Can they cross their arms to avoid Ash Wednesday cross?

[Ohfuxx]

Kids go to Catholic school but aren't Catholic.

They don't want ashes on their heads Ash Wednesday.

Can they cross their arms like when you don't want to receive communion?

Critical thinkers? Ok....

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lebt. During Lent Catholic’s will relent abd abstain from luxury. This period of abstinence avd austerity is marked by a mass, during which the priest blesses everyone and draws a cross from ash on each person’s forehead . The “blessing” as it is is something like “Repent, you have come dust and will return to dust”.(I paraphrase). The ashes used to be made out of the previous year’s Palm Sunday crosses. Not sure if many churches hang on to them anymore though.

Thing is, it seems to me you haven’t educated yourself on the catholic faith, despite choosing to immerse your children in it. And yet, you oppose aspects of it on the grounds of being ‘critical thinkers’.
There’s irony.

As an Anglican priest in either a school or church situation if a person came up and made it clear they didn't want ashing by crossing their arms and if I didn't notice by shaking their head I would respect that and miss them out

Oh and yes we still make the ashes from old palm crosses

I used to love making a cross out of a palm.

But if you are attending the catholic school you shouldn't really be snubbing its values.

Some of the most amazing scientists also believe in a God of some kind.

When I was at (Catholic) school it was a competition to see who could have visible ashes for the longest. Because you couldn't be told off for a dirty face if it was the ashes...some children topped it up with black marker...

I attended Catholic school myself and was. Forced to attend church every week. So I know all about it.

It's not about it just being washable it's them being dragged into something they have no belief in. It's their choice. They came to me and said they don't want it done as its weird.

I mean... It is weird.

We live in a poor Borough in a very diverse area. Hardly any of the parents attend church. It's a good school that's why most children are there. Not for the free bread, wine and guilt trips.

Sounds like if you think it’s all about “free bread, wine and guilt trips” you are far from knowing all about it — and it would be nice if you had a little respect for the school which is giving your children the best education available in your area 🙄

But you dragged them into something they have no belief in by sending them to catholic school. You can’t object to that, really.

The meaning of the ashes is more philosophical than religious, really; it's a reminder of our mortality, and the fact that we will all face death, and that we don't know exactly when that moment will come.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust;
From dust you came, and to dust you shall return."

As critical thinkers, could they accept it as a philosophical challenge? As a reminder to live more 'mindfully', making each day count, etc etc?

OP, they are not being dragged into anything. You chose to send them to a school that celebrates Ash Wednesday and now seem surprised & upset that they are expected to celebrate Ash Wednesday.

I don't think branding a whole religion and their beliefs and traditions as weird is a good attitude to have in any instance.. let alone when you have decided for whatever reason to send your children to a school of that religion.

The ash won't do any harm and it's no big deal. This is the price you pay for sending them to a catholic school. You're overthinking it. You shouldn't have sent them there if you were so opposed to things like this happening.

And to be honest if you were a parent at my school we would be having a conversation about the home -school contract, a version of which you will have signed.

Home school contracts are unenforceable and meaningless. They also can't contain requirements that are against the law, e.g that pupils must attend and take part in religious ceremonies, as parents have the legal right to withdraw their children from religious observance.

You do know that your kids aren't the only "critical thinkers" in the school. Other kids/parents just have the wit to keep their hypocrisy under the radar.

My kids go to Catholic schools, my husband doesn't believe in God anymore, neither does my 11 year old, my other kids are hedging their bets. But if they don't believe in it, it doesn't matter to them if they do it, so your kids don't want some ash on Ash Wednesday, I dare say there's quite a few things they do in school they'd rather not.

Don't send them to school that day if it's that much of an issue.

I solved this problem by sending my non religious kids to a non religious school.

it would be nice if you had a little respect for the school which is giving your children the best education available in your area

OP can have respect for the school without wanting to make her children go along with a meaningless religious ceremony. Faith schools are in a somewhat privileged position by virtue of the licence given to them to restrict some or all admissions to members of their faiths, but that doesn't mean they are entitled to demand that pupils who have never pretended to be religious have to bow down to having religious observance forced on them.

Remove your children from the school op. Why should they be forced to partake in something they have no belief in because you dont believe they will do well in a critical thinking school? Have more faith in them.

There will be many, many more things done at a Catholic school you don’t agree with, so end the madness and remove them now.

Also, don’t wash the ashes off. Wait for them to dry and just gently brush them off.

“They're smart enough to take it with a pinch of salt”

So what’s the issue then? It’s a bit of ash, presumably not the ashes of an actual dead person. If you send your kids to a practicing faith school then you should be prepared for them to participate in the faith in my view.

So just out of interest what do your kids do when other religious things happen in their school? Do they go lalala and stick their fingers in their ears? or hide in the toilets ? Cross their fingers behind their backs ?

You need to explain to your children that as a critical thinker yourself you have made the decision to start their critical thinking training early so it is vitally important that they pay attention to all the religious observance in school so that they can then evaluate it carefully and reach decisions based on erm critical thinking rather than blind predjudice.......

I'm not catholic and would prefer religion in school to be a matter of learning rather than belief, but you have chosen a faith school as your child's school and need to respect that. Justifying your attitude by saying it is a poor area , has many other faiths etc etc is just being pathetic not showing critical thinking skills.

And to be honest if you were a parent at my school we would be having a conversation about the home -school contract, a version of which you will have signed.

Why does no one on MN who works in a Catholic school have the first clue about the legal requirements? It is up to the parent to decide which religious activities their children take part in, not the school. If your home-school contract states otherwise then it isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.

To be honest, home-school contracts aren't worth the paper they're written on anyway, irrespective of their contents.