Really stupid question about Catholic schools

[connorlevismom]

So I have started my research in schools for my DS and we are looking at private at the moment. Anyway, there are so many Catholic schools and we are Lutheran. I know, not that big of a difference. My question is, I know that religion plays a huge part in the school and they get their sacraments in school as well. They don't force you to get first communion and the like if your not Catholic do you? At my church they don't get first communion until later and I want him to stay with the Lutheran schedule.

Kristine

 

[Tinkerbellish]

I don't think that they would FORCE your child into doing it. Although when I was in Catholic school First Communion was a huge part of the second grade curriculum so I can see it making your son uncomfortable.

 

[AKL_Megs]

I went to Catholic school, and we had a few non-Catholics in our school. They do have to take religion class, which is regular curriculum, but they don't participate in the sacrements. The schools only care about the $$$ they get from you from tuition, honestly.

 

[belle&beast]

I attended Catholic schools for 12 years and DD just started Kindergarten. My experience has been that if a child is not baptized Catholic, he/she cannot receive the sacraments in a Catholic Church. I had many friends attend school that were not Catholic and most say that Confirmation and First Communion were difficult because they felt left out.

 

[BrerMom]

The other posters are correct - not only will he not be FORCED to, he won't be ALLOWED to.

 

[Cool-Beans]

As was said, they take religion but do not participate in the sacraments...which makes them the odd kid out. It isn't that big a deal. I know when I went to school we had a kid in the class who wasn't Catholic. We were like, "Well, that's Chris. He isn't Catholic." We didn't care much. But I think the kid who is the only one NOT doing something might feel weird about it, depending on the kid. Food for thought there.

I wouldn't put a kid in a Catholic school unless I wanted to go along with the program. It is confusing for the kid to learn one thing about God one place and something else in another. Plus, there is that being the only kid who doesn't go up for communion thing.

I'm a huge believer in private school. But, I would send the kids to a Lutheran school or a non-denominational school instead of a Catholic one.

Also, non-parisioners don't pay the discounted tuition rate. I don't know if you care about that, but that's generally how it goes.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I was raised Catholic and went to a Catholic school for 8 years. I was shocked when I found out that there were Catholics who went to public schools. *gasp* I had thought all those public schoolers were just heathens.

Anyway, I can't imagine back then (60's, early 70's) that there would be non-Catholics in our school, but things have probably changed.

I can imagine what it must be like to attend a Catholic school and not take part in what everyone else is doing. I live in a very Catholic town, but we were raising our kids Episcopalian, and eventually, with some changes in our church, we stopped going. (Which I regret, but that's another story.) My kids, who attend public schools, have felt very left out over the years that their friends, also attending public school, have made their First Communion/Confirmation, and it's not even as close a situation as being in a Catholic school and being totally surrounded by friends/classmates going through the processes.

Tough situation. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Christine]

My kids are Episcopalian and they go to a Catholic school. We haven't had any problems. It's been great.

 

[BrerMom]

If you want to talk about feeling left out, I know a teacher whose Catholic High School decided that there were too many non-Catholic teachers on staff. They started having communion at every staff meeting. Of course, the non-Catholics couldn't participate. Not surprisingly, quite a few of them left at the end of the year.

Now think about a small child in the same situation....

 

[Toby'sFriend]

You really need to check with the specific school to see how they handle it.

We are actually Methodist and my kids go to a Lutheran School. There are 40 slots in my son's grade level and 10 of them are "non Church Members." When my son first started it was only 4 or 5 so it was a little more difficult then. There are so many now that they have started a separate Religion section for the non-Church member kids. The Lutherans have Religion classes taught by a Pastor, and the non-Church Member kids go to a Religion class taught by one of the Teachers. When my kids first enrolled at the school my husband and I both signed a contract stating we were open to the thought of our Children choosing to join the Lutheran Church if they made that choice - which I don't have a problem contemplating. If you were dead set against your kids converting to Catholicism, then you probably would want to avoid the Catholic schools.


There are two Catholic grade schools in our area. One has a huge waiting list and since Parish members have priority, it is doubtful a Non-Catholic would ever get to attend. The other runs about 1/4 non-Church Members last I inquired. The local Catholic High School has similar demographics - about 25% non-Catholics so in both cases it isn't like there is just one lonely little UnCatholic sitting by themselves not participating.

 

[taylor1293]

I'm not Catholic and went to a Catholic school (was one of only 2 in the school who wasn't Catholic) and it was no big deal! That was back in the late 70's, early 80's. I participated in everything the other kids did (religion, preparing for confirmation, lol). Except I was not allowed to formally recieve the sacraments.

You're child will not be forced, nor will he be allowed, to take communion or be confirmed in the Catholic church .

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

I'm a firm believer in a Catholic education, and I think your child will be fine there as a Lutheran. The basic premise of the two religions is so similar that he can learn things about his own faith journey as a Lutheran.

There are always a handful of kids who do not go thru the sacraments, and it honestly only affects him on a few occasions throughout his second-grade year. He will still be graded for religion and will still go thru everything with his classmates up until actually going into the confessional and taking communion.

Many protestants find that learning about the Catholic faith helps them learn about the traditions in their own faith, and I think your son would do fine in that environment.

 

[taylor1293]

As a non-catholic attending catholic school where we had church every morning. It never phased me that I was the only one (of two) in the school that had to sit back in the pew and let the others pass me by to receive communion.

If the school had an issue about having non-catholics as teachers, why did they hire them in the first place? If I were teaching there, morning service/communion wouldn't phase me in the least. I would understand that was a possibility when teaching at a private religious school .

If you want to talk about feeling left out, I know a teacher whose Catholic High School decided that there were too many non-Catholic teachers on staff. They started having communion at every staff meeting. Of course, the non-Catholics couldn't participate. Not surprisingly, quite a few of them left at the end of the year.

Now think about a small child in the same situation....

 

[swea_pea1]

I went to 12 years of Catholic School with many non-Catholics. We didn't ostracize those kids from what I can remember. Actually, around sacrament time, we were probably worse to the CCD kids since we didn't see them every day at school.

 

[BrerMom]

If the school had an issue about having non-catholics as teachers, why did they hire them in the first place? If I were teaching there, morning service/communion wouldn't phase me in the least. I would understand that was a possibility when teaching at a private religious school .

You know, it's probably all in the attitude. One school could do it with grace, love, & no problem and another with "attitude." The teacher I know felt very uncomfortable with the way they were excluded.

 

[taylor1293]

I see what you are saying . If they were purposely trying to make the non-catholics feel excluded and like outsiders, it would be a hostile working environment.

It doesn't say very good things about those so called "Christian" teachers, priest, and principal who would behave in such an un-Christian manner.

You know, it's probably all in the attitude. One school could do it with grace, love, & no problem and another with "attitude." The teacher I know felt very uncomfortable with the way they were excluded.

 

[teacher31]

I see what you are saying . If they were purposely trying to make the non-catholics feel excluded and like outsiders, it would be a hostile working environment.

It doesn't say very good things about those so called "Christian" teachers, priest, and principal who would behave in such an un-Christian manner.

I taught at a Catholic school for over 10 years. It was the policy to make sure that teachers teaching the Faith were Catholic. We happened to have only one non-Catholic on staff and really appreciated her input. She simply did not go to communion. It wasn't a big deal at all.

 

[disneyjunkie]

We're about as far from Catholic as you get on the Christian spectrum.(Pentecostal) Yet, I attended Catholic schools for 6 years(73-79) and my son attends a Catholic high school.

When I was in school, we were required to take religion classes once a week. Students that were preparing for their First Communion were pulled out of class for extra religion classes.

We only attended Mass a few times a year. The year I was in 6th grade (middle school), we never had to go to Mass.

My son's school has Mass a few times a semester. According to him, only a handful of students takes part communion.

The schools only care about the $$$ they get from you from tuition, honestly.

If it weren't for the non-Catholic, many of the Catholic schools in my area would have closed a long time ago.

When we moved back to NY, I looked into enrolling my son in a Catholic school. I was shocked to learn that so many teachers weren't certified or had even attended college.

We went with public schools from 3-9 grade.

When I decided to enroll in a Catholic high school, I was delighted to learn that all the teachers were required to have a masters in their field of expertise.

 

[Fitswimmer]

We had a few non-Catholics back when I went to school in the Dark Ages, and they had religion class the same as we did, but the sacraments weren't part of the school day. Holy Communion was held on Saturday morning, and Confirmation was either on the weekends or a weeknight when the Bishop was available. Mass was before first bell, so the non-Catholic kids actually got a break there, they got to sleep a little later than we did!!

 

[maelstrom]

My mom went to Catholic school until 11th grade, so until 1972 (she attended high school at Stella Maris in Rockaway Beach, NYC before moving up here). She said that there were a few non-Catholic girls at her schools.

Unfortunately, in many areas, the only option for a private school is a Catholic school. There are no non-denominational private schools around here. So if you want a private school education, you have two options: one of the Catholic schools (two grade schools and one high school), or the Christian school. If I still live in this area when I have children, and I am unable to homeschool them (homeschool is my first choice), I will send them to Catholic school, despite being an Agnostic Atheist. My mom would've sent me to Catholic school if she had been able to afford it (instead I was sent to a weekly religion class). She gave me the option to switch to the Catholic high school for 11th and 12th grade, but I opted to homeschool instead.