If your child is not Catholic

[Tiredallthetimeneedsleep]

And attends a Catholic school, do you go to Holy Mass? I'm not Catholic and have received an email invite to attend Holy Mass. I'm not sure I can go as an agency worker so not sure if I'll be working anyway. Wwyd

Complete nonsense

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.

Why do you think they are being taught insincerity?

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.

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.

Is your child preparing for first communion?

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.

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.

Hate faith schools. UK should have secular teaching and leave religion for home life.
I didn't learn my morals from church but from my family.

Just out of interest - what religious morals do you disagree with? Let's say Catholic for the sake of this argument.

Kindness? Inclusion? Solidarity? Caring for the planet?

Hmmm - those poor women who were victims of the nuns in Ireland may disagree with a few of those illustrating Catholic morals!

The nuns who taught me were far less kind than the (few) lay teachers. I often had to sit by myself and was excluded from a lot of class activities being non catholic.

Whilst many Catholics don't demonstrate the morals, they are the official teachings of how Catholics should act and is very important at the Catholic school I teach at.

Often there is no choice. The faith school is the school, that's it.

It’s not. It’s just ‘mass’ here too.

I think everyone obviously has their own views on this but in the real world there are loads of scenarios where people who don't have a faith or in fact have a different faith find themselves in a church service such as christenings/baptisms/ funerals/ Christmas services where children are performing etc

I think it's quite possible to stand strong in your non-belief of a religious doctrine and be present at a service. You could frame it as supporting friends or classmates who do believe and being open to learning about their views even though you don't share them yourself. Most churches welcome this and noone bats an eye if some declines to sing hymns or pray or take communion.

I think when you become so firm in your viewpoint (in any area) where you opt out of other people's world then you create space for misinformation and stereotyping. It's also not always easy for a child to be left out when their friends are participating in something. Just have a conversation with your child about it. At the end of the day they should be allowed to make their own mind up about what they want to do.

Meh. Go if you want to go, don't go if you don't want to. If it is during the week then there will be lots of parents who can't make it because of work. Nobody at the school will care, they are just inviting you out of courtesy and won't judge you either way.

If you want to go then treat it as an interesting cultural visit and a chance to wave at your kid. I'm a staunch atheist but love a good mass with all the hymns and incense and ceremony, and it is a bonus if there is a good choir and an organ and it is in an architecturally interesting building.

I am Catholic and my DC school is a Catholic school. It won't be expected, your DC can opt out too, either way is fine.
The non Catholic children use religion lessons to catch up on other work, or chill out.
A few attended the communion ceremony to see their friends on the day.

I agree that if you send your child to a faith school you have to respect the faith but you don't have to attend mass. Or go if you feel you need to explain things to your child or want to know what its like.

I would also say that in any religion or group there are people and people will always be capable of doing significant harm. The atrocities carried out in mother and baby homes, the abuses that have been covered up by the Catholic Church are obviously part of a systemic issue with safeguarding/whistle-blowing etc but the intrinsic values, the biblical teachings are generally positive and bad agents have chosen to manipulate this for their own ends. I think it's important to recognise that the actions of the people involved in those atrocities are not representative of the Catholic faith or overall members.

DS went to a Catholic primary school but isn’t baptised and as we’re atheists, he didn’t take part in any of the Mass rituals. He sometimes attended the church with his classmates when they were preparing for communion etc. and sat at the back reading a book but we, as his parents, didn’t go to any formal church services.

The only time we went to the church was when they were doing the Nativity plays around Christmas. I’d rather not have attended but DH felt it was important to support DS.

Those women are the victims of evil. Evil lurks in all areas of life, especially when there is money to be made, my aunt appeared in television documentaries about her experiences in the laundries, she is a committed Catholic.
The wolf in sheepskin.

I’m a Governor at a Catholic High school. There is no expectation on parents to attend weekday mass, nobody will notice if you are there.

There may be some events you would like to attend around Christmas and Easter - Nativities, special assemblies etc.

We are always oversubscribed .. we have about 50% Catholic and 50% non-Catholic, we teach about all World Religions, and none of our young people are for forced to partake

I did whenshe was in a Catholic school- primary and secondary. She's no longer in a Catholic school, but sings in the Catholic choir and I attend often. I also receive the blessing (not the Communion).
I also find evensong really calming, so I try to pop in every now and again.

No. There’s no expectation on anyone to go, catholic or not its an invite, not a summons

True. My dc go to a catholic school even though they are not catholic because there was literally no other option. Believe me when I say I tried because I’m very much against the Catholic Church.
They go to church/ mass during school. Dh and I don’t go. I haven’t even mentioned to the school they’re not catholic yet. I will when it comes to the year they do their first communion.
At the moment they learn that god made the world and how god loves everyone etc and that’s fine. I just explain at home that I don’t believe that. They say they do and I say fine, that’s nice.
When they are older I will be making them aware of exactly why I hate the Catholic Church and don’t want them part of it.
When I do the religious homework I tell them this is what’s in the bible rather than this is what happened/ this is how it is.
So no, I’m not teaching them to be hypocrites or anything like that. You can always explain things to children in a way they will understand and go into the details more when they’re ready.