Posted on 06/27/2005 1:42:52 PM PDT by Coleus
| Parents miss Mass, kids get ax |
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The Rev. Michael Cichon, pastor of St. Joseph/St. Thomas in Pleasant Plains, used each family's bar-coded donation envelope to track attendance. He's tossed about 300 kids from classes and told them not to reapply until next April. Without the classes, children cannot receive the sacraments, meaning some youngsters who thought they'd be making their First Communion next year will have to wait. The suspensions, legal under church doctrine, were a shock to many parents with kids enrolled in the 1,400-child program, which caters to kids who don't attend Catholic schools. "It's hurtful," said Joseph LoPizzo, 38, whose 6-year-old son was booted. "I've been a parishioner at that church for 23 years - longer than he's been the reverend." LoPizzo said he paid the $150 for his son's Thursday afternoon classes last year, but his father-in-law's illness hampered the family's church attendance. "I've just never heard of a church kicking you out," complained Lisa Nicol, 36, who got a letter saying her 7-year-old twin daughters had been barred from classes. "They should be more welcoming and sensitive." The pastor said he suspended kids from the 2005-2006 after-school program because Mass is an "essential" component of the Catholic faith. The affected families were attending church less than once a month, he said. Cichon insisted that the move has nothing to do with the lack of a donation. "There are many families who put absolutely nothing inside the envelopes they submit," he said. |
The water is there Zavien.
"but there is no point to having any nonCatholics in a catholic education class."
Ummm...evangalization?
Get behind me Satan.
Why would you assume that?
Labyrinthos, do you hear a hissing sound?
Since you took care of the civil piece, go to the tribunal and see what they can do for you.
I'll offer you up at the altar.
You take one step...the Lord will take two. You are not the prodigal son, he is the prodigal father...watching and waiting while you are far off, with rings, sandals and the fatted calf.
Darling, if they dont track the donations, the donors dont get a year end statement and cannot deduct the donations from their taxes. IRS requirement.
see posts 77 and 88
These are after-school catholic formation classes. Formerly known as CCD.
OK
A rabbi, a Baptist minister, and a priest are sitting around drinking coffee and complaining. The rabbi says, "Oy, I have bats under the eaves of the synagogue. I've tried everything, inflatable owls, wind chimes, birdlime, you name it, I can't get rid of them." The minister says, "Yeah, they're in the steeple at our church, can't get rid of them, called the exterminator, it's no use."
"I don't have a problem," said the priest. "I just baptized and confirmed them, and now they only show up at Christmas and Easter . . . ."
Personally I'd rather loose these folks than have them come and give a five spot twice a year. What are you getting from them? At least the kids won't be exposed the blatant hypocrisy of the parents.
I think this is the first shot over the bow in Benedict's aim for a smaller, better Church. Lets get rid of the deadwood and leftist pap and be CATHOLIC.
You said you were born in Spain,maybe you were not familiar enough with the language to know you were not in a Catholic Church.
But in any case,as I remember your first post,you should never have shoved or pushed the minister,I never thought of Spanish people as being boorish and/or disrespectful.
Finally,it may be only in Phoenix,but all of my several Baptist friends are required to tithe,I agree with you,it is awful. I am assuming you don't do that in your Baptist Church in your area? Or,are Sothern Baptists different than just plain Baptists?
some people choose to send their children to Catholic schools even if they are not Catholic, due to a better curriculum, smaller classes, more like a private school setting, but in this case, the children are getting booted if the parents aren't coming to Mass.
No. re-read. Catholic children who do not attend Catholic schools are being barred from attending religious formation classes if their parents are not attending church. The envelopes are the tracking item for church attendance, what is in the envelop does not matter, it is the envelope that helps them track family attendance at church
However I never thought of the offering envelopes as a form of attendance keeping.
I often only put the envelope in the basket once a month or so (adjusting the donation appropriately).
But, parent's who are "dropping the kids off" are unlikely to be providing a Christian home (IMHO) and THAT is the pastor's concern. The donation is not any part of the issue.
This is an only an attempt by a frustrated pastor to get some "Catholics in name only" to get off their dead asses and come to mass with their children as they should.
There may be a better way.
You deserve no less than to be banned.
It would be interesting to know if he was besieged with irate parents calling to complain that their children were scared because they were told their parents were living with a mortal sin on their soul.
Or perhaps teachers brought the disconnect to his attention. They may have,or did recognize that teaching the Faith might/did make some children fearful,some parents angry and other children miserable because they were unable to practice what they were being taught.
This may have been the pastor's way of giving the parents a rap upside the head. Who knows,but I would like to know more.
I don't believe in visiting the sins of the father on the son, it's why I take a position on abortion that is more radical than most. I see no reason to be a hypocrite about that. My wife teaches religious instruction to 3rd graders once a week. Not much parent interaction but they've at least made the effort to get them there every week.
>>I think this is the first shot over the bow in Benedict's aim for a smaller, better Church. Lets get rid of the deadwood and leftist pap and be CATHOLIC.<<
Amen!!!!
This is an "it's about time" moment.
Mommy drops the dumpling off for a baby sitting and has a huge party for the Sacraments.
It's about time someone held the parents accountable.
One other thing. I don't do envelopes, I put the cash in the basket.
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