So What About Parents and Catholic Schools?

So you are a Catholic Parent raising your children in the Catholic Faith and you decide to send your children to a Catholic School, as the primary educators of your children what do you expect from a Catholic School? In the 1960's I was actually attending a seminary where there was about 40 students. In the Community statistics showed there was still a large number of young people attending Mass. It was about 50/50 statistically. In the 1970's my former seminary was closed down since there were only three students and in Catholic Schools it rose with amazing speed to 95% disinterested in the Church. What had caused this very rapid decline? In England it was very much the work of Corpus Christi College, Westminster who invited the teaching profession and administrators from all the diocese to attend and find out about the "Spirit of Vatican 2". People get tired of me bringing this up and since they have no answers they just get bored so let us just say that 'a new school curriculum' was born which did away with heart of hell and all those children hiding under their desks as nuns swept through the classrooms looking for sinners. Well how refreshing that was for so many good honest people. But strangely enough the new curriculum proved a failure but this did not mean it was wrong it was just that we now had a secular society now, and we were very wrong to have indoctrinated our children. So if the Church is failing it is not the fault of the Church. The trouble is that this negative outlook shows very little respect for Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The Church grew up challenging a secular society much ore pagan than the present one because they co-operated with the many graces God sent them to overcome their difficulties. If children are being lost to the Church it is not the fault of God but the fault of those who are not humble enough to ask for his help. I remember there used to be a Diocesan year book and this book recorded the Mass Count for every Church in the Diocese. From about 1980 I looked at these figures as they dropped from around 60,000 to 43,000 despite the soundbite given to parents that they all come back. I wrote to the then Bishop and pointed out he would soon be in financial difficulties and his answer was an indirect one, he stopped publishing the figures and having Mass counts. At the same time there was not just a shortage of priests, but the lack of young people meant there was no source from which we could draw priests. A great plan arose in which the diocese would not recruit foreign priests but would instead Pastoral Areas were formed of four of five parishes which would in the future be supervised by two priests only. I of course was objecting strongly and as usual being put in my place. Just imagine the effect of this plan. There would be very few daily Masses and on Sundays we would enjoy at times a Eucharist Service which was a service also being pushed at the time. So why price with the schools and the actions of the diocese would ensure the survival of the Catholic Faith. I will not go on with this line though there is much more I could have said, but the point is we have a long way to go before the schools which were guided by feminists and reformers can settle down again to devotions to the Blessed Sacrament, Prayers to Mary, and real Catholic Instructions which even in the parishes is rare enough. the So do not put any absolute trust in your local Catholic Schools. Doctrine, devotions and catholic practices must be carried out by the parents at this particular time. Our present Bishop is very keen to help in this and you should keep up with his advice and instructions. But one of the great things that has happened in recent years is the number of Catholic Immigrants who have come to our country. They are in large numbers from Europe and Asia and they have brought back the habit of Mass attendance for their children. With the £2million a year bureaucratic pay not being paid out we are becoming a much more Catholic Church and the immigrants who were nervous at first are beginning to settle in the parish with their wonderful gifts and talents. But until a new school curriculum arrives we must tread very carefully towards our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And the mindset against foreign priests has disappeared and the bishop is doing a wonderful job bringing us very gifted and talented priests in our Diocese.