tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post3436818098221406034..comments2023-09-26T00:42:29.508-07:00Comments on Caritas in Veritate: Catholic Education - a nail in the coffin?Father John Boylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10581732723849634398noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-85050387717600904262010-01-30T19:25:06.368-08:002010-01-30T19:25:06.368-08:00Well, here's the job for Fr John Abberton that...Well, here's the job for Fr John Abberton that George was hoping for... <br />http://jobs.thirdsector.co.uk/job/322816/deputy-director<br />Deputy Director of the Catholic Education Service, England and Wales. Yes, it's only a deputy director post, which is why the salary is a measly £60K-65K I suppose. But he would be reporting directly to Oona, so would be perfectly placed to nudge her in the right direction. But better hurry: closing day is today, which is, so aptly, 'Education Sunday' (a Churches Together initiative).tempus putationishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08717989265190251148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-89728730317282872192010-01-27T03:01:14.892-08:002010-01-27T03:01:14.892-08:00Chris, as a Foundation Governor in our local Catho...Chris, as a Foundation Governor in our local Catholic Comprehensive I know exactly how you must feel and what you say rings so true in my experience.<br /><br />Everybody pats each other on the back 'oh yes well done yada yada, model school yada yada, so many A*-C RE passes blah blah....' then carry on business as usual. Meanwhile the rot continues and our children continue to lose their Faith completely - what little they have or not in the first place should be supported, polished and lovingly nurtured by the schools. Sadly the opposite is true.<br /><br />Diocesan inspections can only amount to a 'whitewash' and 'don't rock the boat' must be their mantra. Bishops more interested in their lunch dates than the salvation of souls. Hard statement I know, but what else can you say, what can parents who care, do about all this??!!<br /><br />Does anyone know of any diocesan report in E&W that actual brought anyone to book for poor Catholic Teaching and Formation?Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13031618301013986930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-39553969177453634432010-01-27T01:28:25.573-08:002010-01-27T01:28:25.573-08:00Dear Fr John Abberton you obviously have a 'gr...Dear Fr John Abberton you obviously have a 'grass roots' grasp of the real problems. You have written absolutely brilliantly on this subject. Thank the Lord! <br /><br />'In this crisis, it seems to me there is now only one way to go - full-blooded, completely Catholic schools, with regular sacraments, the use of the Catechism, the complete rewriting of RE syllabuses and a recognition from all parents what the school is about'. <br /><br />Yes, Yes, YES!!!!! This is music to my ears. Shout this from the rooftops!!<br /><br />The Catholic RE syllabuses have been written by liberal imbecilliums who on the face of it seem to me to have only a superficial understanding of the Catholic Faith and are too preoccupied not wishing to upset anyone and being so PC that they water down the Truth until we are left with an RE programme which teaches no Faith at all!<br /><br />Fr Abberton may I respectfully suggest that you apply for the TOP job (in whatever department that might be) as Director of Catholic Education in England & Wales!!! First thing is to give the CES a serious wake-up call and pull their 'collective head' out of the sand! <br /><br />HOT LINE TO ROME...... COME IN VATICAN.......<br />ARE YOU LISTENING VATICAN..... UK CATHOLIC EDUCATION IN SERIOUS TROUBLE...... I MEAN <br />S-E-R-I-O-U-S TROUBLE...... PLEASE SEND IN THE TROOPS.......<br />OVER AND OUT.<br /><br />Well the Holy Father has thoroughly recommended modern means of communication!Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13031618301013986930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-75233808080479171472010-01-26T09:51:26.793-08:002010-01-26T09:51:26.793-08:00Thanks Father. I don't want to scapegoat but ...Thanks Father. I don't want to scapegoat but the sheer dishonesty of the situation angers me. Diocesan inspections will claim that this is an excellent catholic school when its allowing people to come in and encourage our youth to go to the clinic for the morning-after pill without parental knowledge. No doubt bishops will say that the governing body should be sorting this out, but they are not. (I speak as a former Head of RE in two Catholic schools).Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10089639827955617451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-81246782821869374682010-01-25T13:29:51.329-08:002010-01-25T13:29:51.329-08:00Chris, you might like to know that many priests ar...Chris, you might like to know that many priests are deeply concerned about such things, but not all the priests in any given deanery will be similarly disposed. One or two will bring up such matters at meetings, but there may be little response. Some priests simply see the situation as hopeless because the bishops refuse to act. Sadly the bishops simply go along and congratulate everybody and this amounts - sorry to say it - to a kind of "cover up". Priests who stick their necks out may also fall foul of local headteachers who are concerned about the reputation of their schools. Comments and complaints will go to the bishop and -well, you can see the problem. My own feeling is that we need a very strong, solid (however small) vociferous laity who will DEMAND their rights according to Vatican 11 and insist on a proper Catholic education for their children. Priests, I'm afraid are in a no-win situation except with regard to one-to-one teaching and small groups.Fr John Abbertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10319996483623888898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-12273624328308792432010-01-24T14:03:36.323-08:002010-01-24T14:03:36.323-08:00I am afraid that things are very bad indeed in our...I am afraid that things are very bad indeed in our Catholic schools. I am an RE teacher in the Salford diocese in a secondary school. Recently, the staff were told that the school is unable to stop young girls from being referred to a doctor for an abortion through the school nurse. Some staff made their opposition clear. Every Catholic secondary school that has a school nurse is in the same position. Why are our priests and bishops not facing up to this issue?Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10089639827955617451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-1988055306477465412010-01-24T13:05:31.281-08:002010-01-24T13:05:31.281-08:00EF Pastor Emeritus writes;
"I do not expect ...EF Pastor Emeritus writes;<br /> "I do not expect Catholic Schools to produce practising Catholics - that would depend on the family - but I do expect them to produce people who, at the very least, know what the Catholic Church believes and teaches"<br /><br />I agree to an extent - but, so many of our parents are unable to "produce practising Catholics" precisely because of their own bad schooling. I have been a priest for 34 years and in that time I have seen young people who do not know their faith - and who especially do not have any real grasp of Catholic moral teaching - get married and have kids. If they have pracised the faith they have been unable to pass on something which they do not have themselves, and so we now have more young people who are not bothering to get married, who have no idea about the Sunday obligation and come and go to Holy Communion as and when they like - who have NO understanding of the Catholic view of contraception (and some even reject the Church's teaching on abortion).<br />Not only that, but - and this is not a minor point - lying is endemic in our society, and in our Church communities. I once suggested that some marriages are invalid because some young people simply lie during the ceremony. Why not? Who tells them not to?<br /><br />The crisis is VERY deep indeed, and apart from much prayer and fasting, we have only one way of putting it right, and that is through the only place where we have a "captive audience" - our Catholic schools. We need a complete revision of Catholic education, recognising what is good (and there is much that is excellent) but also reforming them as centres of catechesis. The theory that they are there simply to educate people about the faith is fine as a theory, but it has not produced any discernable fruit. I remember two young people who told me that they wanted to teach R.E. Neither of them came to Sunday Mass! I have a Catholic school down the road from me which is supposed to be one of the best in the diocese. I once asked the chaplain (he was a layman) how often confessions were heard there. His reply was, we have hardly had any confessions here, not even during Lent.<br /><br />In this crisis, it seems to me there is now only one way to go - full-blooded, completely Catholic schools, with regular sacraments, the use of the Catechism, the complete rewriting of RE syllabuses and a recognition from all parents what the school is about. THEN we can have cooperation from the Parish because we will have something to work with. I am not suggesting no non-Catholics (we must always be open to genuine seekers into the faith and Catholic culture) but we need to have a much clearer vision of what we are about and we must - as you say, Fr. Boyle, teach the Truth because it IS the Truth.Fr John Abbertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10319996483623888898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-70902815520040092432010-01-22T10:59:11.106-08:002010-01-22T10:59:11.106-08:00I wish you were right Mr Bayne, but my experience ...I wish you were right Mr Bayne, but my experience of Catholic schools with my six children has been everything but plain sailing.<br /><br />My wife and I together with other like minded Catholic parents have fought the sex-ed issues, the poor catechesis, the cafeteria Catholicism, compulsory government pushing for homosex education, etc...etc... for some 25 years now. <br /><br />You know what - it's getting worse not better. As I say I just wish it were different. The lack of support from the Catholic hierarchy is the worst thing (this latest Bishop McMahon thing just reinforces my views on that) - we parents fight a lonely battle on too many fronts and you feel sometimes like you just want to chuck it all in. With hindsight home-schooling would have been my choice. <br /><br />You obviously come from a school where things are apparently very un-typical of a mainstream Catholic school. That's great, a glimmer of light in the darkness.<br /><br />What do you do when the RE teachers are not Catholics, and islam is taught for several weeks as a 'module' within the RE programme, the year before that it was hinduism. No mention as to where and why Catholic belief differs from islam - it's just presented as an alternative world view. And hence the kids perceive it as just that - an alternative and here's the danger 'equally valid world/faith view' to Catholicism!<br /><br />So no Mr Bayne it is not diatribe - merely personal experience over a very long time. As for bandwagons - they hold no interest for me.Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13031618301013986930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-45672199247778171242010-01-22T10:56:23.378-08:002010-01-22T10:56:23.378-08:00'I do not expect Catholic Schools to produce p...'I do not expect Catholic Schools to produce practising Catholics - that would depend on the family - but I do expect them to produce people who, at the very least, know what the Catholic Church believes and teaches. Maybe it is time to find a Catholic School to which we could send Bishop McMahon to complete his Catholic education'.<br /><br />What a brilliant comment. What more can anyone say. <br /><br />All I want from a Catholic School,for my children, is that they learn the faith according to the Magisterium of the Church. What I am finding is that my children are coming home with misinformed teachings which, by the Grace of God, my husband and I are able to correct.<br /><br />Just one example, the RE teacher told the children in Year 9 thay they do not have to accept the teachings of the Church on contraception especially in relation to problems in Africa?????Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06121562422631804938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-5889982149116838162010-01-22T02:55:38.048-08:002010-01-22T02:55:38.048-08:00I do not expect Catholic Schools to produce practi...I do not expect Catholic Schools to produce practising Catholics - that would depend on the family - but I do expect them to produce people who, at the very least, know what the Catholic Church believes and teaches. Maybe it is time to find a Catholic School to which we could send Bishop McMahon to complete his Catholic education.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-64192453727392677422010-01-21T15:30:37.591-08:002010-01-21T15:30:37.591-08:00Dear Mr Bayne
It's great that you don't r...Dear Mr Bayne<br /><br />It's great that you don't recognise any of the issues that I and most of the commenters on this post seem to have experienced. It's no good simply dismissing us as 'misguided'. The evidence is pretty obvious: our schools turn out mostly lapsed people.<br /><br />You are, I daresay, a very dedicated Catholic teacher, and most of the Catholic teachers I know are similarly dedicated. But they are being stifled in the effective teaching of their faith by syllabuses that are very lightweight in terms of catholic content, or by policies that speak of teaching morality 'in a catholic context'. What on earth does that mean? What it should mean is: 'we teach the truth that some things are right and others are wrong, that there is heaven and there is hell.'<br /><br />None of us lightly want to 'knock' Catholic education or discourage those who, like you, try to pass on the true faith (for I presume that is what you try to do). Much expense and sacrifice went into establish Catholic schools in this country.<br /><br />But I know many parents who have complained at a very lightweight presentation of the faith, or who have voiced objections to sex-ed policies being implemented in their schools or to the involvement in our Catholic schools of 'connexions' which puts children two mouse clicks away from explicit contraception and abortion advice, promising secrecy from their parents, but they are not listened to.<br /><br />Rather than dismiss the comments made in and on this post, perhaps you would care to comment on the topic of the post itself i.e. the remarks of Bishop McMahon as quoted in the Tablet article referred to?<br /><br />May God bless you and grant abundant fruit as a result of your labours.Father John Boylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10581732723849634398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-68691448798718044042010-01-21T13:36:23.298-08:002010-01-21T13:36:23.298-08:00"If it isn't the sex education, it's ..."If it isn't the sex education, it's something else, poor Catechism, disobedience to the Magisterium, cafeteria Catholicism, liturgical abuse, teaching islam and other world views without pointing out why Catholics believe differently etc... etc..."<br /><br />George, I teach RE in a Catholic school and recognise nothing in your accusations. Its an easy bandwagon to jump on. What's your evidence otherwise its just a diatribe!Mr Baynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00224900665736837241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-71333951675661878962010-01-21T11:53:25.810-08:002010-01-21T11:53:25.810-08:00Right. That's it. I'm off. I've had en...Right. That's it. I'm off. I've had enough of this nonsense. It'll be compulsory, next !!! Where's the ferry timetable for the sailings to Orkney ? Papa Stronsay, here I come. (Bishop McMahon doesn't have any jurisdiction over the Transalpine Redemptorists, does he ?)Zephyrinushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01179350648709554049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-34022136279809312362010-01-21T10:38:15.380-08:002010-01-21T10:38:15.380-08:00Great post Fr John. The CES is no friend of the pa...Great post Fr John. The CES is no friend of the parents who see Catholic education decaying into a morass of relativism while the Bishops seemingly are 'out to lunch'.<br /><br />We the troops on the ground are tired of fighting this lonely battle. With the experience of twenty five years of Catholic schools hindsight tells us we should have home schooled!<br /><br />If it isn't the sex education, it's something else, poor Catechism, disobedience to the Magisterium, cafeteria Catholicism, liturgical abuse, teaching islam and other world views without pointing out why Catholics believe differently etc... etc...<br /><br />The kids are confused and hence lapse into indifference, so unless we get Bishops with some BACKBONE who can rattle some cages and get things done without worrying about their popularity and celebrity status we will continue to drift here in E & W.<br /><br />We need another brick in the wall not another nail in the coffin!Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13031618301013986930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-30514094460681765542010-01-21T09:21:48.409-08:002010-01-21T09:21:48.409-08:00Thanks for articulating so clearly these concerns ...Thanks for articulating so clearly these concerns which should be shared by all Catholics. <br />Catholic Education has been in decline for some years now-as one Catholic parent said- it's not turning out practising Catholics anymore, let alone committed Catholics.That is, I know, only one way of assessing the effectiveness of a Catholic school, but it is an important indicator.<br />You cannot give what you do not possess.<br />Catholic parents who would once have asked the question "Is there a good Catholic school available where I live?", might now be asking " Is there a point in sending my child to a Catholic school?".Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08692837527315745231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-79360945625513460942010-01-20T13:15:51.610-08:002010-01-20T13:15:51.610-08:00Comment from a Catholic Parent who does not have t...Comment from a Catholic Parent who does not have the means to post comments directly to the blog:<br /><br />Let's suppose Stonewall has a means of coercing bishops to say whacky things, because of their own personal history or someone close to them. <br /> <br />One priest suggested that we acknowledge that we are a Church of sinners, and public exposure would have less impact if there was not an automatic need for heads to roll. It would at least mean that those who in their hearts and minds want to speak the Truth, would no longer be shackled by the mistakes of the past.<br /> <br />The abuse cases have done so much harm, but perhaps burying all the 'bad news' is causing more harm than good.<br /> <br />Catholic ParentFather John Boylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10581732723849634398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-43591733516978766532010-01-20T12:18:24.546-08:002010-01-20T12:18:24.546-08:00Interesting but mainly misguided comments. Parents...Interesting but mainly misguided comments. Parents always have been and will be the 'primary educators in the faith', if there is a lapse in the practice of our young people then perhaps that's the first place to look. I would also be interested in how many of your commenters have actually engaged with the RE dept in their local catholic schools. In 10 years of RE teaching I've had less than a handful of parents talk about the catholic nature of the curriculum. I certainly don't agree that priests are sidelined in our schools, it would actually be quite nice to find priests who are willing to come and engage with our young people in school. In my experience, they are few and far between.Mr Baynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00224900665736837241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-82775752890438069242010-01-19T19:41:49.364-08:002010-01-19T19:41:49.364-08:00The Manhattan Declaration
A CALL OF CHRISTIAN CONS...The Manhattan Declaration<br />A CALL OF CHRISTIAN CONSCIENCE<br /><br />Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family.<br /><br />We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:<br />the sanctity of human life<br />the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife<br />the rights of conscience and religious liberty.<br /><br />Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.<br /><br />Please<br />1.Read the Manhattan Declaration<br />2. Sign the Manhattan Declaration<br />http://www.manhattandeclaration.org/Gregoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04555354586251657108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-89796203305435094772010-01-18T14:11:45.240-08:002010-01-18T14:11:45.240-08:00Start at the top . . . when you have allegedly Cat...Start at the top . . . when you have allegedly Catholic teacher training colleges which will not allow students who are Religious to wear their habits, and clerics to wear their collars, what hope can there be ?Dominic Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14514722976964423091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-3959135615847138482010-01-18T13:39:05.211-08:002010-01-18T13:39:05.211-08:00Thank you for your excellent post, Father. I must...Thank you for your excellent post, Father. I must admit that I also found it rather depressing; to think of the direction in which some of our Catholic schools seem to heading.Idle Ramblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07583960388335420573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-76880559054536086572010-01-18T13:12:46.411-08:002010-01-18T13:12:46.411-08:00Dear Fr. John
Thank you for this calm and well-wr...Dear Fr. John<br /><br />Thank you for this calm and well-written article. We came across your blog via John Smeaton of SPUC's blog. We are greatly encouraged and will visit again!<br /><br />In the meantime this issue is very distressing indeed.<br /><br />The word discrimination is used a lot in regard to this matter. However those who are really being discriminated against are those Catholics wishing to teach the Faith according to the mind and heart of the Catholic Church. And that is not on!<br /><br />It doesn't just mean that their religious sentiments get ruffled. It thwarts the living out of their Baptised vocation (which also has real family-threatening consequences for the paying of bills etc!)<br /><br />I would dearly love to be a Catholic teacher; teaching and catechising young people in the great gift of the Faith. By God's Grace I have a love of Our Lord and the Church, a tested gift for teaching and public speaking, an understanding of young people, and an MA in orthodox Catholic Theology.<br /><br />Over the years I have grappled with completing a PGCE in order to become a teacher. However I have become convinced that this would be very hard to accomplish in good conscience due to the requirements of the national curriculum. These already include a very relativistic approach to religion/religions and moral issues; in addition to explicit 'sex education' which is set to get worse with legal developments this year. <br /><br />It is also most unfortunate that we do not have an orthodox teacher training college. Some teacher training colleges actually state on their websites that applicants 'must have no prior preconceptions about truth or faith'. Imagine that being asked of a Mathematics or Physics teacher! It is true that Maryvale offer a PGCE course. However one still has to find a placement school and will then clash with the curriculum in any case... Then there is the demonstrable fact that much of the Catholic school system itself has become rotten through and lost sight of its authentic purpose. <br /><br />Pope Pius XI said that the 'proper and immediate end of Christian Education is to co-operate with divine grace in forming the true and perfect Christian, that is, to form Christ Himself in those regenerated by Baptism.' <br /><br />Unfortunately, many in contemporary Catholic education do not comprehend this supernatural end. Indeed theirs is a paradigm in which Charles Dicken's character Mr. Gradgrind from Hard Times would feel quite at home. ('All these children need is facts, facts, facts'). <br /><br />About 8 years ago I gave some 100 pro-life talks in schools across the country. In these talks I promoted the teaching of the Church on marriage and the family and the pro-life message. They were received well by hundreds of young people. However, at times I was contradicted and mocked by dissenting 'Catholic' teachers - even on matters such as the abortifacient 'Morning-After-Pill'.<br /><br />Some Catholic educators opposed me and claimed that education was all about giving people information to make an informed choice. I should rather have thought that - as Catholics - it was about bringing souls to Christ and forming their consciences to discern between good and evil.<br /><br />In the end my wife and I decided to go private and go around parishes and dioceses teaching the Faith to youth groups/marriage preparation classes/RCIA groups. Once we get in to talk to folks we often meet with similar success amongst our hearers. The problem is first getting past those who should be defending and spreading the Faith but would prefer to commit to environmentalism mixed with a diluted, generic Christianity.<br /><br />Thanks for all you have articulated Father. At least we all know that our hope is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth!<br /><br />Yours in the love of Jesus Christ!<br />Alan and Angeline Houghtontorchofthefaithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09128214322674215841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-38007535762556655772010-01-18T12:51:38.418-08:002010-01-18T12:51:38.418-08:00I have taught in two Catholic state schools in the...I have taught in two Catholic state schools in the UK; both struggle to teach the Faith in an authentic way, especially in the area of sexual morality. This is because of a lack of Catholic staff but also, quite frankly, a lack of nerve in the face of an increasingly aggressive and intolerant secularism that has taken hold of our country. Secular approaches to sexual morality are based on wholly contrary and different anthropological assumptions to those of the Faith. It is tragic to see our bishops unable to uphold teaching in this area and to simply adopt the secular line out of convenience.<br /><br />Shades of St Thomas More...Dr Stephen Milnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04851971977049747622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-10475480604467555192010-01-18T12:03:59.490-08:002010-01-18T12:03:59.490-08:00GOR: the almost total state funding of our schools...GOR: the almost total state funding of our schools has come at a great price - the control of our schools. I would be amongst a not-insignificant-number of people who would advocate telling the Government: we've had enough and are pulling out. If the Government says 'fine' well, we know where we stand. I'm sure that with the generosity of good Catholics no poor Catholic would be deprived of a Catholic education in a properly Catholic School.Father John Boylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10581732723849634398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-23488692518094773012010-01-18T11:55:13.898-08:002010-01-18T11:55:13.898-08:00Fr: I couldn't agree more. What we want are sc...Fr: I couldn't agree more. What we want are schools that are centres of excellence in the transmission of the Catholic Faith.<br /><br />Monica: I can assure you that clergy also wonder about what influence have. As a lay person your voice is important. You are always free to write to the Apostolic Nuncio.Father John Boylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10581732723849634398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-36510486014979847242010-01-18T11:15:24.139-08:002010-01-18T11:15:24.139-08:00Excellent post, Father!
Is there any initiative o...Excellent post, Father!<br /><br />Is there any initiative or will in Britain to emulate our situation here in the US and forego government funding for Catholic schools - thus preventing unwarranted secular intrusion? I’m sure the expense on the Church and Catholic families would be great, as it is here.<br /><br />Admittedly it is unfair to have to support public education which is not availed of, while paying again for Catholic education – but at least here it obviates government interference in Catholic schools. Of course it is not a panacea and not all ‘Catholic’ schools here are as Catholic as they should be. But that is a different issue.<br /> <br />Would such a system not be feasible in the UK?GORhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14313101159848740722noreply@blogger.com