What? No sacraments in school?

[netmilsmom]

When my eldest was in Catholic elemantry school (k-8)…he had religion class every day of the week…they where prepared for the sacraments they where going to receive in those classes (age/grade appropriate) …so no extra CCD classes where needed…the only time he HAD to go to CCD class was 9th grade when he was preparing for Confirmation…even though he attended a Catholic High school and had religion every day the Church we attend wanted him to attend a once per week class for 2 hours to prepare for Confirmation…It was a great class…and the teacher (Steve Greydanus) was the best:thumbsup:

I can see this. A little extra training for Confirmation seems reasonable. But the idea that the Catholic school states that Sacramental Prep is the job of the parents, to the average lukewarm Catholic, is unreasonable.

Dollars to Donuts, I would be willing to bet that the same Schools that require parents to attend these seminars, do NOT requite that they come to Holy Mass every Sunday. That’s how it was in the Catholic Community I was at. The Education Committee lamented that the parents were seen dropping the children off on Sundays. Yet, did nothing to educate the parents on WHY they should be there. They took the extra 100.00 for Sacramental Prep though!

 

[netmilsmom]

is what the norm? Op has not said what is or is not taught, other than sacramental prep.
Yes, it is the norm for immediate sacramental prep to be done in the parish. don’t you want to be in a Catholic school that obeys your bishops?

Well of course I don’t want a Catholic School that obeys the Bishop. I want a Catholic School that teaches Wiccan and Homosexuality. Come on Lady. There is no reason to go to the ridiculous.

that does not necessarily imply CCD attendance on top of Catholic school, unless, the parents have previously neglected their child’s RE and we are playing catch up.

Well, I am reading that Sacramental Prep is done at another parish than the school is at. By this…

I was recently informed that each child is expected to receive preparation and make the sacraments at their own parish. I was shocked, to say the least. When did this start? Is this common?

I am very disappointed that my son will not receive preparation for the sacrament at school. I am disappointed that he will not share this experience with members of his spiritual community (school).

You are reading CCD. I am reading Sacramental Prep seminars. I am reading extra time and money that I would already be paying to the Catholic School.
If the Bishop is requiring this, the school has to do it. In my area, that leads to less Catholic children attending the Catholic Schools and more to the Lutheran Schools that charge less.
Do we want to lead the children of lukewarm Catholics to even consider that?

 

[netmilsmom]

note, I haven’t read this entire thread, but will! soon!

I just registered (not accepted yet) my son in the local Catholic school. I am under the impression (and was told, outlined in overview of his grade) that he would be taught the Catholic religion, as far as the mysteries, etc, he will be attending Mass every week, etc, however, when age appropriate, the Catholic children will be seperated and taught the sacraments, etc.

Am I understanding this correctly do you think?

Will you be attending the Sacramental Prep with your son outside of the regular school day?

 

[DJgang]

Will you be attending the Sacramental Prep with your son outside of the regular school day?

Confirmation Classes will occur in our Episcopal church…sorry, you must not have noticed my siggy. (but hey, a lot can change in a few years…kwim?)

However, I will be attending Mass with him on Fridays. I can’t wait and pray that he is accepted.

 

[netmilsmom]

Confirmation Classes will occur in our Episcopal church…sorry, you must not have noticed my siggy. (but hey, a lot can change in a few years…kwim?)

However, I will be attending Mass with him on Fridays. I can’t wait and pray that he is accepted.

Oooooops!!!

I see it now!

 

[DJgang]

Oooooops!!!

I see it now!

I interviewed three different Christian schools. All appeared to be Anti-Catholic (don’t want to elaborate) but all you Catholics should be very proud of your schools and how religion and openness to other denominations is allowed. I think it’s awesome! I know that some Catholics may not agree to that, but I find it to be a great witness to the Catholic faith.

 

[jmcrae]

Well of course I don’t want a Catholic School that obeys the Bishop. I want a Catholic School that teaches Wiccan and Homosexuality. Come on Lady. There is no reason to go to the ridiculous.

It’s the Bishops who are telling us to keep them separated; this isn’t some brainstorm of the Board of Education, and certainly has nothing to do with teachers being “lazy” or whatever; the teachers don’t have a say in this at all - Catholic school teachers have to (are supposed to, in theory anyway) obey their Bishop.

Not all Catholic schools are private schools, but if your kids are going to a private school, you’re not paying for religious education, but rather, you’re paying the portion than normally would be paid by the government if it were a public school, and usually a bit more in order to get better programs all the way around.

There are also Catholic schools in the public system that are free of charge; our Catholic school here is part of the public system, and the only things we pay for are book fees and art supplies. (We don’t pay busing because we are within walking distance of the school.) We get the same Religious Education curriculum as the private schools.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I my experience, children always receive the sacraments in their home parish, not in the Catholic School that they attend.

In the old days, you had to belong to the parish who ran the school. But then, there were many parishes who had schools.

There were Catholic Diocesan schools, who had no parish affiliation. Here again, the children attending, had to receive the sacraments in their home parish.

Don’t forget, your parish is your Catholic Community, not the school your child happens to attend.

Jim

 

[lak611]

The Catholic schools are not going to keep the kids Catholic, it is beyond their reach. How many families pray together, go together to Mass and Sunday schools. How many of the parents that send the kids to Catholic school put the Church first? We have free will and a lot of the “Catholic” parents use it the wrong way.

Very true. Many of the families in my parish only go to Mass during the year when one of their children is going to be receiving a Sacrament for the first time (i.e. Confession/Communion or Confirmation). The rest of the time, the parents and children are never seen at Mass. This is not the fault of the school.

 

[JimG]

I guess I’m having a hard time tracking this discussion, because my parish does have a real parish school. The church and the school are separated by parking lot. It’s not like they are entirely separate institutions. The children walk across the parking lot for school Masses in the church. The priests walk across the parking lot to visit or teach in the school.

The thing that puzzles me, from some the comments made here is this: If parish schools are teaching the theory of sacraments, but not sacramental preparation, I still don’t understand the need for a separate sacramental prep course (how to do it.) After learning the basics of sacraments, presumably in the Catholic school, one can learn “how to do it” in about 10 minutes per sacrament.

 

[kellie]

I send my son to a Catholic grade school. He does receive an excellent education and this is important but my MAIN reason for sending him to this school is because I want him to learn about our faith. My son and I attend church every Sunday and I try to incorporate our faith into every day life. I don’t leave my son’s spiritual enrichment to the school…I understand that the lesson must begin at home…but I do expect that the teachings at his school will enhance my efforts at home in this area.

My son is in second grade this year. I assumed (wrongly so) that my son would receive preparation for the sacraments of reconciliation and first communion in school. I was recently informed that each child is expected to receive preparation and make the sacraments at their own parish. I was shocked, to say the least. When did this start? Is this common?

I am very disappointed that my son will not receive preparation for the sacrament at school. I am disappointed that he will not share this experience with members of his spiritual community (school). When I attended catholic school, I made every sacrament with my classmates. I truly felt as though I belonged to a spiritual community…a spiritual family…and it meant so much to me (even as a child) that I made my sacraments with my friends and classmates…

Of course, I will follow through with all of this and take my son for a meeting with catechists from our parish…but I am just very disappointed and sad at this turn of events. If catholic schools are supposed to offer spiritual growth, why, oh why, aren’t sacraments part of their education and spiritual development? Does anybody know???

Thank you…

I too send my son to a Catholic school. I also take him to Mass and talk about Jesus at home.
I decided to send him to a Catholic school so he could receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Confirmation, with his schoolmates as a community.

Last year I was so disappointed. It was time for my son to make his First Holy Communion.

His school has done away with the Sacrament of Reconciliation - no idea why.

I got sent home a letter that I had to pay $25 for my son to make this Sacrament.

I asked why.

I got a list emailed of things that are supplied to children making their First Communion.

They are:
a stole
a mass book
a medallion
arts’n’crafts for work at school
certificate

Well I was shocked. I asked why I had to pay extra for private school fees, if I wasn’t going to get the Sacraments for that price.

I was told that not all children at the school do the Sacraments, so it is unfair to incorporate the cost into the fees.

I was so shocked and angry.

My son never wore the stole, as I gave him his Baptism stole to wear, as it seemed more symbolic.

The mass book is a tiny book that explains the Mass, and RCIA people get a copy for free.
Apparently as there are more students than RCIA candidates, the students have to pay for them, and the RCIA candidates dont.

The medallion is just a tiny inexpensive silver cross as a memento. They are donated by the Parents Association - so should not be inscluded with this $25 fee.

The certificate my son received was just an average certificate that can be printed from any computer.

None of the children celebrated this Sacrament with each other. Parents were asked to subit any Mass in August for this occassion.

I submitted the Saturday night vigil, and there ended up only being my son and another boy from his class there.

Gone are the days it looks with rows of children all in white.

Oh yeah, they dont even have to wear white dresses now if they are girls, as that is “hard for people who cant afford such gear”, so Sunday best is encouraged instead.

It is really a shame that my son wont experience the joy as much as what I did, although it is joyous to receive Our Lord.

 

[kellie]

I guess I’m having a hard time tracking this discussion, because my parish does have a real parish school. The church and the school are separated by parking lot. It’s not like they are entirely separate institutions. The children walk across the parking lot for school Masses in the church. The priests walk across the parking lot to visit or teach in the school.

The thing that puzzles me, from some the comments made here is this: If parish schools are teaching the theory of sacraments, but not sacramental preparation, I still don’t understand the need for a separate sacramental prep course (how to do it.) After learning the basics of sacraments, presumably in the Catholic school, one can learn “how to do it” in about 10 minutes per sacrament.

My son’s school and our Parish is the same set up.
The church is at the front of the block, the school at the back, the Parish offices to the side, with car parks between them all.

I agree with you, there is nothing to learn each time.
The children should be learning what each Sacrament is through their daily religion classes.
But it isn’t necessary to go through a “how to do it” session.
Not when they are familiar with Mass.

 

[decn2b]

If they are doing Sacramental Preparation in school, then when and where are they supposed to do their Catechism?

.

SInce sending my children to Catholic School would involve traveling over 135 miles per day my children go to small town public school.(which is alot like going to Catholic school.) My kids recieve their sacramental prep the same way millions and millions of youngsters do across the country…at our parish, by the DRE, they also attend CDD there too. None of this works very well though unless their Formation continues at home. WHich it does quite a bit at my house.

 

[Joysong]

The thing that puzzles me, from some the comments made here is this: If parish schools are teaching the theory of sacraments, but not sacramental preparation, I still don’t understand the need for a separate sacramental prep course (how to do it.) After learning the basics of sacraments, presumably in the Catholic school, one can learn “how to do it” in about 10 minutes per sacrament.

Not every child is able to attend a Catholic school, since so many of them have closed or are filled beyond capacity for new enrollees. Therefore, they have to attend a public school, and will completely miss the formation and preparation to receive the sacraments. It is odd to me why anyone would assume all children have the benefit of catholic schooling?

The individual parish would be responsible for this duty to be sure both parents and child are prepared.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I decided to send him to a Catholic school so he could receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Confirmation, with his schoolmates as a community.

I only wish to comment on one smal line of your post.

Catholic Community is gathered around the parish. The local Catholic parish is the center of the Catholic community. The Pastor is canonically responsible for the celebration of the Sacraments within his patish boundries.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

My son’s school and our Parish is the same set up.
The church is at the front of the block, the school at the back, the Parish offices to the side, with car parks between them all.

I agree with you, there is nothing to learn each time.
The children should be learning what each Sacrament is through their daily religion classes.
But it isn’t necessary to go through a “how to do it” session.
Not when they are familiar with Mass.

I’m sure that your parish school has students attending who don’t belong to the parish. Heck, some may not even be Catholic.

Anyway, it is the home parish where the student belongs, which is his/her faith based community, and where the Sacraments are to be received and where preparation for those Sacraments are made.

Jim

 

[jmcrae]

I have a situation, and I wonder if this is common, and I wonder if this is why the Bishops are saying that the Sacramental Preparation, together with the Sacraments, are to take place in the parish, and not in the school.

The situation is this: I have a young man who signed on to be a sponsor for RCIA.

He has recently discovered, when looking for his Baptismal and Confirmation certificates, that he is not Catholic. He is a member of the United Church of Canada, but he was sent to a Catholic school when he was a child, and attended religion classes, and did all his Sacraments there, all the while having no idea that he wasn’t Catholic.

At first, he phoned me and said that he couldn’t find his Confirmation certificate, and when he couldn’t find it, asked his mother, and she told him that he was never Confirmed (although he does remember receiving instruction at school for this) - then (after I told him to do this) he asked her for his Baptismal certificate so that he could receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at our parish, and when he read it, it was the first time in his whole life he realized that he had been baptized into the United Church of Canada.

He has been going to Confession and receiving Holy Communion all this time, without ever having any idea that he wasn’t Catholic, or that the church where he went to Sunday School wasn’t a Catholic church - so he just phoned me yesterday to find out what to do about this - obviously he can’t be a sponsor, and we have to figure out what his status actually is, and what he needs to do next. (I think it has also come as quite a shock to him that his parents are Protestants, and that he simply never realized it.)

 

[Kielbasi]

Children are supposed to receive the sacraments at their own parish church. If the children are in attendance at their own parish school, that’s one thing. But if they live in a different parish, they are supposed to receive there, and that’s the way it always was for children from parishes without schools.

In addition, depending on the school of course, there are a lot of non-catholic students in Catholic schools as well.

Here in Pittsburgh, there was a newspaper story about 3 of the Catholic schools with 80-90% of the students non-catholic.

 

[JimG]

Not every child is able to attend a Catholic school, since so many of them have closed or are filled beyond capacity for new enrollees. Therefore, they have to attend a public school, and will completely miss the formation and preparation to receive the sacraments. It is odd to me why anyone would assume all children have the benefit of catholic schooling?

The individual parish would be responsible for this duty to be sure both parents and child are prepared.

Yes, I understand that not every child in a parish attends the parish school. Our parish also has a quite active PSR religious education program. But I think that my comments regarding sacramental preparation would apply equally to PSR as to parish schools.

I can understand having two programs–parish schools and parish PSR. It just seems to me that each of them should engage in sacramental preparation rather than establishing a third program, but that’s just me. If the bishops want to separate out sacramental prep from religious education, that’s their prerogative.

 

[Jennifer_J]

I’d like to add, that children in our school also go to reconcilliation at least once during each season as a school and receive the Eucharist each Friday as a group. This is their school community. Certainly the First time they receive Communion, it is special (and done in your home parish), but that specialness doesn’t go away after the first time. The children in a Catholic school (and hopefully those in the Public school–only at home or at CCD) continue to learn daily about their Faith–as we ALL should. Sacrament prep gathers all those children within a Parish (Catholic schooled or public schooled) together to teach about that Sacrament, both to the children and to the Parents.

Jennifer