Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The original question was whether a non-Catholic would feel out of place at Bishop Ireton, not whether Catholicism, Catholics or Catholic schools are good or bad. No one's arguing that Catholics or Catholic schools are bad (at least not on this thread), though a few Catholics on this thread (non-representative of the larger Catholic community, I trust) are doing their best to demonstrate their own hostility to sharing schools with people of other faiths.

Back to the original question: we just have to hope that Ireton is populated mainly by folks like the 23:18 poster (welcoming and inclusive) rather than folks like the 09:46 poster (hostile and exclusionary).

"Sharing" the Catholic schools? Now who could be against "sharing"?

Just how much of a "share" are you looking for? What entitles you to any share at all?

Um... the fact the most Catholic schools encourage non-Catholics to apply, maybe?

PP, sorry you hate the idea of non-Catholics at "your" schools. Fortunately for the rest of us, most Catholic schools' admissions offices do not take the same view.

If you don't like the idea that your kids might encounter children of different faiths, feel free to stay under your rock and homeschool your kids. But just as you've suggested --rightly-- that people shouldn't send their kids to schools if they feel unable or unwilling to accept that school's rules and traditions, why don't you respect the fact that most area Catholic schools have chosen to welcome applicants from other faiths?

Deal with it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The original question was whether a non-Catholic would feel out of place at Bishop Ireton, not whether Catholicism, Catholics or Catholic schools are good or bad. No one's arguing that Catholics or Catholic schools are bad (at least not on this thread), though a few Catholics on this thread (non-representative of the larger Catholic community, I trust) are doing their best to demonstrate their own hostility to sharing schools with people of other faiths.

Back to the original question: we just have to hope that Ireton is populated mainly by folks like the 23:18 poster (welcoming and inclusive) rather than folks like the 09:46 poster (hostile and exclusionary).

"Sharing" the Catholic schools? Now who could be against "sharing"?

Just how much of a "share" are you looking for? What entitles you to any share at all?

Anonymous wrote:The original question was whether a non-Catholic would feel out of place at Bishop Ireton, not whether Catholicism, Catholics or Catholic schools are good or bad. No one's arguing that Catholics or Catholic schools are bad (at least not on this thread), though a few Catholics on this thread (non-representative of the larger Catholic community, I trust) are doing their best to demonstrate their own hostility to sharing schools with people of other faiths.

Back to the original question: we just have to hope that Ireton is populated mainly by folks like the 23:18 poster (welcoming and inclusive) rather than folks like the 09:46 poster (hostile and exclusionary).

Anonymous wrote:I'm an atheist but have brought up my children to know that a) every person must decide what to believe for him or herself and b) one should always be respectful of the religious beliefs of others, regardless of whether or not you agree.

I am a little baffled by the PPs who are so hostile to the idea of non-Catholics at Catholic schools. Of course anyone who chooses to attend a school has to be willing to adhere to that school's rules: that's not about religion, it's about understanding that different schools do lots of things differently, and you have to be able to live with not having everything just the way you want it.

But in my view, any good school should be respectful of students coming to their own conclusions about matters of conscience. With the Spanish Inquisition long over, and Pope Francis at the Vatican, why would a Catholic school not wish to do the same? Why would a Catholic school not welcome people of other faiths and no faith at all, as long as they abide by community rules and are respectful of Catholic traditions? PP, is your childrens' faith so weak that you think having some non-Catholics around will somehow damage them? Do you need to keep them away from people who are different in order for them to feel good about themselves?

Anonymous wrote:I'm an atheist but have brought up my children to know that a) every person must decide what to believe for him or herself and b) one should always be respectful of the religious beliefs of others, regardless of whether or not you agree.

I am a little baffled by the PPs who are so hostile to the idea of non-Catholics at Catholic schools. Of course anyone who chooses to attend a school has to be willing to adhere to that school's rules: that's not about religion, it's about understanding that different schools do lots of things differently, and you have to be able to live with not having everything just the way you want it.

But in my view, any good school should be respectful of students coming to their own conclusions about matters of conscience. With the Spanish Inquisition long over, and Pope Francis at the Vatican, why would a Catholic school not wish to do the same? Why would a Catholic school not welcome people of other faiths and no faith at all, as long as they abide by community rules and are respectful of Catholic traditions? PP, is your childrens' faith so weak that you think having some non-Catholics around will somehow damage them? Do you need to keep them away from people who are different in order for them to feel good about themselves?

Anonymous wrote:I'm an atheist but have brought up my children to know that a) every person must decide what to believe for him or herself and b) one should always be respectful of the religious beliefs of others, regardless of whether or not you agree.

I am a little baffled by the PPs who are so hostile to the idea of non-Catholics at Catholic schools. Of course anyone who chooses to attend a school has to be willing to adhere to that school's rules: that's not about religion, it's about understanding that different schools do lots of things differently, and you have to be able to live with not having everything just the way you want it.

But in my view, any good school should be respectful of students coming to their own conclusions about matters of conscience. With the Spanish Inquisition long over, and Pope Francis at the Vatican, why would a Catholic school not wish to do the same? Why would a Catholic school not welcome people of other faiths and no faith at all, as long as they abide by community rules and are respectful of Catholic traditions? PP, is your childrens' faith so weak that you think having some non-Catholics around will somehow damage them? Do you need to keep them away from people who are different in order for them to feel good about themselves?

Anonymous wrote:“We shelter the homeless, educate those hungry for knowledge, and care for the sick, not because they’re Catholic, but because we’re Catholic. They are Jesus in disguise.” -- James Cardinal Hickey

Non-Catholics are welcome at our schools with the hope they will respect and support our faith practices even if they don't adhere to them. The admissions are open to all who wish to participate.

Extra fees are required of non-Catholic families, not because they are not Catholic per se but rather because they are not contributing to the sponsoring church which uses the contributions of those who are to offset the costs of education. In theory Catholic families have donated as much as those extra fees to the church and it is being returned in the form of a tuition subsidy. That does not seem unfair or punitive to me. Most high schools do not charge any extra fee to non-Catholics because they are not parochial (sponsored by a parish church) and thus funded separately. Archbishop Carroll is the the only Catholic high school sponsored by the Archdiocese of Washington. The others are certainly operated under the umbrella of the Archdiocese but they have the sponsorship of a specific religious group (the Christian Brothers, Jesuits, etc) or have independent funding.

Please do not let crazies on either side of the aisle discourage you if you find a school outside your faith to be one that would fit your family's needs. There are an awful lot of us really nice people too, I promise!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Accepting all faiths and teaching about your faith are different things. You can be accommodating to allow other points of view while still asserting catholic teachings. Why even have a catholic school if you're not going to teach the faith? Would you expect a jewish high school not to be primarily jewish and teaching about jewish history and religion? I hear stories about OLGC in Olney and feel those schools might as well sever their tie with the catholic church with the way they dismiss teachings and fill their athletic rosters from all over the world just to have top talent. OP, you'd probably feel more comfortable in that type of school, but in my mind those are just private schools pretending to also be catholic schools.

In his or her original post, the OP stated that the family was not Catholic and that they were not at all religious. They were concerned about sending their DC to the public schools and were looking for an alternative. That's not uncommon on DCUM. Non-Catholic families are worried about the public schools and are looking for lower cost alternatives to the private schools. Catholic schools seem to fill that gap. But the parents are concerned about getting too big a dose of Catholic teaching. None of that icky (or Stupid" as one poster called it) Catholicism for us, that you.

They don't seem to understand the purpose of Catholic schools. All they know is that they have a problem and are shopping around for a solution.

If that bothers you so much, why don't you write all the Catholic Schools in America and ask the Catholic schools to stop charging the more expensive, sometimes double, non-Catholic rate? Seriously, you keep saying this and saying this and it is simply not true. If you don't like the system, then get the Catholic Schools to stop accepting non-Catholics and charging the higher rates. Done.

You miss the point.

Even at the higher Protestant rate, the Catholic schools are still a bargain versus the alternatives. And that's why Protestants end up at Catholic schools.

The Catholics aren't all stupid. We know why you are there. You are hitch-hiking om a system meant to propagate the Faith and build and unite the Catholic community.

While the Catholics are sending their kids to Catholic schools because we believe in their fundamental mission, sometimes at great sacrifice, for you it's a convenience. It's the result of your own cost-benefit analysis.

I know you don't think there is anything wrong with that or if you do, you just don't care. As long as you get yours.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks all. I think we are probably going to rule Ireton out-- doesn't sound right for our family. That was my initial instinct, but wanted a gut check.