To what lengths are you willing to go to ensure your children keep practising their faith into adulthood? Did you know that choosing how your child is educated could mean the difference between that child retaining or losing his or her faith? As we come upon the conclusion of another academic year, it’s a good time to examine how you are supporting your child’s faith formation at home, but also, through your family’s education choices.
According to lawyer and author Mary Rice Hasson, if you send your child to public school, he or she has only a five per cent chance of continuing to practise the faith after graduation. Five per cent! Hasson, as a fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., is also a consultant on the Catholic perspective on the human person and speaks worldwide on the dangers of gender ideology, especially as taught in public school. As co-author, with Dr. Theresa Farnan, of the 2018 book Get Out Now: Why You Should Pull Your Child From Public School Before It’s Too Late, Hasson practically begs Catholic parents to not risk their children’s faith by putting or keeping them in public school.
Obviously, five per cent means it’s not impossible that children who attend public school can keep their faith. But, with the statistics painting such a grim picture, the risk is certainly high, too high considering the stakes – your children’s souls.
Many people will make the argument that they can’t afford to send their children to private school, and that is a valid concern. Sometimes, however, parents need to ask themselves what they are willing to sacrifice for the sake of the souls of their children. The same goes for the option of homeschooling, a scenario that usually requires one parent to be at home with the children full-time, which is certainly a sacrifice for many. If your family will end up on food stamps in order for your children to obtain a Catholic education, then perhaps that’s a bridge too far. But, if it is more about your family having to lower its standard of living in terms of the extras of vacations and other comforts, then perhaps it’s time to really weigh the pros and cons. Some private schools will also work with families who need help financially.
Some parents who intend to set aside funds for their children’s post-secondary education might consider using that money for private or homeschool primary education. Let’s face it, the elementary years are where it’s at for faith formation. If children are not immersed in a life of faith from birth, including their early schooling years, then the faith just won’t make sense to their young minds. Children thrive on routine, including weekly, or even daily, Mass, daily prayer, connecting family life to liturgical life, incorporating saint days and feasts into the home life. It is up to Catholic parents to create for their children the Catholic culture that is now lacking in general society. However, if the faith is lived at home and then the child attends public school where they will learn the opposite of what is being taught at home, confusion will abound. It doesn’t take long to go from confusion to peer pressure to abandoning the faith that is painted as unpopular, misogynistic, homophobic and archaic.
Some people are fortunate enough to live where good Catholic schools are free. In our neck of the woods, the only options for Catholic education are private or homeschooling. We’ve always felt that the investment in Catholic school for our kids is worth the sacrifices made to cover the costs.
There is absolutely nothing more important than the souls of our children. The fact that God has placed those souls in our care is a weighty thing. As Catholic parents, our primary duty is to get that child from birth to adulthood, faith intact. Let’s face it, the obstacles along the way are many. There’s pretty much no activity your child can be involved in where they won’t encounter some challenge to their faith. But children who are taught their faith in a clear and consistent way, at home and in school, will have the tools they need to be kind and fair-minded to others, but at the same time, not let their own beliefs be railroaded.
Ultimately, there are no guarantees that even with the best efforts, education and intentions that our children will grow into faithful adult Catholics. But the onus is on every Catholic parent to do their best to try to make that happen. Give your kids a fighting chance to fulfill the promises you made for them at their baptism. Give them the faith-fortifying tools they need through a Catholic education.
Lazzuri writes from her home in Nova Scotia, where she lives with her husband, six children, and her mom. She can be reached at clarelazzuri@gmail.com.
