Parents miss Mass, kids get ax

NY Daily News ^ | 06.27.05 | NANCY DILLON

[B Knotts]

FYI, this is not about a Catholic school.

This is about religious education (what used to be called CCD or Catechism). They are classes to teach the Faith to children.

The classes, or some subset of them, are required for the children to receive First Communion and Confirmation.

[Heartland Mom]

What happens if the family was on vacation and attended Mass where they were at that time? Or if they were attending Mass at another church nearby? Or if they didn't remember to put an envelope in? What's next - a sign in sheet? What is to stop someone from putting an entire month of envelopes in on one visit(and thus paying their way out of attendance) or having someone else put their envelope in for them? This is ridiculous.

[USAFJeeper]

Its BS. I am Catholic and I purposely don't use the envelopes they send me. Partly paranoia about being tracked, and partly cause I went into a non Catholic church one time and on the bulletin board by church they had a list of people not meeting tithes posted there. While I had not seen it at a Catholic church, well what they don't see cannot be tracked.

I put cash in, when I attend. And no its not every week. This pastor is wrong imo, and my kids and money would find a new home.

[LWalk18]

I'm not Catholic, but I can see the pastor's point. If the parents won't attend mass, then religious education of the children is a waste of time because they won't be attending either. Even when they become old enough to go on their own they will be less likely to attend more than occasionally. Parents must set an example in their children's spiritual lives.

[Malacoda]

(In our town, a lot of non-Catholics send their kids to Catholic school because the local public schools are hotbeds of liberal crap. They took a field trip to "PrideFest" downtown.)

[tfecw]

Well to extend that I'm not sure why you can't just leave someone home to take care of the sick and have someone else take the family to mass as well as become -Sorry for my lack of terminology here- one of the people who get qualified to bring communion to the sick.

[frogjerk]

As a side note (and minor digression into half silliness half seriousness) isn't it the God Parents that are charged with making sure the children grow up to be good catholics?

No. During the baptism the Parents are specifically charged with being the teachers of their children in the Catholic Faith. If the parents are not practicing Catholics they cannot set an example to their children.

[Palladin]

Disgusting--visiting the sins and omissions of the parents upon the innocent children.

This is all about money, anyway. Since the priest sex scandals began, revenues have been decreasing every week in most parishes.

These strong-arm tactics will only result in the families leaving the parish of this tyrant and joining another parish, or leaving the RCC altogether. There are many Evangelical churches waiting to welcome these people with open arms--and no hand in their pocket.

Some priests just don't get it.

[vrwcagent0498]

The issue is the (Catholic) kids being expelled from school entirely because of their parents' non-attendance at Mass on Sundays.

Do they only allow Catholic children to be enrolled?

Maybe it's different down South where I live, because there has always been at least 10% non-Catholic students in mine and my son's Catholic schools

[frogjerk]

Well to extend that I'm not sure why you can't just leave someone home to take care of the sick and have someone else take the family to mass as well as become -Sorry for my lack of terminology here- one of the people who get qualified to bring communion to the sick.

Exactly. Call the rectory and a Eucharistic minister come to your house. They will never refuse you. I think they are called "Extraordinary Ministers".

[Tax-chick]

Our Sister talked about this problem earlier this year. She said that if the Church gives the Sacraments to children whose parents are non-practicing, they're imposing an obligation on the child that he or she is not capable of fulfilling without support from the parents, and that's not fair to the child.

[vrwcagent0498]

Exactly.

A lot of people send their children to Catholic schools to avoid having to send their children to (God-less, amoral) public schools.

[mountn man]

isn't it the God Parents that are charged with making sure the children grow up to be good catholics?

I'm not catholic, but I play one on tv. Whoops, I mean I'm not catholic, but I am Godfather to my buddy's youngest son. The way I've understood it, I'm to make sure that the parents are doing their job raising their kids in the ways of the church. If anything ever happens to the parents, then I'm to personally take charge of my Godsons religious up bringing.

[TwoDogs]

Bravo

Bet he got the parents attention. Furthermore, I'll bet they will start attending more and paying more attention in due course.

[r9etb]

Cichon is a jackass. Satan himself couldn't have come up with a better plan for chasing people away from the church.

[Thinkin' Gal]

The Rev. Michael Cichon, pastor of St. Joseph/St. Thomas in Pleasant Plains, used each family's bar-coded donation envelope to track attendance.

[BobCNY]

I teach 9th grade religious education at my Catholic parish. Most my students do not go to weekly Sunday Mass because their parents do not bring them.

I talk about the readings from Scripture from Sunday Mass or the sermon and I get blank stares.

I agree with the priest on this one.

If the parents can not take their children to Mass to hear Scripture read and hear the sermon, and expect to "pushed through the system" like a public school to obtain the Sacraments, they should think again.

That lack of parental involvement in Catholic education and participating in the Sacraments have already turned out a few generations of poorly formed Catholics.

[frogjerk]

The pastor of a Staten Island Catholic church is playing holy hardball - kicking hundreds of kids out of religious ed classes because their families aren't showing up at Mass..

This is regarding CCD not regular school.

[Coleus]

Should this be considered "mass expulsion"? :) >>

You bet.