Alas Sister Rita is now retired and most children fortunate enough to attend Catholic school, are taught by lay people. My daughter would tell me that her science class often ran two periods because the science teacher was also the religion instructor. You can see where he placed his priorities.
As Dir for Rel Ed at my parish, let me assure you that it is a struggle to convince parents to send their children to Sunday school. Ironically, parents of 2 and 3 y/o's beg to have their kids admitted to class. It matters not that their babies comperhend nothing and only disrupt the class for the 4 and 5 y/o's. But once the kids reach age 10, the battle ensues. They don't want to come and Mom and Dad give every excuse imaginable in their son (or daughter)'s defense .... he has (fill in the sport) practice at that time, she has a b'day party (or is in a wedding, etc) on that day ....
Like you, I also had the nuns but those days are long gone. The bishop in our RC diocese has now made rel ed, optional. Is it any wonder the children and their parents are all confused?
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I agree it sounds dreadful, but only because many Catholics today have chosen to live a secular lifestyle. They have chosen to look away from the truth.
Rather then have a formal religious ed class, the parents who don’t want the kids in class should be given the books necessary to teach their kids the catechism. In the best of worlds, they would have already owned the books. Then, let the parents know that before the kids get First Communion Father will be sitting down and having a chat with them. If their child has not been taught the basics of the faith, they’ll have to wait. A rel. ed class that is full of malcontents who make the time there stressful and a waste is not somewhere I want my children to be. Too often the children that do attend reflect the negative CINO attitudes of the parents, and since I don’t interact with them, why should my children? Sometimes it’s the instructors, too. Liberal agendas and an attitude of martyrdom. My two cents.
Not a reflection on you, NYer. We all know that you are the exception. But boy, all of the parish religious education classes my kids went through were wretched.
How then are they prepared for the Sacrements?