Friends/Muslim

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scc11

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Hi Guys,
I have a few friends who are Muslim. I just found out that when they were younger they lived in NY and went to a Catholic school. According to the oldest they were baptized and confirmed and as a result they received the Eucharist. She stated that two of her sisters used to “steal the bread.”
Being a Catholic, I was very taken aback by this and though I should’ve yelled that wasn’t right or something to be messed with I didn’t.
The only reason they were baptized and confirmed is because they went to that school, which I dont understand because they are Muslim.
Anyway, how will this pan out for them? They are practicing Muslims not Catholics but they were baptized?
I am still angry about the situation.
 
scc11 said:
Hi Guys,
I have a few friends who are Muslim. I just found out that when they were younger they lived in NY and went to a Catholic school. According to the oldest they were baptized and confirmed and as a result they received the Eucharist. She stated that two of her sisters used to “steal the bread.”
Being a Catholic, I was very taken aback by this and though I should’ve yelled that wasn’t right or something to be messed with I didn’t.
The only reason they were baptized and confirmed is because they went to that school, which I dont understand because they are Muslim.
Anyway, how will this pan out for them? They are practicing Muslims not Catholics but they were baptized?
I am still angry about the situation.
Click to expand...
Very odd. First, don’t get too upset, because any bread they would have had access to would not have been consecrated - thus it was only unleavened bread. As to the whole baptism thing, that would not have happened unless they were converting. Sounds like they’re jerking your chain.
 
It will pan out well for them. They are children, or they were children when all this was going on. Some adults did an injustice to their view of the Catholic religion. Children at school have no choice but to go along with what happens at school. They don’t understand things at that young age. The Good God will not hold any of this against these kids. Hopefully they will worship God as Muslims, and respond to graces to seek out the fullness of God’s teachings in the Catholic religion.
 
scc11 said:
Hi Guys,
I have a few friends who are Muslim. I just found out that when they were younger they lived in NY and went to a Catholic school. According to the oldest they were baptized and confirmed and as a result they received the Eucharist. She stated that two of her sisters used to “steal the bread.”
Being a Catholic, I was very taken aback by this and though I should’ve yelled that wasn’t right or something to be messed with I didn’t.
The only reason they were baptized and confirmed is because they went to that school, which I dont understand because they are Muslim.
Anyway, how will this pan out for them? They are practicing Muslims not Catholics but they were baptized?
I am still angry about the situation.
Click to expand...
Here in NYC the public school situation is abysmal. I expect this was quite few number of years ago. My niece and nephew both attended Catholic elementary and H.S. In both cases, Hindus and Muslims attended. They are now 19 and 23 so I would ask when this occured?

My nephew just graduated with a number of Indians, some who were Catholic and some not because it is an old and prestigious Catholic H.S. with excellent programs. They were not now required to convert. When Catholic religion was studied, the Catechism, the Muslim and Hindu students attended a different class – more of a comparative religion class, geared to age, rather than the Specifics of Catholicism or some other study. When First Holy Communion and penance was being prepared for, those students were accomodated in some other kind of class, but not in preparation of the sacraments.

It’s in the past. Depending on their age at the time, I don’t see their culpability. Forcing them to be Baptised and receive the sacraments was contrary to their familial faith and they were still under the guidance of their parents. The parents likely sent them to Catholic school in order to get an education that was based upon discipline and study and where they would not be victimized in the morass of the public school system.

The Church should not have Baptized and had the children receive sacraments without the full acquience and understanding of the parents to continue to reinforce the Catholic faith at home – something impossible to monitor.

However, I know that in the case of the schools my niece and nephew attended, there was no forced Baptisms and receiving of sacraments for those who were not Catholic. Whatever happened, it does not happen any longer.
 
That is very odd. You don’t say anything about a “forced” Baptism so it’s a big jump to conclude that their Baptisms were forced. I can’t see anyone in the Church forcing anyone to do anything in the last 50 or 60 years. Is it possible that they just slipped in under the radar and went along with everyone else? I think it’s more likely that they or their parents were asked if they wanted them to be Baptised and Confirmed and without realizing what was involved or expected they just said “Yes”, thinking it was another thing that one just did.
I would think you have an opportunity to do a little evangelizing and ask them if they would like to know more about the Faith they were baptised into and what the “Bread” means to Catholics. At least you could share your reaction to what they told you. ie “Remember when you told me that …” and get a dialogue going. I’ve begun to realize more and more that we should seize every opportunity to share the Good News. I know I’ve missed lots of opportunity because I was not prepared, only realized later what I could have said. I’ve found that learning more about the Faith myself has made me more ready to take up opportunities and not let them pass. We have to learn to eat, sleep and breathe our Faith, and as St. Paul says: “Be Ambassadors for Christ.” No sleeping on the job!
 
AuroraB said:
That is very odd. You don’t say anything about a “forced” Baptism so it’s a big jump to conclude that their Baptisms were forced. I can’t see anyone in the Church forcing anyone to do anything in the last 50 or 60 years. Is it possible that they just slipped in under the radar and went along with everyone else? I think it’s more likely that they or their parents were asked if they wanted them to be Baptised and Confirmed and without realizing what was involved or expected they just said “Yes”, thinking it was another thing that one just did.
I would think you have an opportunity to do a little evangelizing and ask them if they would like to know more about the Faith they were baptised into and what the “Bread” means to Catholics. At least you could share your reaction to what they told you. ie “Remember when you told me that …” and get a dialogue going. I’ve begun to realize more and more that we should seize every opportunity to share the Good News. I know I’ve missed lots of opportunity because I was not prepared, only realized later what I could have said. I’ve found that learning more about the Faith myself has made me more ready to take up opportunities and not let them pass. We have to learn to eat, sleep and breathe our Faith, and as St. Paul says: “Be Ambassadors for Christ.” No sleeping on the job!
Click to expand...
Sorry, I may have used the word force wrongly here. I did not mean force as strongly it may seem. However, from what he describes they were Baptised, received the Eucharist and Confirmed with little real preparation and understanding. So, my “force” might mean just that – being taken along with the rest of the class with little concern or thought to the real reason why they were placed in Catholic school, because all the non-Catholic and non-Christian families who placed their children in Catholic school here did so for the education and to avoid the public school system. And did the parents agree to these preparations to receive the sacraments – because all require parental participation? The parents would be at the Baptism, select Godparents, and the Confirmation requires a sponsor that the child can choose that someone slips under the radar and receives 3 sacraments without being fully prepared. Even a small child can tell the parents that they are preparing for Baptism, though I can’t believe the Church was not already in contact with the parents for each sacrament.

I honestly don’t see how it could happen.
 
I wouldquestion their memories of what actually happened. I doubt that in the past 20 years, a school in NYC would have mistakenly baptised a school-aged child without their parent’s consent. And parental consent would include meetings with the priest, paperwork, etc.

They may have indeed participated in school Masses and mistakenly received the Eucharist, but I doubt the bishop just called up every child to be confirmed without the proper paperwork and procedures.

However, if a child were baptised accidentally, while it would still be a valid baptism, the church does understand if the child is then not rasied as a Catholic - how could he be?

Continue talking to your friends about your faith, who knows when or which of your words may penetrate their hearts.
 
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