Mary Ann Kreitzer on Catholic Education and Family Breakdown

Below are just a few excerpts:

In response to a reader's inquiry regarding Catholic schools, Mary Ann Kreitzer, president of Les Femmes and the Catholic Media Coalition, wrote the following:

'Matt Abbott forwarded me your question regarding the Catholic identity of diocesan schools. Like you, I'm also in the Diocese of Arlington. Except for the youngest my five children attended Catholic schools in the diocese from first grade to 12th grade. I also taught fourth grade at St. Louis in Alexandria for a year before deciding to home school.

'I think Arlington offers a mixed bag when it comes to faithfully supporting Catholic values. . .In my opinion only practicing Catholics who support the doctrine of the Church should ever be allowed to teach. How can you teach what you don't have and aren't living? Finding good teachers could be a challenge since over 90% of Catholics reject Humanae Vitae, but real Catholic teachers are crucial for the transmission of the Faith.
. . .
'Catholic education is valuable only if it is authentically Catholic, and if the Faith is not watered down to accommodate liberal Catholic and Protestant parents in the school population. The purpose of Catholic education should be to raise strong Catholic adults who will know their faith and be prepared to defend it in accordance with their baptismal and confirmation promises. Preference should be given to Catholic students. Catholic education is crucial to the future of the Church, but only if it is truly Catholic. Nothing can be worse than a school that masquerades as Catholic while poisoning the faith of its students.'

This is so true - How our Lord must weep when He witnesses little children being led to the slaughter by erroneous teaching and bad education. And how much more grevious is such acts are willful, and rooted in dissent. When witnessing or hearing of stories of such episodes in so-called Catholic schools, do your eyes become wet with tears of sorrow? And who does not feel a sense of righteous indignation for such "abuse"? Perhaps, too few are concerned about our Lord's words concerning the penalty for scandalizing His little ones.

Imparting the faith is a fundamental aspect of our vocations, whether priests, consecrated religious, or lay faithful. May God bless us with more faithful educators and teachers to aid in the salvation of souls.