AIBU to think weekly mass at Catholic schools feels quite intense?

[Endoftheway]

My DH and I have 3 children, we are going to be moving after summer to a new town, quite far from where we are right now.
Our children are baptised Catholic but really we don’t go to church much, I’d say it’s very much cultural Catholicism more than true belief.
Anyway the town we are moving to has one secondary school with a very good reputation, but it’s hard to get into as it’s a Catholic school, the admissions criteria right now has

1. Baptised Catholic Children attending a feeder school (any of the about 7 Catholic primary schools in the wider area)

Since that is the first line of the admissions criteria we are looking at the Catholic primary schools. Our children are currently in a Catholic primary school and I’d say the religious element is notable not all consuming, they have lots of children in the school who aren’t Catholic and many who are other religions.

What has shocked me is, the Catholic primary school we are looking at has a weekly mass, that is open to the public and all pupils attend, the above mentioned secondary school also has a weekly mass open to the public.

This has shocked me, one as the secondary school is losing a period a week to mass and as I find it hard to believe enough of the children are actually Catholic!
I understand that these are Catholic schools and I am all for prayers in assembly, and a general Catholic culture but weekly mass seems quite unavoidable for any children who aren’t Catholic or who are questioning religion.

AIBU to think this is quite intense? Even my schools growing up weren’t like this!

It's not unusual for a Catholic school to be pretty much 100% catholic pupils; There is one secondary near me I hear Appeals for regularly, where most years there are no spaces given far enough down the admissions criteria to go to non-Catholics. In most years, not even all Catholics who apply get in. It has a weekly mass.

Parents, do you have the right to withdraw their children from the religious observances should they really want to.

In my day it was daily mass and every lesson began with a prayer. I can still recite the Hail Mary in French.I can tell you how many rows of pews, windows and kneelers there were too. So once weekly mass is pretty low key if you ask me.

Agree with previous posters. We had mass every Wednesday morning in Primary. Sometimes it was a regular mass others it was a funeral mass. Then in secondary school it was the same. Plus mass on holy days every morning in lent and opening and closing of school year. Catholic schools usually are over subscribed so someone else will be glad of the place.

That applies to everyone though, to be fair. I couldn't go to Communion until we got married because we were living together. 😆

And yet when I was seeking an annulment for my first marriage my parish priest and the tribunal couldn't have been more supportive. So different from my parents' day thank God.

Wait until secondary school Y10, OP, and they have to take GCSE RE and do 2 hours RE a week.

Not where I am, it's way more mixed now. About 50/50 at my kids' secondary, and their primary was pretty diverse too.

We said a prayer at the start of every class let along going to mass!

Is this a wind up?
Shock horror
Catholic schools want the kids to go to mass.
Who knew?
You're being ridiculous

Was just wondering as being atheist is to be against all forms of religion, and that would include sending a child to a religious school.
Obviously I don’t know you though, so of course I’m not saying you are wrong when you say you are atheist 😁

It sounds like you’re looking for a Catholic school which doesn’t really do Catholicism OP. Good luck! 😂

If you choose to put them into a catholic school surely you expect them to be indoctrinated into the religion fully? Any religion school you pick will have a lot of religion in it. If your not comfortable with it send them elsewhere as it sounds pretty acceptable to have mass weekly given its a catholic school.

I really dont feel you should use your so called Catholicism to get your children into a good school and then object to its teachings, which by the way are nowhere near as strict as my convent school was. Please choose another school and let a child whose faith is more important to them go there. Its very wrong of you

I remember the same in catholic primary school, going to funerals of unknown people. Our's was always a Thursday mass.
The funeral (Requiem) was a long service if I remember rightly.

Well if your kids are attending Mass weekly that lets you all off the hook on Sundays.

My DC attend a CofE boarding school where they have daily chapel and an evening service on Sundays. They increasingly value these points of reflection in busy days when they can lose themselves in beauty and quietness then raise the roof singing together.

As others have said- if weekly Mass is such a deal breaker, don't take the place in an RC school

I must admit I do find it a bit odd when someone says they are Atheist, yet would choose a faith school. It's a bit contradictory.

Yeah it was... and catching a Latin mass was 🤯 - they were interminable!
But can you imagine primary school kids going to a stranger's funeral these days? There'd have to be trauma counsellors on hand 😂 Unless they still do 🤔?!

Just goes to show that the idea of state-run (and funded) religious schools is utter bullshit.

Access to the best school in an area should not come with a condition of mandatory god-bothering.

😂😂😂Are you for real? You are complaining about a weekly mass at a Catholic School?
It’s like moaning that a pub sells alcoholic drinks.

A very significant percentage of the weekly collection at mass goes to fund diocesan schools. If you aren't going to support the ethos of the school or pay in to the school via the weekly collection AND you object to a faith school practising the faith then it's probably not the school for you...!!

You can't be surprised that a faith school observes a faith!

As a Roman Catholic this sounds pretty normal to me. We always had mass once a week on a Thursday morning when I was at school. We had nuns teaching us some of our lessons as well. I quite liked it.

This sounds normal to me although at secondary school the mass took place instead of the daily assembly and wasn’t obligatory.
But if a nun found you they’d march you in!!

I would say a Catholic school isn't for you then.

Don’t send your kids there then! What a pointless post

I went to a C of E primary that was pretty relaxed and we still had 2 or 3 hours of worship and hymn practice per week, although we were only taken off site to church once every 6 weeks or so

If you don't agree with the schools ethos then send them elsewhere