If your child is not Catholic

I teach at a Catholic school, not Catholic myself - if the year group go to Mass, the child is expected to attend, regardless of faith or no faith. No one is expected to attend Mass outside of school on a voluntary basis. (There are also voluntary masses during school time).

There is a lot of prayer, but most of the students just stand silently, which is fine by me.

Middle aged Irish Catholic here. Never heaed it called Holy Mass. Just Mass. Two convent schools, choir member, both DC in Catholic schools now. Maybe it's a thing in the UK.

Is your child preparing for first communion?

Or alternatively, you are teaching them:

• Tolerance
• A system of morality
• One of the most important world philosophies
• Critical thinking

OP my DC go to a religious school and I attend the services because they like me to come. School aren’t really bothered if parents go or not. We talk a lot about religion and philosophy, what we do or don’t believe and obviously schools understand that even if kids come from religious families, many will question the faith as they get older.

No.

We have the option of secular, non-selective single sex, grammar, or Catholic.

Weighing up whether we'd prefer single sex or Catholic to be honest as neither are good options for us.

Why do you think they are being taught insincerity?

I went to Catholic school as a non Catholic. I sat through all the Catholic events and respected them because it was part of the school life. I didn't really care but things may have changed now and be done differently.

Complete nonsense

No

Both mine went to Catholic schools for a while and as a child I attended a convent school. Neither of my children are baptised and I was "done" into a Welsh chapel denomination as a baby as was usual. If I could reverse that I would.

As none of us are Catholic we never went to any of the services. It was never a problem.

Lots of Muslim kids in RC schools here. I doubt they go to Mass.

Yes, they do. It is Holy Mass.

My child went to a catholic school, we were not catholic therefore did not attend any religious events but we were also not specifically invited to such things as they knew we did not practice Catholicism.

If you want to go. It's not a three line whip!

I think faith schools have change a lot from when I was a school. If they catered for only one faith there would not be enough children to keep them going.

Our Catholic school has only about 30% Catholic children, and has teachers from different faiths, who will each teach their faith as part of RE lessons, RE is a much stronger part of the curriculum and not exclusively Catholic. So while the whole class will follow a Catholic prayer in the morning and have Catholic assemblies they are learning a LOT about other faiths and how they are not exclusive.

I was hugely skeptical before my children started at the school, but the way faith is handled has really impressed me. Pastoral care in general is far better in the school than in others in the area.

Just go to the mass but at communion go for a blessing ( walk up with hands crossed across your chest) rather than taking communion.

OP, my DDs went to a Catholic school, and every so often there would be something special in church that we would go to. We’re not Catholics, and we certainly didn’t go regularly, but I don’t think it’s a big deal to attend something that is special for your DC or for the school. You sent them to a Catholic school: attending the odd service with them is kind of part and parcel of their education. No-one’s asking you to take communion!

You can go if you want to - non-Catholics will be just as welcome. Just don't go up for communion, or go up with your arms crossed over your chest to receive a blessing.

At our school there will typically be about 20 parents who attend masses held in school, some go up for communion and some don't. No one is making a note of which parents attend!

If your child is carrying out a role in the mass you might want to make a special effort to attend on those occasions.

I would, yes but then I’m Anglican. I wouldn’t take communion, obviously.

Nonsense.

No, I wouldn’t, unless the child wanted us to.

ps no catholic calls it ‘holy’ mass. It’s just mass.

I went to a Catholic school and we’re not Catholic. My parents never bothered attending anything religious.

Same here. I wouldn’t just go to the regular mass but if it’s something to do with my kids/something they are doing and happens to be in the church I wouldn’t miss it.

The catholic school was the best option practically and one that we thought suited our child best. I was unsure about the catholic teaching etc but another parent put it very well to me and ultimately that sold the school to us. She said at that age religion is essentially teaching children to be good humans - eg. we must look after our planet and animals because god made them. When DS older will he believe that god made the planet and animals - maybe not - but hopefully the lesson that we should look after them regardless will have stuck anyway.

I’d imagine if faith is a core part of the school environment, and therefore your DC’s school life, it would be a positive to attend if you can as a way of understanding the ethos and faith community in which they’re receiving an education and some of the things they’ll be learning about.

Do the school know that neither you nor DC are Catholic? If so, and a Catholic school was simply your local catchment school, they won’t expect you to attend, it’s more about encouragement and inclusion in the school community.

I think if you send a child to a faith school then you should respect that faith and attend mass etc.
You have the option of non- faith schools if you don’t want to.

Because Catholicism runs through everything in a school, from prayers and songs to regular services at the local church and promoting the virgin birth, I think it must be very difficult to be a non catholic in that environment. It will only become more so as your son becomes older. Are you comfortable not believing what hes taught at school? How do you manage this?