D
Don_Ruggero
Guest
*Originally Posted by Don Ruggero
God bless you. Teaching today is a great challenge – and you have what has to be the hardest age group, in my experience. I am guessing we are talking about children in the age range of 12-14? It is a bit extraordinary to have children that age who have not received first penance and first Communion…at least in my experience.
This matter, though, has to be handled with a maximum of pastoral sensitivity and discretion. A child of the age you indicate normally would be fulfilling the Mass obligation by attending with their parent(s) or other relative. Children that age may or may not be able to betake themselves to Mass on their own. There are circumstances and places where it is feasible and even normal but there are other circumstances and places in the world where it is absolutely not. And, even in those places where it is possible, it could only happen if the parents make allowance for it.
A parent or older sibling or relative or someone who is responsible would have to accompany the child to Mass in many parts of the world. If such persons cannot or will not and the caregiver for the child will not make some provision, one cannot impute moral guilt for a failure to fulfill the Sunday obligation to a child of that age and in such circumstances.
I can only speak to where I have ministered as a priest. I don’t even know what country you are in or what the situation of your parish is. It is one thing to be in a city, town or village where the church is a short walk away and another to be in the countryside where the parish may require traversing miles.
I can say that as far as participation in the parish’s religious education program and concurrent attendance at Mass, this is a discussion that has to occur, ultimately, between the parents and the parish priest since the parish priest is not only the one who has the cura animarum for both the parents and the children, he is the determiner for admitting or declining to admit to the sacraments of penance, Eucharist and Confirmation.
Have you spoken to either the director of the program for which you are teaching or with the priests or deacon of your parish for guidance and also to alert them to this situation?
*
Your quote is a specific point to the lady asking the original question. Since she’s a new catechist, the most reliable solution of how to proceed in this set of circumstances is her parish priest. He knows the situation of his parish, his parishioners, and what is the normative expectation for sacramental preparation regarding both universal law as well as particular law governing that diocese – and how he addresses, under the bishop and with his pastoral team, the situation she confronts. (She is not the first in that parish to confront this.)
IF you’re really a catechist (my apologies but who can know for sure?)
then surely when you were first teaching, you implemented what was the norm for the parish rather than making it up as you went, reaching decisions on your own, or having people, even from other countries, tell you what they think you should do when they do not even know where you are. Relying on the counsel of one’s own pastor and bishop is preferable to polling people not acquainted with the actual situation, circumstances, challenges and possibilities of a given parish in a given diocese. If I were her parish priest, my answer would be: ask me.
As to the situation of your priest and his bishop…well, that’s not my situation with my bishop. Your priest answers to his bishop and to God.
My decisions were never by fiat. They rested upon the application to particular situations of the Code of Canon Law and the particular law that had been enacted by the bishop for the diocese. For that I was accountable to the bishop for my stewardship. I could not impose more than the law demanded. (I did not want to!) But neither could I fail to apply what I was directed to.
In every way, I sought to find the most pastoral and satisfactory resolutions, above all in administering the sacraments to those requesting them and especially in favour of children. When I had latitude and discretion and determined that the situation merited it, I applied it. But, ultimately, I had to account to the diocese’s shepherd, my bishop, to whom I had promised obedience. If I didn’t apply the norms correctly, I was subject to correction – justifiably.
Denying a sacrament in any circumstance is one of the most difficult and disturbing discernments a priest has to make. It’s always painful. There were many provisions and accommodations available for use but, ultimately, I had to affirm that what needed to be there to proceed had reason and value.
God bless you. Teaching today is a great challenge – and you have what has to be the hardest age group, in my experience. I am guessing we are talking about children in the age range of 12-14? It is a bit extraordinary to have children that age who have not received first penance and first Communion…at least in my experience.
This matter, though, has to be handled with a maximum of pastoral sensitivity and discretion. A child of the age you indicate normally would be fulfilling the Mass obligation by attending with their parent(s) or other relative. Children that age may or may not be able to betake themselves to Mass on their own. There are circumstances and places where it is feasible and even normal but there are other circumstances and places in the world where it is absolutely not. And, even in those places where it is possible, it could only happen if the parents make allowance for it.
A parent or older sibling or relative or someone who is responsible would have to accompany the child to Mass in many parts of the world. If such persons cannot or will not and the caregiver for the child will not make some provision, one cannot impute moral guilt for a failure to fulfill the Sunday obligation to a child of that age and in such circumstances.
I can only speak to where I have ministered as a priest. I don’t even know what country you are in or what the situation of your parish is. It is one thing to be in a city, town or village where the church is a short walk away and another to be in the countryside where the parish may require traversing miles.
I can say that as far as participation in the parish’s religious education program and concurrent attendance at Mass, this is a discussion that has to occur, ultimately, between the parents and the parish priest since the parish priest is not only the one who has the cura animarum for both the parents and the children, he is the determiner for admitting or declining to admit to the sacraments of penance, Eucharist and Confirmation.
Have you spoken to either the director of the program for which you are teaching or with the priests or deacon of your parish for guidance and also to alert them to this situation?
*
I’m happy to comment; I fear it won’t be very satisfying.
Your quote is a specific point to the lady asking the original question. Since she’s a new catechist, the most reliable solution of how to proceed in this set of circumstances is her parish priest. He knows the situation of his parish, his parishioners, and what is the normative expectation for sacramental preparation regarding both universal law as well as particular law governing that diocese – and how he addresses, under the bishop and with his pastoral team, the situation she confronts. (She is not the first in that parish to confront this.)
IF you’re really a catechist (my apologies but who can know for sure?)
then surely when you were first teaching, you implemented what was the norm for the parish rather than making it up as you went, reaching decisions on your own, or having people, even from other countries, tell you what they think you should do when they do not even know where you are. Relying on the counsel of one’s own pastor and bishop is preferable to polling people not acquainted with the actual situation, circumstances, challenges and possibilities of a given parish in a given diocese. If I were her parish priest, my answer would be: ask me.As to the situation of your priest and his bishop…well, that’s not my situation with my bishop. Your priest answers to his bishop and to God.
My decisions were never by fiat. They rested upon the application to particular situations of the Code of Canon Law and the particular law that had been enacted by the bishop for the diocese. For that I was accountable to the bishop for my stewardship. I could not impose more than the law demanded. (I did not want to!) But neither could I fail to apply what I was directed to.
In every way, I sought to find the most pastoral and satisfactory resolutions, above all in administering the sacraments to those requesting them and especially in favour of children. When I had latitude and discretion and determined that the situation merited it, I applied it. But, ultimately, I had to account to the diocese’s shepherd, my bishop, to whom I had promised obedience. If I didn’t apply the norms correctly, I was subject to correction – justifiably.
Denying a sacrament in any circumstance is one of the most difficult and disturbing discernments a priest has to make. It’s always painful. There were many provisions and accommodations available for use but, ultimately, I had to affirm that what needed to be there to proceed had reason and value.