I was rather shocked by being told that on the last Holy Day of Obligation, the Feast of Sts Peter and Paul, at our local Catholic Secondary School no students at all went to Mass, and from the staff of over a hundred just over half a dozen turned up.
What have we done?
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It's really very sad, but I'm afraid it's the same in most European countries with Holy Days of obligation that are not also civil holidays.
But then again, at least you still have Sts. Peter and Paul. In Germany (at least in the northern dioceses, I'm not certain about the south), the obligation was scrapped, together with the Immaculate Conception, around 1995/96.
In the Archdiocese of Berlin (where I live, as you will have guessed), only three Holy Days of obligation that are not also civil holidays remain: the Epiphany, Corpus Christi, and All Saints. But then of course, St. Stephen, Easter Monday, Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Monday are still civil holidays in Germany.
Our Catholic secondary school, close to yours Father, stood the priest down for its Ss Peter & Paul Mass in favour of its own liturgy!
They probably thought it had been moved to Sunday!
There is nothing surprising about this. Holy days of obligation have now effectively been abrogated. With so few left they will increasingly be neglected and schools will be relieved not to go to the trouble of organizing Masses that few want to attend. The Bishops' Conference has made its decision and these are the consequences. It would be better to abolish them altogether rather then pretend that they still exist. If they were still observed on their proper days there would be a better chance of survival.
As for the tone of surprise that this should happen in Catholic schools, I would have thought that some of the earlier comments on Catholic education demonstrate that it hardly exists. At best it will maintain tribal Catholicism, little more. Close the schools, save the money and encourage practicing Catholic families to teach the faith at home.
I've seen the same proplem at out local school as well. Though it's 'Catholic'ethos is constantly emphasised to the public outside, at Mass on a Holyday of obligation, only about eight students turned up, along with only two members of staff. On occasions when all students are made to attend school Masses, the behaviour is consistantly irreverent.
My local primary school had a good number of y6 children away on a residential outing over the feast of SS Peter and Paul. There was no suggestion of enabling Mass attendance during the trip. Parents showing concern at this were patronised by the headmaster as if they were in some way unbalanced, expecting a "Catholic" school to enable children to fulfil their Holyday obligation. The parish priest's comments were greeted with unashamed silence. On their return, one child and his parents (no sign of any of the teachers) came to Mass in the evening.
A couple of weeks later the same class were about to have the ubiquitous "Leavers' Mass", and any question about the appropriateness of this annual performance - a 'Mass of Departure' in more ways than one for many of the children - was greeted with howls of protest from the staff. One would think that all the children were normally gnawing at the altar rails in their fervour.
Shut them all down and catechise our Catholic children in the home and in the parish.
By their fruits ye shall know them.
I, too, am an ex-Chairman of Governors of our local Catholic primary school. That school does extremely well with regard to weekly Masses and those on Holydays. They also teach the faith - as well as they can, given the syllabus available in this country. On the other hand, hardly any of the children or their parents are at Mass on Sundays.
As for the lcoal secondary school, I have no current first-hand information but, when my own children were there the formalities were gone through, though the conviction seemed luke-warm. All and sundry went to Holy Communion, some non-Christians coming back with the Sacred Host asking what to do with it!
In general I agree with my fellow ex-Chairman. Close down the so-called Catholic schools (at least at secondary level) and let parents teach the faith as they did in earlier ages. Terribily sad to admit it but by and, large Catholic education has had its day in this country - and the bishops have done nothing to prevent the melt-down.
Let's not pretend, Catholic schools have come to the end of their shelf life as places of Catholic instruction. Their day is over and they should be shoved onto the State for maintenance and support. As places of Catholic education they are now a pointless liability that, if anything, actively destroys Catholicism. Like much else in the Catholic Church in this country, they only provide window dressing. Their educational record is negligible too.
The great apostasy is here right now. We are living right in the midst of it. We have been going on trusting that maybe its only an isolated incident, maybe our Priest/Bishop did not really mean to say what was just said or support this heresy or that. No. We must all wake up. The fight is well on. It came to a climax for me when, at my son's first Holy Communion, on the feast of Corpus Christi, we were given a sermon that threw doubt on the real presence so much so that members of my entourage came up to me startled, saying my priest had a bit of a problem. He is a young man, only a few years out of seminary training, a good man in many ways. It is time to protect our children and to do whatever we can in our parishes to communicate the real faith. Let us be vigilant and stamp on this apostasy wherever we see it rear it's ugly head. Pray the Rosary, this is the greatest of weapons. Pray especially for our priests and Bishops. When these are stuck the sheep scatter. They have been struck and we are scattered. Frequent the sacraments, stay close to our Pope and the teachings of previous Popes and Saints. Furnish your children with a proper catechism and teach them yourself. Above all, know that nothing and no one can destroy the Church of Jesus Christ. She cannot fail.
That's awful. At my daughters girls school all 1000 go! & at the Oratory Primary the whole school & staff go also...so it's not all bad...
Shutting the Catholic Schools...isn't that what the secularists do?
What Benfan says does not surprise me. The general impression about young priests these days is that they are all, without exception, orthodox, straining at the leash to celebrate the classic Roman rite. and wear the cassock in bed. This is simply not true. Some are like that but the majority are content to carry on as usual. Remember that the teaching syllabus has not changed in the seminaries and many of the professors have been there for years. Some are better than others. Like their products, most remain the same.
Mrs Parkes
You are a wonderful Catholic mother and your family is a credit to you. You are more blessed than you know to belong to the Birmingham Oratory and be able to send your children to their schools. But these are rare exceptions to the norm and the majority of Catholic schools are Catholic in name only. Their maintenance bleeds the parishes dry to the point that it is almost immoral to financially support them. Yes, secularists are not keen on 'faith' schools but nor should Catholics be if the Faith is absent from them. The many commentators on this subject are correct in their analysis, believe me.
If some can work, why not all?
What I have been reading on the UK blogs exactly mirrors the situation in Australia.
As for teaching the Faith at home. The parents of today went through the same 'Catholic' education that their children are experiencing. These parents might not have the Faith to pass on and the grandparents have been told when they have attempted to pass on authentic Catholicism 'it's all changed now mum/dad'.
Sharon
2points WELL DONE ON A GREAT SEMON 6PM SAT I think its so sad that as a chatholic church we have to pay for a comprhensive wich is only over 1/3 catholic pupils how can a school be chathoic with so few ,a possible asnswer only let chathoic children in primary schools ,theach the faith above every thing else and only pay for chatholic children at cardinal newman ,the headmaster should not be so worried about the yearly osted report but about the moral fiber and chathoic life of the school well done on your veiws if more preists did as much people would know what being a chatholic is all about KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK and courage.....
I think the phrase "chickens coming home to roost" comes to mind. What we are seeing now are results of many of the misguided policies of the last 30 years or so
fr paul harrison
No different here father.
If the school puts Mass on as 'voluntary' rather than as part of the actual school day-hardly anyone attends.
If its part of the school day then the whole school attends and troops up to Holy Communion. Many of those receiving think they are getting a 'wafer thing' or 'bit o'bread'
So I'm not sure what should happen.
The problem that parents dont know the faith either is huge. Sacramental prep begins with teaching 6/7yr olds how to make the Sign of the Cross.
I home educate. My experience with Catholic secondary education is dire.
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