I am Catholic and teach at a Catholic school. My Godson was Baptized at age seven. To do this, he had to have some religious education classes so he could understand to what he was consenting (the age of reason is the term). He then received other sacraments (1st Communion and Reconciliation). By high school, most Catholics would have those three completed. Confirmation could happen in grade eight or nine. A Catholic school will ask for these certificates when you apply or enroll.

Ours also asks for a letter from the Pastor that says they attend Mass (and the implication is that they donate).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is "Mid-Atlantic Striver" a denomination?

It must be.

And the tenets of that sect include:

As long as it benefits you, you can do what you like.

If you try hard enough you can justify your behavior to yourself and maybe others.

It’s important to have a social conscience, a personal conscience is for suckers!

+1

Reading this chain makes me sad that there are so many people that lack integrity. Seriously they are intentionally making their kids liars, they lie to themselves, and they lie in front of God and their friends. I don't want my kids to be around so many unscrupulous people.

People need to apply as themselves and if the church "needs the money" or doesn't have "enough" catholics they'll get accepted. At least they wouldn't have to live a lie. Many of thr catholic schools were I live have a ton kids from all religions. Yes, they give preference to catholics, but they accept others.

My kids attend an Episcopalian school. They ask about beliefs in religion and are open to discussing all faiths. Episcopalians believe in religious exploration, one of the many things I (an agnostic) love about the school.

My Episcopalian daughter is very active in our church and attends one of the top Catholic girls schools. I was later informed that she was especially welcomed because of her regular, devout church attendance and active church service. There is understandable preference for Catholic members, but an authentic member of another denomination will receive preference every time over a “pretend Catholic”. You will be detected and the subject of admissions committee jokes after you depart your visit. Incidentally, we chose her school over NCS because religion is central to the operation of her chosen school. Being an Episcopalian means nothing during the NCS admissions process. Their admissions personnel seemed almost embarrassed to discuss faith and did not recognize the names of nearby Episcopal parishes.

I was baptized and confirmed catholic with 1: years of catholic school. DH is a “none”
Both kids were baptized catholic but then we changed to an Episcopalian church before they were old enough for 1st communion.
We put episcopal in on our application for catholic school and DS is now a happy 10tg grader at catholic school.

Put down Episcopalian (or maybe Protestant if it’s a drop down menu)

But, to add to my post above, until and unless you do actually convert, you are 100% not Catholic. So put whatever else you want on the form, but you are not Catholic.

If you are truly indifferent between a Catholic vs. Episcopalian church, why not just actually convert and join a Catholic church? We are not Catholic but our kids go to Catholic school, and we are firmly committed to our Protestant church. But if we were not, I would completely have considered converting. I think it's easier to go to Catholic school if your kids are Catholic, and we would have saved thousands on tuition discounts (all the schools we've attended have had a Catholic discount).

I would clearly not do it if you are not religious and if you are not Catholic, but from your post, you see yourself as kind of half Catholic to start. So in that situation, I would consider just converting.

Episcopalian

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry if this is a silly question but I was not raised in the US (came here as an adult) so I am not very familiar with private high school application processes. I am Catholic and DH is Episcopalian. Both our kids got baptized in the Episcopalian Church. We have attended mass at both Catholic and Episcopalian churches and our kids are familiar with service at both churches.
Our eldest will be applying to high schools next fall and a couple of the schools she is interested in are Catholic.
What should we put down for our family denomination when asked? I am assuming we have to put Episcopalian for the kids because that's where they were baptized? Would this put them at a disadvantage in admissions?
TIA

They are Episcopalian because that is what they were baptized in. That is the correct true answer.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t say they’re Catholic if you’re applying to a Catholic school because you’ll be caught flat-footed when they ask for baptismal or first communion papers.

It’s too late for a 7th grader, but I know a similar family whose kids decided to do baptism and first communion in 6th grade to prep for competitive Catholic HS admissions. Based on who I saw at Easter vigil this week, they aren’t the only ones to have this idea.

What a disgusting mockery of religious conviction.

Absolutely.

I don't know if the rest of the world is like this, but the DC area seems to be filled with people who will do anything to get what they want.

It's appalling.

Seems pretty innocuous to me. In the grand scheme of what parents do to prep their kids for admissions, showing up to a church one morning and having their 12 year old get splashed with some holy water so they can say he’d been baptized is tame.

Well, as a Catholic, I find it distasteful and tacky that people do that. But to each their own, I suppose.

Doesn't work that way. You can't just show up and get baptized. Plus baptism is only the first sacrament of several to be truly fully Catholic. You aren't just Catholic if you get baptized. You must complete church school and steps to complete your First Communion which is about a year of church school then you have to prepare for another year when they are older to make your Confirmation.

Anonymous wrote:Sorry if this is a silly question but I was not raised in the US (came here as an adult) so I am not very familiar with private high school application processes. I am Catholic and DH is Episcopalian. Both our kids got baptized in the Episcopalian Church. We have attended mass at both Catholic and Episcopalian churches and our kids are familiar with service at both churches.
Our eldest will be applying to high schools next fall and a couple of the schools she is interested in are Catholic.
What should we put down for our family denomination when asked? I am assuming we have to put Episcopalian for the kids because that's where they were baptized? Would this put them at a disadvantage in admissions?
TIA

They are Episcopalian because that is what they were baptized in. That is the correct true answer.

Anonymous wrote:Is "Mid-Atlantic Striver" a denomination?

It must be.

And the tenets of that sect include:

As long as it benefits you, you can do what you like.

If you try hard enough you can justify your behavior to yourself and maybe others.

It’s important to have a social conscience, a personal conscience is for suckers!

Anonymous wrote:Is "Mid-Atlantic Striver" a denomination?

Is "Mid-Atlantic Striver" a denomination?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t understand the concept. What is it that makes someone want to be at a Catholic school so badly they are willing to go to a lot of hassle to pretend to be Catholic but not actually convert to Catholicism?

Cheaper tuition and often lower admissions standards as compared to comparable nondenominational schools.

So they're just trying to get out of the public school? Because there are some of these parents at my kids' school and they are always complaining about too much time at mass, certain teachings, basically everything that makes the school a Catholic school. They want a non-religious private school but don't want to pay that kind of money. It is obnoxious and the principal seems to coddle these parents.

I mean, the flip side of that is that the non-Catholics are paying a lot more money to the school, and that in many cases, the Catholic school could not be as well run (or even survive) if they only admitted confirmed Catholics.

Very few Catholic schools in this area are struggling for enrollment. At least the ones that attract those who might otherwise consider secular private schools. Many don’t have the capacity to fully serve their parishioners.

Catholic schools in economically depressed area have struggled to stay open. A big part of the reason is they don’t want to abandon the non-Catholics and low income Catholics to the public schools.

But, let’s not get lost in that. The full-pay, non-Catholics at the better Catholic schools aren’t doing the school a favor. They are doing themselves one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t understand the concept. What is it that makes someone want to be at a Catholic school so badly they are willing to go to a lot of hassle to pretend to be Catholic but not actually convert to Catholicism?

Cheaper tuition and often lower admissions standards as compared to comparable nondenominational schools.

So they're just trying to get out of the public school? Because there are some of these parents at my kids' school and they are always complaining about too much time at mass, certain teachings, basically everything that makes the school a Catholic school. They want a non-religious private school but don't want to pay that kind of money. It is obnoxious and the principal seems to coddle these parents.

I mean, the flip side of that is that the non-Catholics are paying a lot more money to the school, and that in many cases, the Catholic school could not be as well run (or even survive) if they only admitted confirmed Catholics.