Illinois diocese to ask Catholic-school parents to make commitment to support Church, follow moral teachings
August 27, 2015
The Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, is weighing a policy that would require parents of parochial-school students to agree that they will attend Mass every Sunday and contribute to the support of the Church. The proposal is raising hackles among some non-Catholic parents of children in diocesan schools.
The proposed “Family School Agreement,” which has been circulated in draft form to pastors and school principals, calls for parents to attend Mass regularly and to work “toward the goal of giving at least 8% of their income to the parish.” (A spokesman for the diocese acknowledged that the 8% figure was an “aspirational” goal.) The agreement has been tentatively approved by Bishop Thomas Paprocki, but not finalized pending responses from the pastors and principals.
The Family School Agreement is not designed to force parents to become Catholics, explained Jonathan Sullivan, the diocesan spokesman. The purpose is to ensure that the families involved in parochial schools are willing to cooperate in the work of distinctively Catholic education, raising children in accordance with the principles of Church teaching.
Parents of children in the diocesan schools would be asked to sign the Family School Agreement, committing themselves to abide by the teachings of the Church. Those families living in situations incompatible with Church moral teachings would be asked to meet with their pastors to discuss their situations.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: garedawg -
Aug. 28, 2015 10:42 AM ET USA
So what do you do if the parents are divorced, and one parent wants to live the faith but the other does not?
-
Posted by: james-w-anderson8230 -
Aug. 27, 2015 9:51 PM ET USA
This is nothing new. I believe that Fr. Clarence Rivers ran a large African American school in Chicage many years ago and required all parents to sign a similar contract.
-
Posted by: ElizabethD -
Aug. 27, 2015 9:01 PM ET USA
This is a great initiative. As a catechist I know it is very confusing for the children when their parents are not living the faith (irregular marital situation or not attending Mass or etc) that they are taught in class. God bless Bishop Paprocki and his priests, I knew it was the Springfield Diocese before reading the article!
-
Posted by: filioque -
Aug. 27, 2015 7:46 PM ET USA
We are living in an increasingly hostile culture. If our schools cannot maintain their Catholic identity, then we are better off without them.
