convert to the faith, or come back home to the faith. I don’t think the OP’s generalization would hold up to a scientific survey.
 
This is something I have seen too, particularly where catholic schools are part a greater secular system, like in Belgium or the U.K. I think that when Catholicism is presented in the way that it is, through regular classes. Many students grow disdain to it just like any of there other classes.
I see this as something that is unavoidable to a degree, especially with how liberal some schools are. Many schools also do a terrible job at teaching, which leads to people leaving because of ignorance.
 
Hi everyone,

I have a very big concern regarding Catholic schools. My kids have been to one Catholic school for a year and a half, public schooled, Catholic home-schooled (awesome) and are no entering into another Catholic school. The problem is, the schools who claim they are Catholic, really are not. They are not obedient to the Magisterium. Both of these schools I am speaking of are not. I have even heard it straight from the horse’s mouth…so to speak. The only reason my kids are going to another Catholic school is because a) I am very sick and cannot homeschool them any longer b) the school is smaller than a public school and I feel there would be less chance of physical/moral/spiritual damage that they may encounter. Question: who allows these so-called Catholic schools to be called Catholic, when actually they are not? What do our Bishops do about this/why do they allow this?

Any info would be very much appreciated.

mom4truth
 
My first Catholic school was excellent when it came to teaching the Faith loyally when it came to being in agreement with the Pope and the teachings of the Church.

Then my family moved. One day after I came home and repeated a watered-down Liberal relativist saying that I had been taught at my new Catholic school, mom asked to see my religion textbook. Immediately on seeing the weakness of the textbook, she removed my sister and I from the “Catholic” school, placed us both in public school, and homeschooled us in the Catholic faith.

When it came time for the Nun to test my sister and I for Confirmation, we were told that we were the most knowledgeable in the Catholic faith out of the whole city … The credit goes straight to my mother who had taught us.

When the Liberal who had been running that particular school retired, mom placed my brother and youngest sister back in the Catholic school system.

It’s all in who is running the school … the sheep, or the wolves in sheep’s clothing.

~~ the phoenix
 
This thread makes me so sad! I have been very blessed to be part of two Catholic communities - one up north where I lived many years, and one down south where I currently live and teach, and both have very strong, faithful Catholic schools. Please don’t give up on all of them, but I do understand why you would not want to place in your children in such spiritual danger as to allow them to attend schools that were not being faithful to their mission.
 
Hi Gwenred,

I happy that your Catholic schools were truly Catholic. I wish I could have the same experience for my children. Our asst. pastor told me the other day that “things” were changing, regarding this, and to keep praying. Well, I’ve been pray a LONG time. God can sure take His time, or else His people don’t want to hear the truth.

mom4truth:(
 
mom4truth said:
Hi everyone,

I have a very big concern regarding Catholic schools. My kids have been to one Catholic school for a year and a half, public schooled, Catholic home-schooled (awesome) and are no entering into another Catholic school. The problem is, the schools who claim they are Catholic, really are not. They are not obedient to the Magisterium. Both of these schools I am speaking of are not. I have even heard it straight from the horse’s mouth…so to speak. The only reason my kids are going to another Catholic school is because a) I am very sick and cannot homeschool them any longer b) the school is smaller than a public school and I feel there would be less chance of physical/moral/spiritual damage that they may encounter. Question: who allows these so-called Catholic schools to be called Catholic, when actually they are not? What do our Bishops do about this/why do they allow this?

Any info would be very much appreciated.

mom4truth
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I would say the local Diocese would set the standards…I would think.

I’m very new at this whole school thing, even Catholic school as well, I’ve homeschooled until this year … so we are only three weeks into the school year in the Catholic School.

Do you mind PMing me or you can post here if you want, what concerns I should keep my eyes open for? I know that Catholic teachers are required to teach religion in my son’s school. They have Mass every week. etc…
 
mom4truth said:
Hi everyone,

I have a very big concern regarding Catholic schools. My kids have been to one Catholic school for a year and a half, public schooled, Catholic home-schooled (awesome) and are no entering into another Catholic school. The problem is, the schools who claim they are Catholic, really are not. They are not obedient to the Magisterium. Both of these schools I am speaking of are not. I have even heard it straight from the horse’s mouth…so to speak. The only reason my kids are going to another Catholic school is because a) I am very sick and cannot homeschool them any longer b) the school is smaller than a public school and I feel there would be less chance of physical/moral/spiritual damage that they may encounter. Question: who allows these so-called Catholic schools to be called Catholic, when actually they are not? What do our Bishops do about this/why do they allow this?

Any info would be very much appreciated.

mom4truth
Click to expand...
If it’s private Catholic, you’re out of luck. If associated with a diocese, the Bishop is your sounding board.

Christ’s peace.
 
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