Going to a Catholic school if you're not Catholic?

[Anonymous]

Is this a terrible idea? We toured a Catholic school down the street, and while we are not Catholic we did like the school. I am worried about my kid feelign left out since we won't be attending Mass every week like many of the other families. Looking for experiences of others who have done this?

[Anonymous]

A good number of non Catholics/non Christians attend Catholics schools. If the school is practicing what it preaches, it should really welcome all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this a terrible idea? We toured a Catholic school down the street, and while we are not Catholic we did like the school. I am worried about my kid feelign left out since we won't be attending Mass every week like many of the other families. Looking for experiences of others who have done this?

You will be welcomed I’m sure. A number of kids at our Catholic school were not Catholic, more at the high school level. Not an issue. You must be okay with them being taught the Catholic faith. Religion class at the K-8 level is Catholicism. Broader at the hs level.

[Anonymous]

While there are usually admission preferences for Catholics, they welcome all religions. Depending on the school, your child may have to go to mass and take religion classes. Some high schools may have different requirements for this.

[Anonymous]

At my kids’ Catholic school, I would estimate 35% go to mass regularly, half go maybe at Christmas and the rest never go. It is a pretty liberal bunch.

[Anonymous]

If the school has regular times they go to Mass as a group, your child will go too. Going on Sunday is not required.

[Anonymous]

Echoing others, there are lots of non-practicing/non Catholics at our school and it has never been a thing. Very loving community and laid back.

The Dioceses' around here are also transparent about the church's abuses in the past and making sure nothing like that happens again.

[Anonymous]

Only 30% are Catholic at our school.

[Anonymous]

I'm Jewish and went to a Catholic school in Alexandria (Ascension Academy) many years ago. My best friends there were another Jewish kid, a Muslim from Pakistan, and several Catholics. The thing that mattered most was the quality of the education, which in this case was very good. Times have probably changed, but the only place where Catholicism strongly intruded into the curriculum was biology. And we were taught Latin, though with some subtle differences. For instance, "servus" was translated as "servant" whereas most places would translate it as "slave."

There was no attempt to convert us and the other kids generally were friendly, although many of them had never seen a Jew before. And, I'll admit, I'd never seen a Muslim before. I found Mass interesting, especially the ornateness and (remember, this was 55+ years ago) the incense and the mass in Latin . . . which it isn't anymore. I'd run into a lot more discrimination a few years earlier at a local public school where the kids were generally Baptist and had been taught that Jews killed Christ. Most had never seen a Jew before and were both curious and repelled. Had I been involved in killing Christ? Or my ancestors.

Focus on the quality of the education. If there wasn't much of a problem for a non-Catholic to go to a Catholic school 55+ years ago, there shouldn't be any problem today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm Jewish and went to a Catholic school in Alexandria (Ascension Academy) many years ago. My best friends there were another Jewish kid, a Muslim from Pakistan, and several Catholics. The thing that mattered most was the quality of the education, which in this case was very good. Times have probably changed, but the only place where Catholicism strongly intruded into the curriculum was biology. And we were taught Latin, though with some subtle differences. For instance, "servus" was translated as "servant" whereas most places would translate it as "slave."

There was no attempt to convert us and the other kids generally were friendly, although many of them had never seen a Jew before. And, I'll admit, I'd never seen a Muslim before. I found Mass interesting, especially the ornateness and (remember, this was 55+ years ago) the incense and the mass in Latin . . . which it isn't anymore. I'd run into a lot more discrimination a few years earlier at a local public school where the kids were generally Baptist and had been taught that Jews killed Christ. Most had never seen a Jew before and were both curious and repelled. Had I been involved in killing Christ? Or my ancestors.

Focus on the quality of the education. If there wasn't much of a problem for a non-Catholic to go to a Catholic school 55+ years ago, there shouldn't be any problem today.

+1

[Anonymous]

Not a problem at our school either. Even a lot of the cradle Catholics don't always make it to Sunday mass. You will find a mix of degrees of religious observance.

[Anonymous]

My kids go to two different catholic schools. Trust me, we do it ask each other if they went to mass that week

We never talk about religion.

Your child will go to mass with the class and will be taught Catholic teachings though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids go to two different catholic schools. Trust me, we do it ask each other if they went to mass that week

We never talk about religion.

Your child will go to mass with the class and will be taught Catholic teachings though.

Only in the parochial lower schools though. Independent middle schools and high schools are usually very different on these points. In fact, if your child goes to an independent Catholic middle school, they still have to attend your parish Sunday school in order to get the religious education for Confirmation. Ridiculous, but true.

[Anonymous]

For me it would depend on whether it's a diocese school or not. We briefly looked at the diocese schools because they're cheap, but didn't like the required religion classes that really did seem to be promoting Catholicism (understandably for that audience).

As a Jewish family, we're not comfortable with that level of religious education for our kid.

Other flavors of Catholic schools could be fine. I went to Georgetown for undergrad and felt fine as a Jewish student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me it would depend on whether it's a diocese school or not. We briefly looked at the diocese schools because they're cheap, but didn't like the required religion classes that really did seem to be promoting Catholicism (understandably for that audience).

As a Jewish family, we're not comfortable with that level of religious education for our kid.

Other flavors of Catholic schools could be fine. I went to Georgetown for undergrad and felt fine as a Jewish student.

I am also a GU grad and a Catholic.

I can assure you there is almost no similarity between the attitudes of staff, teachers, parents and students at Georgetown and any Catholic school I have seen here in DC. I just know the parishes in NW DC and the lower part of Western MoCo.

These schools are promoting the Catholic faith as you intuited. Or “reinforcing” it, as we like to think. That’s why they exist.

Non- Catholic kids are going to understand that they are different from the majority as a result of dozens or even hundreds of things that they see or hear or that happen.

I often wonder if these kids convert to Catholicism later in life as a result of being imprinted not only with all the teachings of the Church, but also with all the other “cultural” things the encounter everyday.

I wouldn’t know what happens at a Catholic school where non-Catholics are in the minority as was suggested above.