[FeeinTennessee]

There are many Churches (including mine) which would be happy to teach Sunday School to any and all, not only those who donate. It's biased reporting like this that gives us Christians a bad name.




I teach Sunday School volunatarily, kids and adults come when they can. We don't force them to. Or kick them out if the parents don't show up for church. I don't understand the reasoning behind that.

[B Knotts]

We Catholics believe that we have an obligation to assist at Mass every Sunday.

This is an important part of the Faith that they are learning in these classes. So, if the parents are rarely showing up for Mass, it doesn't really help reinforce what the kids are learning.

That said, I'm not in a position to say whether or not this pastor made the right call.

[jackibutterfly]

" We don't force them to. Or kick them out if the parents don't show up for church. I don't understand the reasoning behind that."

It's pretty easy - the reasoning is to get these Catholics to become serious about their faith, otherwise, why do they bother being Catholic?

[socialismisinsidious]

"The pastor said he suspended kids from the 2005-2006 after-school program because Mass is an "essential" component of the Catholic faith."

what is so hard to understand? Mass is essential in order to practice Catholicism....maybe the people in this article can start attending (or should I say NOT attending) your church.

[RobbyS]

What's the point? If their parents don't show for mass, then the kids get the idea that religious classes are just baby-sitting time.

[Steve_Seattle]

"I teach Sunday School volunatarily, kids and adults come when they can. We don't force them to. Or kick them out if the parents don't show up for church. I don't understand the reasoning behind that."

Belated reply: I don't know if this is a financial issue or an attempt to deal with lax Catholics. Many parishes have worked out complex arrangement for financing the schools, and this often involved supporting the school via sunday donations rather than through tuition. (This has interesting tax implications, because you can't deduct tuition but you can deduct contributions to the church itself.) But if this is an attempt to get parents to take the faith more seriously, I support it in theory, but it may not be the best way to handle it.

[SuziQ]

I teach Sunday School volunatarily, kids and adults come when they can. We don't force them to. Or kick them out if the parents don't show up for church. I don't understand the reasoning behind that.

This has nothing to do with money. It deals with the COMMITMENT parents have for passing along their faith. If they aren't concerned enough to get themselves and their kids to Mass on Sunday, they're fallind down on their marriage vows before God to raise their kids in the faith.