Voters Get Revenge on Anti-Christmas Educrat

[mlchance]

ByzCath:

A Nativity scene in an elementary school’s Christmas program is not a ceremony.

Not, it isn’t. It also bear repeating, with emphasis: The particular holiday in question is Christmas. Ignoring the fact the Christmas is a holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth is dishonest.

– Mark L. Chance.

 

[fix]

bapcathluth:

So, are we going to have Buddhist ceremonies, Jewish ceremonies, Hindu, and Islamic ceremonies as well? Why should your religion be more important than theirs? I live in an area with a lot of educated high-tech workers from all over the world. Our school is very diverse, and it would be unfair to all the other religions.

Because there is only one Truth. All religions are not equal.

 

[HagiaSophia]

vern humphrey:

If we’re serious about the “Social Issues” (you know, the ones that Catholics use as an excuse to vote for pro-abortion politicians), WHERE ARE OUR SCHOOLS?

A few years ago I attended a seminar held by our Diocesan Head of Education. He said then that in time to come there will be no elementary or high schools attached to parishes. Parishes with schools have a great deal more expense and liability with those schools and with smaller families, lack of participating, escalating costs, the only Catholic education left would be higher education.

 

[vern_humphrey]

HagiaSophia:

A few years ago I attended a seminar held by our Diocesan Head of Education. He said then that in time to come there will be no elementary or high schools attached to parishes. Parishes with schools have a great deal more expense and liability with those schools and with smaller families, lack of participating, escalating costs, the only Catholic education left would be higher education.

I take it your Diocesan Head of Education has never read the Parable of the Talents.http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon9.gif

We don’t have the option of throwing the talents away – what the Master has given us we must safeguard and increase.

 

[Jeffrey]

I wholeheartily disagree…nothing wrong with having Christ in Christmas. Thats too bad you don’t like to Christ in Christmas.

bapcathluth:

I don’t think a manger scene belongs in a public school’s elementary play. My children go to a very diverse school, and I think that this would be very inappropriate. I also don’t think we need a play showing Allah flying up to heaven.

This is a public school, not a religious school. I am a Christian and I disagree with this.

 

[bapcathluth]

fix:

Because there is only one Truth. All religions are not equal.

You are certainly free to think this. But the public school isn’t the place to announce it. I know plenty of protestants who think your religion is the wrong one. I don’t think you would appreciate it if Seventh Day Adventists suddenly took over the public schools.

 

[rlg94086]

bapcathluth:

You are certainly free to think this. But the public school isn’t the place to announce it. I know plenty of protestants who think your religion is the wrong one. I don’t think you would appreciate it if Seventh Day Adventists suddenly took over the public schools.

Peace Bap,

Please see item number 3) of my post on the similar thread:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=365640&postcount=19

As long as the Seventh Day Adventists (or Buddhists, etc.) were the majority and they made positive affirmations (no anti-Catholicism please), then I’d be fine.

Just as I would not make a big stink if I lived in Taiwan and something Buddhist was displayed in school, I don’t expect people in a predominantly Christian country to make a big stink. This is common sense! One of my favorite talk show hosts, Michael Medved, is an observant Jew (Orthodox or Conservative…I’m not sure) and talks about this all the time. He is happy he is in a Christian country and is never offended by positive displays of Faith.

Merry Christmas,

Robert.

Hey! Why no Christmas smiley?

 

[bengal_fan]

tgdanne:

Many Catholics have deserted their Catholic schools, but we need them as much as ever. Please support and use your Catholic schools!

maybe if they weren’t so unbelievably expensive more people could use them. just a thought, if you lower the price and allow more people to afford it, you would make up the money lost in the number of new students you would receive. i know it might not always work that way, but if the church is serious about catholics sending their kids to the catholic school, they need to take some drastic steps in making it affordable.

 

[mlchance]

bengal_fan:

maybe if they weren’t so unbelievably expensive more people could use them.

Most Catholic schools aren’t unbelievably expensive. In terms of private education, they remain among the most affordable in the nation.

If people want Catholic school tuition to decrease, here are four things they can do:

1. Actually open up their wallets and contribute to the Church regularly the way they are supposed to. The primary reason many parishes operate in the red is because parish members refuse to meet their financial obligations to the parish.
2. Enroll more children in Catholic schools. A Catholic school’s budget is calculated based on the cost per child. The more children in a school, the lower the cost per child.
3. Increase private donations to Catholic schools for tuition assistance.
4. Vigorously lobby state legislators to approve school voucher programs to be used for tuition assistance. Since the Supreme Court itself has said such programs are constitutional, there is no legal reason they cannot be put into place.

Here’s one thing not to do: Sit around whining about how expensive things are and demanding that the schools do something about it.

– Mark L. Chance.

 

[HagiaSophia]

vern humphrey:

I take it your Diocesan Head of Education has never read the Parable of the Talents.http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon9.gif

We don’t have the option of throwing the talents away – what the Master has given us we must safeguard and increase.

He wasn’t recommending it - he was passing on what he’s gotten from his time in the job and in dealing with other dioceses.

Catholic High School in my area was running $3K/annum with books, fund raising and other activities on top of that.

I fear that dioceses going bankrupt, lack of nuns to teach and trying to pay salaries and perqs for lay teachers, plus the increased cost of plant, maintenance and living will accelerate the process.

 

[vern_humphrey]

HagiaSophia:

He wasn’t recommending it - he was passing on what he’s gotten from his time in the job and in dealing with other dioceses.

Catholic High School in my area was running $3K/annum with books, fund raising and other activities on top of that.

I fear that dioceses going bankrupt, lack of nuns to teach and trying to pay salaries and perqs for lay teachers, plus the increased cost of plant, maintenance and living will accelerate the process.

It strikes me that all these things are related – the Sex Scandal in the Church, the Dioceses’ going bankrupt, the lack of emphasis on Catholic schools, and the lack of religious to run them are all traceable back to poor leadership on the part of many of our Bishops.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

I was just thinking about Christmas.

A muslim co-worker who was leaving the office today wished me a Merry Christmas. I wished him one back and then I added, “or what every, you know.” and he corrected me and said that muslims do honor the birth of Jesus, after all they do believe he is a prophet.

We agreed that we look at Christ differently but Christmas is the celebration of the Birth of Christ, even muslims believe that.

So a nativity scene is not just Christian, it can be muslim too.

 

[HagiaSophia]

vern humphrey:

It strikes me that all these things are related – the Sex Scandal in the Church, the Dioceses’ going bankrupt, the lack of emphasis on Catholic schools, and the lack of religious to run them are all traceable back to poor leadership on the part of many of our Bishops.

I’ve been thinking for quite awhile now that one of the best Christmas presents we could from the Vatican get would be a general exorcism and re-dedication of our various nations to our various patron saints. We need big time help in many areas.

 

[vern_humphrey]

HagiaSophia:

I’ve been thinking for quite awhile now that one of the best Christmas presents we could from the Vatican get would be a general exorcism and re-dedication of our various nations to our various patron saints. We need big time help in many areas.

It would be nice if he’d send us some Bishops who would stand up on their hind legs and ACT like Catholic Bishops, too.

 

[HagiaSophia]

vern humphrey:

It would be nice if he’d send us some Bishops who would stand up on their hind legs and ACT like Catholic Bishops, too.

 

[klbarrett]

vern humphrey:

If you actually read what Horace Mann wrote, he was afraid that America would become a Catholic country, because so many Protestant parents were sending their children to Catholic schools.

Here in Arkansas, we have a 22% illiteracy rate, state-wide. In two counties in my Congressional district, it’s over 40%. I simply cannot convince the Bishop that we need to have more Catholic schools – and who cares if there aren’t any Catholic children attending in some areas?

If we’re serious about the “Social Issues” (you know, the ones that Catholics use as an excuse to vote for pro-abortion politicians), WHERE ARE OUR SCHOOLS?

When this thing happened in Mustang (my town, Yukon, is right next door to Mustang - and some of our kids in our parish school live in Mustang) - at least the parents in Mustang had a way to make their feelings known. At my parish school, there have been changes this year that seem designed to push the parents away. All the parents that I’ve talked with feel that they are no longer welcome in the school. We have a new principal, and I’ve spoken with our priest, and they are digging in their heels and saying, basically, that it’s “unfortunate” that we feel that way. I don’t want to bore you all with details - but so many parents are feeling angry and left out that they are talking about taking their kids out of the school. And I have heard that some already have. I think the teachers are great, and I’m happy with that part of it - I just wish I felt like I could walk thru the door and not be made to feel that I must submit my papers to the door Nazi! I’m told that this is part of the “safety” program from the Archdiocese - well, it wasn’t the parents who were molesting the kids. Anyway, I’m pretty frustrated and so are the other parents I’ve spoken to. And it seems there is no recourse. It’s very depressing. We used to have a happy school - now no one seems very happy, you hardly see a smile. There is no feeling of community any more. But…that may be the subject for another thread!

Karen

 

[tgdanne]

bengal_fan:

maybe if they weren’t so unbelievably expensive more people could use them. just a thought, if you lower the price and allow more people to afford it, you would make up the money lost in the number of new students you would receive. i know it might not always work that way, but if the church is serious about catholics sending their kids to the catholic school, they need to take some drastic steps in making it affordable.

Our parish only has elementary school, and the cost is very reasonable (3 kids for less than 2000 a year). I know there are those who cannot afford even that, but the parish has assistance programs to help those who really need the help.

I know of parishes where the children of parishioners do not have to pay tuition. I believe that the family is required to contribute regularly to the parish, but I don’t think there is a required amount.

Of course many probably are more expensive. It takes money to run a school.

I think there are three issues at work here:

1. Catholic parents who send their kids to Catholic school are double-paying for education because we are taxed for public schools and then have to pay extra to send our kids to Catholic school.
2. Parishes cannot subsidize their school enough to keep tuition reasonable because of poor overall contributions from parishioners. In our parish, I understand that less than 50% contribute anything to the parish. I think that’s a sad statistic.
3. Catholic schools used to be “manned” by nuns, who cost much less than a non-religious teacher does. For non-religious teachers there is the responsibility to pay a fair wage, but the nuns did the work as an apostolate and so did not need as much money.

Anyway, there are indeed problems to solve. But the alternative is to give our kids up to the secularized government schools. I think we should work to save and restore our Catholic shools.