Skip to comments.
Responsibility to Teach [Catholic Caucus]
OSV.com ^
| 05-23-18
| Msgr. Charles Pope
Posted on 06/30/2018 8:39:36 AM PDT by Salvation
Responsibility to teach
To care for all souls in an area, parishes should have at least a strong religious education program Msgr. Charles Pope 5/23/2018
Question: Do the pastoral responsibilities of bishops extend to children in public schools? — Robert Bonsignore, Brooklyn, New York
Answer: Yes, a bishop does have this obligation. Normally he meets this duty by ensuring that each parish has adequate religious education available to children of all ages, and adults as well. Bishops, through their staff, oversee the content of parish programs and also help to certify the teachers and directors of religious education in parishes.
An additional way the bishop meets this duty is to help ensure that Catholic schools are available and teach the Faith in accord with Church norms. Sadly today, many Catholic schools are closing due to the high expense in running them. As tuition rates have risen, fewer Catholics can afford them.
Some remember the days when large numbers of religious sisters staffed our schools at very low cost. It is not likely we could replicate that system today even if we had the sisters. Health care costs and the need to care for many elderly religious has meant that even those vowed to poverty require wages to be paid to religious that are comparable to the wages laypersons need. Schools too are much more expensive to run. At one time costs were limited to buildings, reusable books, basic subjects and the salaries. Today expectations include many more subjects, labs, technological equipment, air-conditioned buildings, etc.
Thus bishops, working with parishes and benefactors, strive to keep Catholic schools open, but it is increasingly difficult. Setting up regional schools supported by several parishes helps, as does identifying benefactors. But it is a yearly struggle to keep schools open.
Another key factor in ensuring the religious upbringing of children is to assist in the ongoing religious formation of parents who are the chief educators of their children in the Faith. Some parishes have significant adult education opportunities and have retooled for “whole-family catechesis” programs. In such programs the parents are taught the same subject matter as their children and equipped to teach it to their children in consort with a catechist at the parish.
TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; History; Theology
KEYWORDS: catholic; education
**Some parishes have significant adult education opportunities and have retooled for “whole-family catechesis” programs. In such programs the parents are taught the same subject matter as their children and equipped to teach it to their children in consort with a catechist at the parish.**
1
posted on
06/30/2018 8:39:36 AM PDT
by
Salvation
To: nickcarraway; NYer; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; ArrogantBustard; Catholicguy; RobbyS; marshmallow; ...
Monsignor Pope Ping for OSV column.
2
posted on
06/30/2018 8:41:53 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Salvation
My wife and I thought we couldn’t afford Catholic schools for our children and that our local public school was excellent.
WRONG!
We paid and are continuing to pay the price for all the mush they were pushing into our innocent kids heads each and every day.
Don’t be fooled, from pre-school and kindergarten on they are after your kids hearts and minds.
Anyone that thinks the way we did, pray that that one day you won’t wake up and find out that it’s too late to win them back.
7
3
posted on
06/30/2018 8:58:41 AM PDT
by
infool7
(Observe, Orient, Pray, Decide, Act!(it's an OOPDA loop))
To: infool7
Good advice. If I had it to do over again, I would put all my children in Catholic Schools.
4
posted on
06/30/2018 9:18:39 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Salvation
My wife and her late husband had home-schooled her children. They're all fine young men and women now. My first wife and I sent our children to Catholic schools. They turned out well, but she used to complain that if she could teach them for just half a day, they could learn so much more. I think she as right. If I had it to do over, we'd home-school them.
To: Salvation
Learning the truths about the Catholic faith is a life-long endeavor, especially for those of us educated post Vatican 2 who are unfamiliar with many of the church’s teachings. The difficulty is finding laity familiar enough with the church’s history and teaching to adequately teach anyone, either adult or child. Much has been lost, but there is hope, especially among the youth who desire an authentic Catholic faith that doesn’t deny the church’s history. How many catechists for example know that Latin is still the official language of the church and that Vatican 2 instruction on liturgy says that Gregorian Chant should be the main form of musical worship at mass? I’m sure there are some, but not enough. Without question, Catholic Schools are better than public, but are still wanting in many ways.
6
posted on
06/30/2018 10:03:42 AM PDT
by
longfellowsmuse
(last of the living nomads)
To: Salvation
same here .... we had our 1st registered for a Catholic school (tho not Catholic at the time); then with 2 immediately behind her, thought it more economical to just move to an area with good schools. It did work, and to be honest it was grad school that turned the oldest, and state colleges that turned the other two, not the local public schools. I can’t say that would be true today from what I see of our local schools.
BUT I think they may have had stronger core beliefs had they gone to Catholic school. Alas, we will never know.
7
posted on
06/30/2018 4:18:04 PM PDT
by
EDINVA
To: longfellowsmuse
Excellent comment.
The only contructed criticism I do have is on the chanting part. While I have heard spme excellent chanting online, from someone who has sung in an adult choir at church on Sunday morning am mass, the choir has done some beautiful hymms written by Catholics and non-Catholic alike.
8
posted on
07/01/2018 4:41:50 AM PDT
by
Biggirl
("One Lord, one faith, one baptism" - Ephesians 4:5)
To: longfellowsmuse
The problem with Gregorian chant or any chant for that matter is that it must be done right or it is a bad train wreck.
9
posted on
07/01/2018 4:44:24 AM PDT
by
Biggirl
("One Lord, one faith, one baptism" - Ephesians 4:5)
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson