Child appears misinformed about Mass and Communion - by Catholic teachers!

[Rose71]

My brother attends Mass with his child (his wife is not a Catholic) and they meet up with me and my parents there and chat afterwards. Recently, the child had been restless during Mass and has complained about it being ‘boring’ and ‘not much point’. At 10 years old, and having recently made his First Holy Communion, Confession and Confirmation, we assumed he would have a pretty solid grounding from his school (the school is a Church School - for those in the US, that’s a state-funded school that is allowed to call itself a RC school, give priority to Catholic pupils and promote the Catholic faith) and his father.

On Sunday, he announced that going to Mass wasn’t really important, because people could be very full of themselves and act very holy during Mass, but go away and be evil and nasty during the week.

I agreed with him that, yes, people could behave that way, but that was their mistake and it certainly did not mean that attending Mass meant they were somehow absolved from being good the rest of the week. I also pointed out that during Mass, one has the opportunity to take part and listen to the readings and the Gospel and the sermon, and use the time to talk to God and most importantly, receive Holy Communion.

He disagreed with me - saying that his teachers at school had told him that going to Mass wasn’t “really the most important thing” as long as you were good outside church and that Holy Communion didn’t really matter in that case!

I reminded him that Holy Communion is the body and blood of Christ and it’s our chance to grow closer to God by receiving Him…

To which he replied, “No! It only represents the body and blood. It’s still only really bread and wine.”

He also claims that this is what his teachers at school taught the class!

Of course, any 10 year old child can have a bit of a mischief in him and pull their family’s leg once in a while - but I am pretty sure he was absolutely serious in what he said. I spoke to his father a little later and he was pretty shocked too and said he’d no idea that’s what he’d been taught either.

I’m really disappointed, because he’s attended Mass from being a baby and my brother and my mother and me have often encouraged him to read the basic ‘what happens at Mass’ type books when he was younger, during the service. It seems as though the Catholic school is undermining this…or he’s just telling what he thinks are a few white lies, to justify his newly acquired ‘Mass is boring’ beliefs.

If he’s telling the truth though - have I the right to bring it up with the school or not? I am not his parent, but the school is linked to the church and (God willing) if my DH and I are blessed with children it is where we would have hoped to send them.

 

[1ke]

I am not sure of the laws where you live, but here in the US in public schools we as tax payers are certainly free to inquire at the school and review curriculum, talk to teachers, etc, and bring any problems to the appropriate person (principal, superintendent, school board). In a parish school, the appropriate person to go to would be the pastor. Not sure how that equates where you are, but certainly you should go to the school and inquire if you are concerned. They should have no problem sharing what they teach.

 

[Joe_5859]

I would say that it really rests more with your brother to follow up on this. Parents need to talk about these things with their children and not just assume that the Catholic school (or parish program) is taking care of it for them.

 

[Rose71]

Agreed, Joe, but the point is that my brother and other members of the extended family have explained the Mass to the child, but this has been undermined (apparently) by his teachers and he is now trying to explain to us why we’ve got it wrong!

Whichever way you look at it, it’s put a child in a situation where what his teachers are telling him (or how he has understood it) is at odds with what his family are trying to teach him.

 

[henpecked]

I went to Catholic school from kindergarten through High School. The core of my Catholic education came from my mother. That said, though, back in the late 60s when I was in early school years, nuns taught a lot of the classes including religion and that’s back when girls still wore veils and we were taught some fundamental things about Mass and Communion. Into the 70s - gee, when Vatican II was taking full hold - things went wild in Catholic education. So I am not surprised at what you say. The burden for educating the children in the faith falls on the parents now more than ever.

and, my mother paid dearly for our educations and she was not shy about voicing her opinion to the school administration.

 

[phil19034]

I would like to make the following points and offer the following suggestions:

Points:

1. Catholic Education is the responsibility of the parents and God parents (and to a degree, the family). CCD and other Child Faith Formation programs assume that the children are receiving education at home. The Child Faith Formation programs are designed to enhance the child’s religious education (kind of like a Lab class for a college science course). Your brother and the child’s god parents need to teach the child. Also, perhaps, you could help your nephew, if you are willing and his parents are willing to allow you.
2. in some areas, it’s not uncommon for Protestants to teach non-religion courses (math, science, etc) at Catholic Schools when there is a short supply of Catholic teachers. They are supposed to refrain from teaching protestant ideas, but sometimes they still do for whatever reason.

suggestions:

1. talk to your brother about this and have him schedule a meeting with the parish priest
2. the meeting with the priest should have two goals: (a) to report on the possible false teachings from the teacher and (b) so the priest can one-on-one correct the errors taught to your nephew. If he hears it from the priest, he may then realize that he is wrong.

 

[Jack007]

i think you should talk to the child’s father and lso try to inquire whether he was really taught this. you can ask if you want help defending transubstantiation,real presence or importance of the mass. and you can make a thread about this in the prayer intentions forum and let us all know.

 

[JimG]

I went to Catholic school from kindergarten through High School. The core of my Catholic education came from my mother. That said, though, back in the late 60s when I was in early school years, nuns taught a lot of the classes including religion and that’s back when girls still wore veils and we were taught some fundamental things about Mass and Communion. Into the 70s - gee, when Vatican II was taking full hold - things went wild in Catholic education. So I am not surprised at what you say. The burden for educating the children in the faith falls on the parents now more than ever.

and, my mother paid dearly for our educations and she was not shy about voicing her opinion to the school administration.

Things did go wild in Catholic education for awhile. I know of a good bishop who told of his own Catholic education; he said he did not really know one bit of Catholic doctrine until he got to seminary! But he did learn how to draw pictures and sing happy songs. So education in true Catholic teaching suffered. In most places–certainly in the dioceses with which I am familiar, it has recovered. The Catholic elementary school students around here could teach many adults a great deal about doctrine, and they love the teaching.

But apparently, in some places, it hasn’t recovered. Perhaps that is the case in the school the O.P. is talking about.

I’m wondering if anyone ever taught the 10 year old who has received his 1st communion, confirmation, and confession, that deliberately missing Mass on Sunday is a mortal sin.

 

[Phemie]

If the OP is in Canada, the Catholic schools (in those provinces that still have a Catholic school system) are not associated with a particular parish, so approaching the Pastor is a no-go. I know that when my kids were in Catholic schools, Religion was just another subject taught by the teacher along with Math, English & Social Studies, a subject they taught because they had to, not necessarily because they believed any of it.

Not surprising really, when you find that in a parish baptismal preparation the parents are being taught, by a Sister of Mercy, no less, that it’s really not important to go to Mass and that we all have to compromise sometimes.

 

[Book_Worm]

Honestly, I’d take what he claims to have been taught with a grain of salt. Kids often don’t pay attention and also misconstrue what they hear.

I taught a lesson on Adam and Eve and the Fall to my first-grade CCD class. Straight out of the book, no embellishments. The following week a mother asked me what on earth the previous lesson was about because her DS had come home with a rather interesting story about Jeremy and Laura. This was one of the few kids who attends Mass and has a basic knowledge of his religion. We had a very good laugh over his interpretation.

First, I’d have a look at his texts and then I’d have a conversation with his teacher.

 

[pianistclare]

Honestly, I’d take what he claims to have been taught with a grain of salt. Kids often don’t pay attention and also misconstrue what they hear.

I taught a lesson on Adam and Eve and the Fall to my first-grade CCD class. Straight out of the book, no embellishments. The following week a mother asked me what on earth the previous lesson was about because her DS had come home with a rather interesting story about Jeremy and Laura. This was one of the few kids who attends Mass and has a basic knowledge of his religion. We had a very good laugh over his interpretation.

First, I’d have a look at his texts and then I’d have a conversation with his teacher.

This^^^.
Find out what was rally said. A lot of this comes from their PEERS. Peers who are not churched, and whose parents have already indoctrinated them (you should pardon the expression) into believing that one can do very well without ever stepping foot in a church. He could have gotten this from a number of sources. But yeah, DO have your son investigate.

 

[Winter_Warlock_1]

Rose,

For Catholic Schools, I am under the impression that – you do not need to be Catholic to teach at them. They do have a “morals clause” or something as such when they are employed. So it could be that this teacher is not Catholic and is giving his / her opinion and passing it off as School doctrine.

As one poster stated bring this up to your brother and suggest that he contact the school and ask them about the teacher and what they are teaching.

I pray that God grants you peace and happiness.

Winter

 

[Neofight]

I am not sure of the laws where you live, but here in the US in public schools we as tax payers are certainly free to inquire at the school and review curriculum, talk to teachers, etc, and bring any problems to the appropriate person (principal, superintendent, school board). In a parish school, the appropriate person to go to would be the pastor. Not sure how that equates where you are, but certainly you should go to the school and inquire if you are concerned. They should have no problem sharing what they teach.

Yes by all means take it up with the school. But start with the teachers, then the administration, and if you are not satisfied only then approach the pastor. Going directly to the pastor is like going to the Bishop over a concern that has not been raised with the parish priest/pastor first.