Can parents homeschool their children for the sacraments?

[cmomstall3]

I would like to know if children are required to attend CCD classes sponsored by the local parishes in preparation for the sacraments. In particular, I am interested in knowing if homeschooling of the subject matter is acceptable according to Church law. I have found over the years that my children are receptive to the instruction they receive at home, and they seem to learn more here than they do during our parish classes. What options, if any, do parents have?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

The Church does not forbid parents from homeschooling their children to prepare them for first confession, first Communion, and confirmation. It recognizes and supports the parents’ authority as primary educators of their children. That said, parents should keep in mind some important issues:

• To be primary educator does not mean that one is the sole educator. Particularly when it comes to a Catholic’s relationship with his local parish and diocese, the pastor and bishop have important teaching roles in the Catholic’s life. This means that the pastor and bishop have an important role to play in the education of children for the sacraments, and parents need to respect that.
• Pastors have a responsibility to ensure that those children receiving the sacraments in their parish have been adequately prepared through appropriate religious education. They have to have some way to assess that the children are ready for the sacraments they are about to receive.
• Catholics need to be involved in their local parishes – not just attending Mass, but participating in the life of the parish in a manner appropriate to their state in life. If parents are doing “homeschool CCD,” then they run the risk of isolating their children from parish life in an unhealthy way. This doesn’t mean that the only way for children to be involved in their parish is to attend CCD; it only means that parents who homeschool for sacramental prep need to make a concerted effort to involve themselves and their children in the life of the parish in other ways (e.g., altar service, parish ministries, scouting groups, parish events, etc.).
• Parents need to realize that one of their most important jobs as parents is to teach their children how to interact respectfully and appropriately with other people – particularly those who hold positions of authority in their world. While I am not saying that homeschooling parents don’t do this – they do – I am saying there may be a temptation for homeschoolers to inadvertently undermine the authority of the pastor and the religious educators he delegates by not supporting the religious education programs in the parish. Again, this doesn’t mean that parents can’t homeschool; only that they should make a special effort to involve pastors and DREs in their child’s religious education (e.g., “What a great question, Johnny! Why don’t we call Father [or Sister, or Ms. DRE] and ask them for help in finding the answer?”)

In short, homeschooling for the sacraments is possible, but it should be done in a spirit of cooperation with the parish and the diocese in which you reside. Discuss it with your pastor, call the diocese for educational guidelines if necessary, and be open to whatever suggestions for parish involvement or continuing adult religious education for you that they might offer.

Recommended reading:

[Homeschooling Is Not a Crime (http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0312fea2.asp) by Jimmy Akin