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

Yes, I think it would be quite obvious with me, not knowing the routine and rituals etc.

@ViolaPlains @BruFord I was wondering because people were saying that those who are CofE can't take communion in a Catholic service but I don't really know how different the services are and whether a non Catholic Christian would "stand out" ?
I do remember when a cousin of mine got married the bride was Catholic and it was a Catholic service. Our side (the groom) was mostly Methodist (or nothing really).
When it was time for communion only one person from our side went up. It was all a bit weird to me (the completely non religious person).

Our nearest secondary school is a Roman Catholic school and many children from my DC's non faith junior school went to it as it was their closest school. Mind you, I think spaces only became available because the council stopped paying for the school buses that collected Catholic children from all across the county. The City I live in is very secular when you look at the statistics that the council hold on what religion people hold, a high percentage compared to the rest of the UK do not prescribe to any faith. This has caused lots of issues around the spaces being available to all.

I want to a Catholic school. I do not believe in God. We had compulsory mass once a term. I didn't enjoy mass at all. However, apart from
mass, I was very happy.

I would be doing everything in my power to counteract the messaging they are receiving at school. I would not be reinforcing it by taking them to mass.

You mean the message of be a good person?

You don’t need a deity or any religious beliefs to ‘be a good person’. Adult morality does not need the stick of damnation and the carrot of heaven to motivate it.

Nobody said you did but thats pretty much the message that is given in Catholic schools, along with love one another and forgiveness, so why any parent would want to counteract that message is beyond me.

I'm Catholic and have always loved school masses. They aren't like normal masses but then again I also love normal mass.

Have you been invited to a class mass? That's a bit like an assembly and the children do readings and sing songs. Like assembly it would be nice if you could go so your child can feel supported. Don't beat yourself up if you can't make it due to work.

If the mass doesn't involve your child doing a prayer or reading then there's no real need to go except to take part in the school community or for curiosity.

Or is it an "invitation " to go on Sunday. In which case do what you want but that will be a standard Sunday mass.

Mumsnet hates faith school but my experience has been absolutely lovely and my dc's school life would have been sadly lacking without the faith element . Each to their own.

My nieces and nephews came home being told gay people go to hell.

Was this in 1847 as no school would say that to a child?

I grew up in a devoutly Catholic household in a Catholic society — educated throughout in Catholic schools. What I ‘learned’ was that a hierarchy of celibate men attempted to control women’s bodies, systematically protected their ranks from the criminal justice system when they abused their position, and failed to be, in any way, good. Forgive me for not signing my child up to that, and for teaching him that a secular morality of justice, kindness and care for others and the world is possible without hierarchy and without supernatural beliefs.

We did spend quite a lot of our history murdering each other and seizing each other's property, depending on who the king or queen was.

I went to a Catholic secondary school. I'm not Catholic and we didn't have to go to mass, only when at school. I however did feel singled out as a non catholic, just what every teenage girl wants to feel! This is going back almost 30 years ago though.

I’m in Ireland. Most schools are catholic. There are very few non religious schools and they all have waiting lists a mile long. I literally had no other option. How am I a hypocrite?

It’s not the religion I have a problem.
Also, they’re only in the first year of school.

And what century was this in? It’s simply not true, is it?

Speak to the school, they'll opt them out of lessons. Saves any confusion in the future.
Obviously teach them that we have to respect each others personal views etc.
Many DC in my DS class opt it, it's not a problem.
DS is aware some DC have other beliefs and others have none, but it is all good. 🩷

Not at all, unless it was a few decades ago.
Many DC have 2 mum's or 2 dad's, or a gay aunt, uncle, cousin, brother, sister.
I am Catholic, love is love.

We've a few family members in same sex relationships.

My DS's go/went to a catholic high school (we are all atheists) and I went to no religious stuff and my DS's said there was a religious assembly very rarely and no other religious stuff at all! I was very surprised.

Again, I’m not saying I had no choice for nothing. I literally had no other choice. And how exactly am I a bigot? I was a victim of abuse in a catholic school when I was a child. I live in Ireland with the legacy of abuse and the fact that most of the schools are still catholic run, like most people here.

Having taught in Catholic, C of E and non secular schools I can say that those who are not religious probably benefit rather than not. There is always a more caring feel. Non Catholics can choose to have a blessing in a mass if they so desire and most kids chose to. The majority of the kids really enjoyed the masses (probably as they missed lessons), they loved a good rendition of My Lighthouse!

In all my days I've never seen anyone do this. Why would someone do this?

If you don't want to take Communion, then you stay sitting down?

I think if you're known not to be a Catholic, but choose to turn up at Holy Mass, that will do you nothing but good with the powers that be in the school. It's just the kind of thing they would appreciate. They will be very fed up of people sending their children to the school and then insulting it's ethos. But that doesn't sound like you, OP.
So. from that point of view, it's a good idea to go.
It's also good to support your child and learn more about the religion.
But obviously, if it gives you the horrors for some reason, then don't go. They won't be offended , but , realistically, they may well notice.

They told me about it last year at the dinner table. How their friend who was out was having to listen to lessons about how homosexuality is a sin. The kid made jokes afterwards, but he shouldn’t have to put up with that.

No child should be hearing it either, but it is what the Catholic Church preaches.