non Christian in Catholic school? Holy Cross Vs. OLOL vs. St. Jane

[Anonymous]

hi,
I'm considering catholic school for my daughter who will be in kindergarten next year. Based on our location my choices are Holy Cross in Garrett Park, St. Jane de Chantal or Our Lady of Lourdes in Bethesda. We are not Christians but I'm interested in these school b/c I think it would be a better fit for my daughter ie smaller class size, more structure and discipline. I'm not opposed to my kids being exposed to other religions and would like them to attend school that values virtues, however, I worry if my daughter would feel lost or if we won't fit in the community that attends mass and is part of the church...
Both my husband and I went to public schools in NY so we have nothing to compare it to, any thoughts would be appreciated. also I'd apprecaite any comments on the above three schools as well. thanks

[Anonymous]

She will be learning A LOT about the catholic church in school in a very personal way. As a protestant christian, I would be ok with it, but I think if I were not Christian at all, it would be far too much.

You might seek out Episcopal schools which aren't nearly as religious. Grace Episcopal in Kensington, for one.

[Anonymous]

I would also think a catholic school for a non-Christian would be a lot. I've heard that episcopalian schools are less religious. But one of the key purposes of catholic school is indoctrination (not meant in a pejorative way) - it is intended to teach faith and church doctrine & teach children to learn through that religious world view.

[Anonymous]

Are you sure the classes are smaller than public? That is not always the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure the classes are smaller than public? That is not always the case. [/quote

Do check - not always true

[Anonymous]

I think the religious education in those schools is very light. They have a school wide mass about once a month.

They will learn about stories in the bible. He bible is one of the most read pieces of literature and it would help with basic knowledge since many things she will read will have religious references.

Patience of job
Turn to salt
Prodigal son
Kiss of deal
Thirty pieces of silver
Parting of the sea

I would just treat it like another literature class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the religious education in those schools is very light. They have a school wide mass about once a month.

They will learn about stories in the bible. He bible is one of the most read pieces of literature and it would help with basic knowledge since many things she will read will have religious references.

Patience of job
Turn to salt
Prodigal son
Kiss of deal
Thirty pieces of silver
Parting of the sea

I would just treat it like another literature class.

I assume you don't have a child in Catholic school, since this is incorrect, by far.
I can't imagine having a non Christian in a Catholic school, the Catholic faith and teachings are woven into every lesson, every day, with prayers in the morning, at lunch, crucifixes everywhere and weekly mass, plus all the Sacraments with tons of prep when they are older.
It's not a little Catholic lesson here and there, it's the entire curriculum of the school.
I would really think hard and understand what you are getting into before putting a child that is not even Christian into a Catholic school

[Anonymous]

Why would you want to send a non-Christian child to Catholic school?

[Anonymous]

18:34 is accurate that the primary mission of the school is education in the Catholic faith. Class sizes are not necessarily smaller. You could be Ok with that but it is really a lot. I know OLOL has non Catholic students because they have a class for students who want to become Catholic. My guess is most if not all are Christian. That said, OLOL is diverse and welcoming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the religious education in those schools is very light. They have a school wide mass about once a month.

They will learn about stories in the bible. He bible is one of the most read pieces of literature and it would help with basic knowledge since many things she will read will have religious references.

Patience of job
Turn to salt
Prodigal son
Kiss of deal
Thirty pieces of silver
Parting of the sea

I would just treat it like another literature class.

I assume you don't have a child in Catholic school, since this is incorrect, by far.
I can't imagine having a non Christian in a Catholic school, the Catholic faith and teachings are woven into every lesson, every day, with prayers in the morning, at lunch, crucifixes everywhere and weekly mass, plus all the Sacraments with tons of prep when they are older.
It's not a little Catholic lesson here and there, it's the entire curriculum of the school.
I would really think hard and understand what you are getting into before putting a child that is not even Christian into a Catholic school

Yes. I have a child in catholic school and I am not religious. I also have friends of all religions and I don't really care about symbols of their religion. I think because I am open to learning about all religions it is nothing more than something different and interesting.

My kids baby sitter was Muslim and they did all sort of things like I don't do or understand, like going to a certain corner of a room when they entered the house. They sang all kinds of songs in a language I don't know, they could have been praying too... Why would I care?

Religious teachings, traditions and symbols don't bother or scare me. My mom retired from the JCC and sings Shabbat shalom every Friday she is over to my kids, even though she and we are not Jewish.

I also don't care if a football coach prays or they say the pledge of allegiance.

Who cares, lighten up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the religious education in those schools is very light. They have a school wide mass about once a month.

They will learn about stories in the bible. He bible is one of the most read pieces of literature and it would help with basic knowledge since many things she will read will have religious references.

Patience of job
Turn to salt
Prodigal son
Kiss of deal
Thirty pieces of silver
Parting of the sea

I would just treat it like another literature class.

I assume you don't have a child in Catholic school, since this is incorrect, by far.
I can't imagine having a non Christian in a Catholic school, the Catholic faith and teachings are woven into every lesson, every day, with prayers in the morning, at lunch, crucifixes everywhere and weekly mass, plus all the Sacraments with tons of prep when they are older.
It's not a little Catholic lesson here and there, it's the entire curriculum of the school.
I would really think hard and understand what you are getting into before putting a child that is not even Christian into a Catholic school

Yes. I have a child in catholic school and I am not religious. I also have friends of all religions and I don't really care about symbols of their religion. I think because I am open to learning about all religions it is nothing more than something different and interesting.

My kids baby sitter was Muslim and they did all sort of things like I don't do or understand, like going to a certain corner of a room when they entered the house. They sang all kinds of songs in a language I don't know, they could have been praying too... Why would I care?

Religious teachings, traditions and symbols don't bother or scare me. My mom retired from the JCC and sings Shabbat shalom every Friday she is over to my kids, even though she and we are not Jewish.

I also don't care if a football coach prays or they say the pledge of allegiance.

Who cares, lighten up.

Yikes. I don't believe you for one second that you wrote both those posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the religious education in those schools is very light. They have a school wide mass about once a month.

They will learn about stories in the bible. He bible is one of the most read pieces of literature and it would help with basic knowledge since many things she will read will have religious references.

Patience of job
Turn to salt
Prodigal son
Kiss of deal
Thirty pieces of silver
Parting of the sea

I would just treat it like another literature class.

I assume you don't have a child in Catholic school, since this is incorrect, by far.
I can't imagine having a non Christian in a Catholic school, the Catholic faith and teachings are woven into every lesson, every day, with prayers in the morning, at lunch, crucifixes everywhere and weekly mass, plus all the Sacraments with tons of prep when they are older.
It's not a little Catholic lesson here and there, it's the entire curriculum of the school.
I would really think hard and understand what you are getting into before putting a child that is not even Christian into a Catholic school

Yes. I have a child in catholic school and I am not religious. I also have friends of all religions and I don't really care about symbols of their religion. I think because I am open to learning about all religions it is nothing more than something different and interesting.

My kids baby sitter was Muslim and they did all sort of things like I don't do or understand, like going to a certain corner of a room when they entered the house. They sang all kinds of songs in a language I don't know, they could have been praying too... Why would I care?

Religious teachings, traditions and symbols don't bother or scare me. My mom retired from the JCC and sings Shabbat shalom every Friday she is over to my kids, even though she and we are not Jewish.

I also don't care if a football coach prays or they say the pledge of allegiance.

Who cares, lighten up.

Yikes. I don't believe you for one second that you wrote both those posts.

You can't believe that I am not religious, send my child to catholic school, had a Muslim babysitter and my mom worked at the JCC ?

[Anonymous]

We are mixed jewish/Christian/muslim AA and sent our son to Catholic schools because he loves the sports culture. He's a good student but a wonderful athlete. A prestigious Catholic school offered him a scholarship to attend for HS. He loves it there. If its a good fit go for it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the religious education in those schools is very light. They have a school wide mass about once a month.

They will learn about stories in the bible. He bible is one of the most read pieces of literature and it would help with basic knowledge since many things she will read will have religious references.

Patience of job
Turn to salt
Prodigal son
Kiss of deal
Thirty pieces of silver
Parting of the sea

I would just treat it like another literature class.

I assume you don't have a child in Catholic school, since this is incorrect, by far.
I can't imagine having a non Christian in a Catholic school, the Catholic faith and teachings are woven into every lesson, every day, with prayers in the morning, at lunch, crucifixes everywhere and weekly mass, plus all the Sacraments with tons of prep when they are older.
It's not a little Catholic lesson here and there, it's the entire curriculum of the school.
I would really think hard and understand what you are getting into before putting a child that is not even Christian into a Catholic school

Yes. I have a child in catholic school and I am not religious. I also have friends of all religions and I don't really care about symbols of their religion. I think because I am open to learning about all religions it is nothing more than something different and interesting.

My kids baby sitter was Muslim and they did all sort of things like I don't do or understand, like going to a certain corner of a room when they entered the house. They sang all kinds of songs in a language I don't know, they could have been praying too... Why would I care?

Religious teachings, traditions and symbols don't bother or scare me. My mom retired from the JCC and sings Shabbat shalom every Friday she is over to my kids, even though she and we are not Jewish.

I also don't care if a football coach prays or they say the pledge of allegiance.

Who cares, lighten up.

Yikes. I don't believe you for one second that you wrote both those posts.

You can't believe that I am not religious, send my child to catholic school, had a Muslim babysitter and my mom worked at the JCC ?

I don't believe that you have a child in Catholic elementary school and believe the religous part is just one class that can be compared to a literature class.
Or if you do you are the worlds most uninvolved parent who just drops off and picks up and hasn't a clue about what actually goes on.

[Anonymous]

Non-Catholics and even non-Christians appear to be interested in Catholic schools because of the price, the environment, etc.

But they really don't understand why these schools exist, who runs them, who supports them and who goes there. They are clueless as to the extent to which Catholic religion and culture is baked into the whole experience there.

The idea is that they can manage the impacts of a single religion class and an occasional Mass.

But because it seems too good to be true they show up here asking if there are other things about the experience they ought to know about. They, of course, get little real information here.

The Catholic Church isn't just another Protestant sect. The purpose of these schools is to impart the teachings of the Church and to build the Catholic community. It is not to give non-Catholics an attractive alternative to the Public schools or a low cost one to other privates.