Non-Catholic Attending Catholic High School?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. He is a football player.

Then why look anywhere except DeMatha?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not Carholic, and I went to Catholic schools my whole life. In HS, they will have religion class and will be required to attend mass. If it's Gonzaga, they have some faith based retreats and students are very involved in faith based community service.
They won't ask during application process.
I didn't learn that they Bible isn't literally true and that we come from apes until college though. It was quite a shock. They do brainwash a bit,IMO.

Catholics don't believe that the Bible is literally true and Catholics believe in evolution. Kind of one of the biggest differences between some Protestants and Catholics actually. I think you went to an evangelical Christian school. They do seem all alike to atheists, but actually there are quite a few differences. There are plenty of websites/youtube videos on Sola scriptura Protestants vs. Catholics if anyone want to make sure they won't be doing art projects with cavemen riding dinosaurs at Catholic school.

Our non Catholic son is not required to take religion class (in middle or high school) and he is not required to attend mass. He is invited to participate in both, but it is his choice whether or not to participate. I think Catholic schools vary a great deal on how they approach students with other faiths. Please don't generalize your experience to all schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not Carholic, and I went to Catholic schools my whole life. In HS, they will have religion class and will be required to attend mass. If it's Gonzaga, they have some faith based retreats and students are very involved in faith based community service.
They won't ask during application process.
I didn't learn that they Bible isn't literally true and that we come from apes until college though. It was quite a shock. They do brainwash a bit,IMO.

Catholics don't believe that the Bible is literally true and Catholics believe in evolution. Kind of one of the biggest differences between some Protestants and Catholics actually. I think you went to an evangelical Christian school. They do seem all alike to atheists, but actually there are quite a few differences. There are plenty of websites/youtube videos on Sola scriptura Protestants vs. Catholics if anyone want to make sure they won't be doing art projects with cavemen riding dinosaurs at Catholic school.

Our non Catholic son is not required to take religion class (in middle or high school) and he is not required to attend mass. He is invited to participate in both, but it is his choice whether or not to participate. I think Catholic schools vary a great deal on how they approach students with other faiths. Please don't generalize your experience to all schools.

Really? Which school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son will be applying this fall to several Catholic high schools. We are not Catholic and my son has never been to church. He's hoping for a better education and better athletic opportunities. We support exposure to religious education. Can anyone shed some insight on how the interview process will work for a non-practicing student? What might interview questions look like and what is the best way to respond?

SJC parent here. There is no interview process per se, although your son will meet the admissions staff when he does his shadow day.

It's hard to get a fix on it, but I'd say SJC is close to majority non-Catholic. It is very different than Catholic K-8 parochial, which is almost 100% Catholic. As a student, he will take 4 years of religion, prayer before just about all classes, games, etc., and Mass once per month. If that much Catholicism is a problem, you won't be a fit. But there are Jewish, Muslim, and atheist (!) kids there, and I think they do their best to not have anyone feel left out. The staff only has about 3 brothers that teach - the rest are all lay people. The mission and campus ministry program is obviously very Catholic, but all that is optional.

Thank you for posting this. I had no idea! During Mass, how is Communion handled? Do they allow anyone to take the cup or do they restrict it to Catholics who've been to confession?

If your kid is not Catholic, they do not take Communion in a Catholic church.

They may go up for a blessing but no Eucharist.

Only Catholics who have received First Holy Communion may receive Communion.

As a non Catholic, your son should remain in the pew for Communion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not Carholic, and I went to Catholic schools my whole life. In HS, they will have religion class and will be required to attend mass. If it's Gonzaga, they have some faith based retreats and students are very involved in faith based community service.
They won't ask during application process.
I didn't learn that they Bible isn't literally true and that we come from apes until college though. It was quite a shock. They do brainwash a bit,IMO.

Catholics don't believe that the Bible is literally true and Catholics believe in evolution. Kind of one of the biggest differences between some Protestants and Catholics actually. I think you went to an evangelical Christian school. They do seem all alike to atheists, but actually there are quite a few differences. There are plenty of websites/youtube videos on Sola scriptura Protestants vs. Catholics if anyone want to make sure they won't be doing art projects with cavemen riding dinosaurs at Catholic school.

Our non Catholic son is not required to take religion class (in middle or high school) and he is not required to attend mass. He is invited to participate in both, but it is his choice whether or not to participate. I think Catholic schools vary a great deal on how they approach students with other faiths. Please don't generalize your experience to all schools.

Really? Which school?

Never heard of this! What school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son will be applying this fall to several Catholic high schools. We are not Catholic and my son has never been to church. He's hoping for a better education and better athletic opportunities. We support exposure to religious education. Can anyone shed some insight on how the interview process will work for a non-practicing student? What might interview questions look like and what is the best way to respond?

SJC parent here. There is no interview process per se, although your son will meet the admissions staff when he does his shadow day.

It's hard to get a fix on it, but I'd say SJC is close to majority non-Catholic. It is very different than Catholic K-8 parochial, which is almost 100% Catholic. As a student, he will take 4 years of religion, prayer before just about all classes, games, etc., and Mass once per month. If that much Catholicism is a problem, you won't be a fit. But there are Jewish, Muslim, and atheist (!) kids there, and I think they do their best to not have anyone feel left out. The staff only has about 3 brothers that teach - the rest are all lay people. The mission and campus ministry program is obviously very Catholic, but all that is optional.

Thank you for posting this. I had no idea! During Mass, how is Communion handled? Do they allow anyone to take the cup or do they restrict it to Catholics who've been to confession?

If your kid is not Catholic, they do not take Communion in a Catholic church.

They may go up for a blessing but no Eucharist.

Only Catholics who have received First Holy Communion may receive Communion.

As a non Catholic, your son should remain in the pew for Communion.

I am not Catholic and I take the Eucharist on a regular basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son will be applying this fall to several Catholic high schools. We are not Catholic and my son has never been to church. He's hoping for a better education and better athletic opportunities. We support exposure to religious education. Can anyone shed some insight on how the interview process will work for a non-practicing student? What might interview questions look like and what is the best way to respond?

SJC parent here. There is no interview process per se, although your son will meet the admissions staff when he does his shadow day.

It's hard to get a fix on it, but I'd say SJC is close to majority non-Catholic. It is very different than Catholic K-8 parochial, which is almost 100% Catholic. As a student, he will take 4 years of religion, prayer before just about all classes, games, etc., and Mass once per month. If that much Catholicism is a problem, you won't be a fit. But there are Jewish, Muslim, and atheist (!) kids there, and I think they do their best to not have anyone feel left out. The staff only has about 3 brothers that teach - the rest are all lay people. The mission and campus ministry program is obviously very Catholic, but all that is optional.

Thank you for posting this. I had no idea! During Mass, how is Communion handled? Do they allow anyone to take the cup or do they restrict it to Catholics who've been to confession?

If your kid is not Catholic, they do not take Communion in a Catholic church.

They may go up for a blessing but no Eucharist.

Only Catholics who have received First Holy Communion may receive Communion.

As a non Catholic, your son should remain in the pew for Communion.

I am not Catholic and I take the Eucharist on a regular basis.

Well, what you are doing is incorrect (unless your Eucharist is in a protestant church).

If it is a Catholic church you need to abstain from Communion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son will be applying this fall to several Catholic high schools. We are not Catholic and my son has never been to church. He's hoping for a better education and better athletic opportunities. We support exposure to religious education. Can anyone shed some insight on how the interview process will work for a non-practicing student? What might interview questions look like and what is the best way to respond?

SJC parent here. There is no interview process per se, although your son will meet the admissions staff when he does his shadow day.

It's hard to get a fix on it, but I'd say SJC is close to majority non-Catholic. It is very different than Catholic K-8 parochial, which is almost 100% Catholic. As a student, he will take 4 years of religion, prayer before just about all classes, games, etc., and Mass once per month. If that much Catholicism is a problem, you won't be a fit. But there are Jewish, Muslim, and atheist (!) kids there, and I think they do their best to not have anyone feel left out. The staff only has about 3 brothers that teach - the rest are all lay people. The mission and campus ministry program is obviously very Catholic, but all that is optional.

Thank you for posting this. I had no idea! During Mass, how is Communion handled? Do they allow anyone to take the cup or do they restrict it to Catholics who've been to confession?

If your kid is not Catholic, they do not take Communion in a Catholic church.

They may go up for a blessing but no Eucharist.

Only Catholics who have received First Holy Communion may receive Communion.

As a non Catholic, your son should remain in the pew for Communion.

I am not Catholic and I take the Eucharist on a regular basis.

Well, what you are doing is incorrect (unless your Eucharist is in a protestant church).

If it is a Catholic church you need to abstain from Communion.

No, I am definitely taking Communion in a Catholic church and I am not Catholic. YOU are incorrect to say you must be Catholic, because that is just not true. There are other non-Catholic religions that can take Holy Communion, and mine is one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son will be applying this fall to several Catholic high schools. We are not Catholic and my son has never been to church. He's hoping for a better education and better athletic opportunities. We support exposure to religious education. Can anyone shed some insight on how the interview process will work for a non-practicing student? What might interview questions look like and what is the best way to respond?

SJC parent here. There is no interview process per se, although your son will meet the admissions staff when he does his shadow day.

It's hard to get a fix on it, but I'd say SJC is close to majority non-Catholic. It is very different than Catholic K-8 parochial, which is almost 100% Catholic. As a student, he will take 4 years of religion, prayer before just about all classes, games, etc., and Mass once per month. If that much Catholicism is a problem, you won't be a fit. But there are Jewish, Muslim, and atheist (!) kids there, and I think they do their best to not have anyone feel left out. The staff only has about 3 brothers that teach - the rest are all lay people. The mission and campus ministry program is obviously very Catholic, but all that is optional.

Thank you for posting this. I had no idea! During Mass, how is Communion handled? Do they allow anyone to take the cup or do they restrict it to Catholics who've been to confession?

If your kid is not Catholic, they do not take Communion in a Catholic church.

They may go up for a blessing but no Eucharist.

Only Catholics who have received First Holy Communion may receive Communion.

As a non Catholic, your son should remain in the pew for Communion.

Non catholic kids don't "remain in he pew", they walk up to communion with the catholic kids and cross their arm so the priest knows to bless them instead of give them communion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son will be applying this fall to several Catholic high schools. We are not Catholic and my son has never been to church. He's hoping for a better education and better athletic opportunities. We support exposure to religious education. Can anyone shed some insight on how the interview process will work for a non-practicing student? What might interview questions look like and what is the best way to respond?

SJC parent here. There is no interview process per se, although your son will meet the admissions staff when he does his shadow day.

It's hard to get a fix on it, but I'd say SJC is close to majority non-Catholic. It is very different than Catholic K-8 parochial, which is almost 100% Catholic. As a student, he will take 4 years of religion, prayer before just about all classes, games, etc., and Mass once per month. If that much Catholicism is a problem, you won't be a fit. But there are Jewish, Muslim, and atheist (!) kids there, and I think they do their best to not have anyone feel left out. The staff only has about 3 brothers that teach - the rest are all lay people. The mission and campus ministry program is obviously very Catholic, but all that is optional.

Thank you for posting this. I had no idea! During Mass, how is Communion handled? Do they allow anyone to take the cup or do they restrict it to Catholics who've been to confession?

If your kid is not Catholic, they do not take Communion in a Catholic church.

They may go up for a blessing but no Eucharist.

Only Catholics who have received First Holy Communion may receive Communion.

As a non Catholic, your son should remain in the pew for Communion.

I am not Catholic and I take the Eucharist on a regular basis.

Well, what you are doing is incorrect (unless your Eucharist is in a protestant church).

If it is a Catholic church you need to abstain from Communion.

No, I am definitely taking Communion in a Catholic church and I am not Catholic. YOU are incorrect to say you must be Catholic, because that is just not true. There are other non-Catholic religions that can take Holy Communion, and mine is one of them.

If you are not "In Communion" with the Catholic Church you should not take Communion. Do you believe what you are taking is the transubstantiated body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ? Then they would probably appreciate you not taking it, since you are not consuming it with the proper reverence and you do not know the protocols on how to respectfully consume it. Double-check with the priest at your school to make sure. Communion is different at different types of churches but that can be confusing as the Catholic Host still maintains the physical properties of the bread. Many churches give blessings during Communion but some priests do not like to mix the blessings and the Eucharist so they request that attendees who have not received their FHC remain seated. Technically you can go up and imitate everyone else and take Communion, so yes you can take it, but may you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son will be applying this fall to several Catholic high schools. We are not Catholic and my son has never been to church. He's hoping for a better education and better athletic opportunities. We support exposure to religious education. Can anyone shed some insight on how the interview process will work for a non-practicing student? What might interview questions look like and what is the best way to respond?

SJC parent here. There is no interview process per se, although your son will meet the admissions staff when he does his shadow day.

It's hard to get a fix on it, but I'd say SJC is close to majority non-Catholic. It is very different than Catholic K-8 parochial, which is almost 100% Catholic. As a student, he will take 4 years of religion, prayer before just about all classes, games, etc., and Mass once per month. If that much Catholicism is a problem, you won't be a fit. But there are Jewish, Muslim, and atheist (!) kids there, and I think they do their best to not have anyone feel left out. The staff only has about 3 brothers that teach - the rest are all lay people. The mission and campus ministry program is obviously very Catholic, but all that is optional.

Thank you for posting this. I had no idea! During Mass, how is Communion handled? Do they allow anyone to take the cup or do they restrict it to Catholics who've been to confession?

If your kid is not Catholic, they do not take Communion in a Catholic church.

They may go up for a blessing but no Eucharist.

Only Catholics who have received First Holy Communion may receive Communion.

As a non Catholic, your son should remain in the pew for Communion.

I am not Catholic and I take the Eucharist on a regular basis.

Well, what you are doing is incorrect (unless your Eucharist is in a protestant church).

If it is a Catholic church you need to abstain from Communion.

No, I am definitely taking Communion in a Catholic church and I am not Catholic. YOU are incorrect to say you must be Catholic, because that is just not true. There are other non-Catholic religions that can take Holy Communion, and mine is one of them.

Orthodox faiths (Greek, Russian, etc) can receive Catholic Holy Communion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son will be applying this fall to several Catholic high schools. We are not Catholic and my son has never been to church. He's hoping for a better education and better athletic opportunities. We support exposure to religious education. Can anyone shed some insight on how the interview process will work for a non-practicing student? What might interview questions look like and what is the best way to respond?

SJC parent here. There is no interview process per se, although your son will meet the admissions staff when he does his shadow day.

It's hard to get a fix on it, but I'd say SJC is close to majority non-Catholic. It is very different than Catholic K-8 parochial, which is almost 100% Catholic. As a student, he will take 4 years of religion, prayer before just about all classes, games, etc., and Mass once per month. If that much Catholicism is a problem, you won't be a fit. But there are Jewish, Muslim, and atheist (!) kids there, and I think they do their best to not have anyone feel left out. The staff only has about 3 brothers that teach - the rest are all lay people. The mission and campus ministry program is obviously very Catholic, but all that is optional.

Thank you for posting this. I had no idea! During Mass, how is Communion handled? Do they allow anyone to take the cup or do they restrict it to Catholics who've been to confession?

If your kid is not Catholic, they do not take Communion in a Catholic church.

They may go up for a blessing but no Eucharist.

Only Catholics who have received First Holy Communion may receive Communion.

As a non Catholic, your son should remain in the pew for Communion.

Non catholic kids don't "remain in he pew", they walk up to communion with the catholic kids and cross their arm so the priest knows to bless them instead of give them communion.

As I stated in my second sentence, he may go up for a blessing during communion. The other option of staying in the pew was added on at the end of my post.

[Anonymous]

What about the other parts of the Mass that non-Catholics wouldn't participate in. Like reciting the Nicene Creed ("We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.") or making the sign of The Cross through out the Mass?

You'll notice that in this part of the Creed, it's not said that the Catholic Church is one of many alternatives. It's the only one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about the other parts of the Mass that non-Catholics wouldn't participate in. Like reciting the Nicene Creed ("We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.") or making the sign of The Cross through out the Mass?

You'll notice that in this part of the Creed, it's not said that the Catholic Church is one of many alternatives. It's the only one.

In the Nicene creed, catholic is lowercase - it is not talking about the Catholic church, it means universal, which is meant to include all Christian faiths. Other denominations also recite the Nicene creed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son will be applying this fall to several Catholic high schools. We are not Catholic and my son has never been to church. He's hoping for a better education and better athletic opportunities. We support exposure to religious education. Can anyone shed some insight on how the interview process will work for a non-practicing student? What might interview questions look like and what is the best way to respond?

SJC parent here. There is no interview process per se, although your son will meet the admissions staff when he does his shadow day.

It's hard to get a fix on it, but I'd say SJC is close to majority non-Catholic. It is very different than Catholic K-8 parochial, which is almost 100% Catholic. As a student, he will take 4 years of religion, prayer before just about all classes, games, etc., and Mass once per month. If that much Catholicism is a problem, you won't be a fit. But there are Jewish, Muslim, and atheist (!) kids there, and I think they do their best to not have anyone feel left out. The staff only has about 3 brothers that teach - the rest are all lay people. The mission and campus ministry program is obviously very Catholic, but all that is optional.

Thank you for posting this. I had no idea! During Mass, how is Communion handled? Do they allow anyone to take the cup or do they restrict it to Catholics who've been to confession?

If your kid is not Catholic, they do not take Communion in a Catholic church.

They may go up for a blessing but no Eucharist.

Only Catholics who have received First Holy Communion may receive Communion.

As a non Catholic, your son should remain in the pew for Communion.

Non catholic kids don't "remain in he pew", they walk up to communion with the catholic kids and cross their arm so the priest knows to bless them instead of give them communion.

As I stated in my second sentence, he may go up for a blessing during communion. The other option of staying in the pew was added on at the end of my post.

In my parish (not school), the pastor does not want non-Catholics coming up for a blessing. He refers to it as a liturgical abuse or something like that. He's Opus Dei though, which makes everything a little tense for run-of-the-mill Catholics.