Families not going to Mass... CCD classes good enough?

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prayer_man

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Hi, first of all I don’t believe that CCD / PREP classes can replace the attending of Mass; I’m a CCD / PREP class teacher for grades 5 and 6 and I’ve seen a troubling trend this year in the fact that the parents seem to think since the children go to CCD / PREP class weekly they don’t need to go to Mass. I’ve explained the importance of Mass to the children as well as the parents and not gotten very far.
In not getting through to the famillies does this make me a poor teacher and does any other teacher, Priest, Deacon… have any other ideas that I can tackle this issue. It is really troubling me and making it hard to see that I’m making a difference any longer.
Any thougts will be appreciated.
God Bless
 
Well, OF COURSE IT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!! :eek:

But it is not the child’s fault. The mortal sin falls upon the heads of the parents who are leading their own children astray.
It is really troubling me and making it hard to see that I’m making a difference any longer.
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But don’t beat up yourself. Keep up the good fight, remain the good example. You may never see it happen, but there may well come a time when your faithfulness makes the difference in a child’s life.

God bless you and all who volunteer their time and love to teach the faith to other people’s children. (It also serves as a wonderful example for your own children, if you have them, in doing so . . . )
 
Thank you IrishAm, It’s good to know that others feel the same. I’m trying lettwr home to the parents explaining once again that my teaching is only a help in the bringing of Jesus Christ to the children and that the biggest part of the job belongs to them. We’ll see how that goes… Have a great day.
 
I teach 3rd grade and find that many of our kids’ parents don’t take them to Mass regularly. It’s frustrating. Just do what you can do. Teach them about the Mass, why you LOVE going to Mass, and hopefully you’ll be planting some seeds. We can’t control their parents, but maybe we can be a good influence on their kids.
 
Hi aurora77,
I’m also a Minister of Communion and the week before Ash Wednesday I pretty much begged the childrens parents to come to Mass to receive the Ashes. It was heartening to see about 4-5 of the families make it to Mass. I was actually able to give the ashes to one of the families. Made my day to see them actually make it.
My other comment to the parents is that God gives us 24 hours a day so we can give him at least an hour back a week.

New subject: Being that we are both Catechists have you taught any of your classes how to say the Rosary yet? We are working on learning how to say it this week. The kids seem to be excited about bringing in their own Rosaries so I’m looking forward to the next class.
 
We’ve worked on the rosary some. With 8 and 9 year olds, keeping them still for the whole thing is an ordeal. Our CCD classes as a group have a “living rosary,” where a different kid is each bead. It’s done in our parish hall and takes about 30-45 minutes, but it’s a pretty cool deal. We made rosaries with our kids earlier in the year, and said the whole thing right after. We’ll do a decade with them now and then.

Our CCD classes are on Wednesday nights, so on Ash Wednesday we have Mass followed by class. As much as I love the idea of having Mass first, it makes class so challenging. Those kids were WIRED after sitting in school all day and then Mass. Fortunately, it was a shorter class; I divided them into two groups (it’s a small class, 5 kids), and we worked on a stations of the cross project. Barely controlled chaos, but lots of fun.
 
One of the basic precepts of the Church is that a person attend Mass every Sunday. CCD does not replace that requirement. However a child cannot drive themself to Church. The burden falls on the shoulders of the Parent.

Stillkickin 👍
 
We’ve always held CCD classes on Sunday morning right after 9:30 mass. In the past we had problems with parent’s dropping off their children for class and then the parents would go to 11:00 mass while the kids were in class.

This year, we have told the parents that CCD starts with 9:30 mass. This has helped a great deal.
 
I talked with my kids about the Ten Commandments and that we have an obligation to go to Mass and it’s a mortal sin to miss Mass without a serious reason.

We then talked about the requirements of sin including full knowledge and free will. Because they are too young to drive, if they ask to be taken to Mass and are refused then it’s not a sin because they are not freely choosing to miss Mass.

But, if they don’t ask to go to Mass… then they become culpable too. They should at least try prompt their parents.
 
Can I offer you a different perspective? (I don’t know how you answered but I’m going to anyway) 😃

I’m here as an adult (43) who has just returned to the Catholic Church. I just called the CCD folks today (as a matter of fact) to sign up my 13 yo daughter for confirmation and also work out how we can get her 1st communion done also, she was baptized in the RCC but I/we didn’t follow up on the rest of the sacraments of the RCC.

My background, Catholic Summer Camp from 9yo -11 yo. Parochial School 6-8th grade and through high school. Parents raised me RCC, went and still go to church every week (they are in their 80s). Even with all this training I know very little about my faith.

As I mentioned I’ve just returned to the RCC. My wife and I left the RCC 7 years ago and had been attending an Evangelical Church. After attending the Evangelical Church I learned about the faith and realized the RCC is the correct Church and have returned.

What’s my point? Many parents weren’t trained properly in the RCC faith (I’m guilty of this myself). One of the things I’ve recently found is a show called, “The One True Faith”. This show (and I’ve been listening to the podcasts) is incredible.

podcast.catholictelevision.org/totf.php

How about offering adult CCD and either showinfgthe DVDs of this show or presenting info like this for adults. I certainly don’t want to make more work for you but it may help. There are many MANY people just like me out there. mot of the Evangelical Churches around me are filled with former RC folks who know little or nothing of their faith…

One more thing, I’m not making excuses for myself, or anybody else, we’re adults and responsible for our own training etc. and raising our kids. I’ve been very fortunate over the last 6 or so months to have a drastic re-awakening toward the RCC. I pray daily that the folks that have a similar story to mine also have a similar awakening.

Just a thought…🤷
 
prayer_man said:
the fact that the parents seem to think since the children go to CCD / PREP class weekly they don’t need to go to Mass. I’ve explained the importance of Mass to the children as well as the parents and not gotten very far.
God Bless
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I taught in a Catholic school where less than half of my students went to Mass on Sundays. 😦 I also told my students they needed to attend Church on Sundays, and regularly added it to my school–home letters.
When I brought my concern up at a staff meeting, a co-worker said, “We can’t be telling the parents how they should raise their children.”
:bigyikes:
Oh, really? Isn’t that WHY they spend the big bucks to send their kids to Catholic schools?
 
How about offering adult CCD and either showinfg the DVDs of this show or presenting info like this for adults. I certainly don’t want to make more work for you but it may help. There are many MANY people just like me out there. mot of the Evangelical Churches around me are filled with former RC folks who know little or nothing of their faith…
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👍 I agree. There are so many who do not even know why they go to mass except that “they have to.”

:gopray2:
If people actually realized what the Mass was about, they’d be fighting each other just to get in the door every day. :bowdown:

We already have many resourses for adults to learn the faith- you did it whizkid. Look at our half-full churches on Sundays, the emptyness on Holy Days of obligation, and the participation in bible studies, holy hours, retreats, missions, etc.

If people want to learn and participate- it is there for them. They just have to take advantage of what they have.
 
we tell the parents, if you only have time for one thing on the weekend, Mass is mandatory, drop CCD.

we also tell them if your child is not attending Sunday Mass, he is NOT a candidate for first communion or confirmation.

we also spend 5 weeks at every grade level every year, not just sacramental classes, going deeply into the Mass and Eucharist. Mass attendance has improved slowly but steadily over the years, and I am seeing the fruits in this year’s confirmation class, who does have better participation and appreciation of the Mass. The parents are another story. I believe the marriage situation and the Mass attendance situation are related, since fewer couples get married in the Church, or stay in intact marriages, the desire for the sacraments and Mass dips accordingly.

only half the children enrolled in CCD live in intact families with both birth parents, who are married in the Church. May be even less than that.

i know more education on the Eucharist is always recommended, but I believe–and suggested to Bishop who is working systematically in improving sacramental education across the Diocese–that marriage is the topic that needs to be addressed in a formal way from the top down.
 
This has been a BIG issue at my parish. Beginning last year we started making the students turn in mass slips each week signed by their parents showing which mass they attended that week.

If they fail to show enough evidence of attending mass throughout the year they don’t pass to the next grade. Period.

It’s had some success, but you have to enforce it.
 
Enoch said:
This has been a BIG issue at my parish. Beginning last year we started making the students turn in mass slips each week signed by their parents showing which mass they attended that week.

If.
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this is specifically prohibitted by particular law of this diocese.
 
puzzleannie said:
this is specifically prohibitted by particular law of this diocese.
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A law specifically stating that you cannot require mass attendance as part of formal religious formation? :confused:

I’m in a very liberal diocese, and I’ve never heard of that here. If it is on the books of our diocese, we’ve never been told it, and personally, I’m not going to look for it.😉

Sounds like a law needs to be changed.
 
graceandglory said:
I taught in a Catholic school where less than half of my students went to Mass on Sundays. 😦 I also told my students they needed to attend Church on Sundays, and regularly added it to my school–home letters.
When I brought my concern up at a staff meeting, a co-worker said, “We can’t be telling the parents how they should raise their children.”
:bigyikes:
Oh, really? Isn’t that WHY they spend the big bucks to send their kids to Catholic schools?
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The best idea I’ve heard is what my home town parish does… families who send their children to the school are required to attend Mass as a family on Sunday. If they do not, they get a phone call from the pastor. They are eventually asked to withdraw from the school if they don’t attend Mass… to open the slot for a family who does attend Mass.

Families attend Mass and drop their envelope in the collection basket. This is how the pastor keeps up with Mass attendance. He made it clear that he doesn’t care if the envelope is empty - it’s not about the money. It’s about being there.

I think it’s a great idea. I think it could be modified somehow for CCD kids… puzzleannie had a good one: if you don’t attend Mass you are NOT a candidate for the sacraments. They could also do the collection envelope thing.

This same pastor has been on a mission ever since he took over that parish to raise money for an endowment fund for Catholic education. He maintains that every Catholic child in his parish should have a Catholic education and tuition should not be an issue. He has raised almost $500,000 so far.
 
Our parish started something like this at the beginning of this year. All the school families were sent letters last fall stating that if they were not attending mass on Sunday’s they would no longer be considered active parishioners and their children would no longer be eligible for the reduced tuition rate.

Attendance at the weekend liturgies has sky-rocketed.
 
This same pastor has been on a mission ever since he took over that parish to raise money for an endowment fund for Catholic education. He maintains that every Catholic child in his parish should have a Catholic education and tuition should not be an issue. He has raised almost $500,000 so far.
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Where do I sign up? My oldest just started this school year and even sending her is a sacrafice. Can’t imagine how it will be when #2, 3 go as well.
 
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