Thread for 'Cradle' Catholics - come out, come out wherever you are!

[Tinker]

Whenever there is a debate on mumsnet I'm always struck by how many Catholics there are so, out of interest:

1. Who was born into a Catholic family?

2. Who went to Catholic school?

3. Are you still a practising Catholic? If not ,why not?

4. Will you be sending your child to a Catholic school? If not why not?

5. Yes - both parents. Irish background for mother (teacher), English background, mostly, for father (probation officer)

6. Yes, run by nuns

7. Not at all. Things seriously didn't add up for me when I was about 17. Have moved further an further away from belief in god as I've got older.

8. Certainly not. Too much negative programming (my experince)

Anyone else? Non-catholic opinions welcome as well.

1. No, CoE

2. Yes, run by St Josephs Nuns - the final 6 years, and the best thing thing that my parents ever did for me. The Nuns gave me ambition and belief in myself (as well as the standard guilt complex), oh and saved me from boys for a while. 3. Not practicing anything, but am more comfy with the Catholic services than the CoE 4. If a Catholic School was the best one in the area and if they would take us (which I doubt) then yes - that is why I went.

No sykes, because I fully accept that at some point she may turn around and say "this is a load of crap", (which DH hopes!) and she may think this temporarily or she may believe it from age 9 for the rest of her days. when she raises objections I will take them on board, (BTW, not a particularly regular mass goer or anything). I flirted heavily with judaism in my teens (have jewish rellies) and my parents supported me/bought books/took me to synagogue. i would respect DD's views in the same way. I also think that one of my jobs as a parent is to show DD what ithink to be right and true but leave her to form her own opinions. If she has no input about Catholicism, how will she be able to think about faith (of any kind) as a serious proposition.? On a reality/peer pressure note, it's generally considered perfectly ok to mock people with any belief in God, esp Christians (I used to dismiss Church stuff as a youngster to fit in) by putting her in a faith school I think this will be minimised.

1.Who was born into a Catholic family?
A. me
2. Who went to Catholic school?
A.me
3. Are you still a practising Catholic? If not ,why not?
A. yes i am church and confession nearly every week my daughter is an altar server.
4. Will you be sending your child to a Catholic school? If not why not?
A. all three of my children go to two (junior & senior) catholic schools. the school has a catholic ethos which backs up what i teach my children at home and what they learn at church.

i think its important that i give them some foundations on which to build if they so chose. becuase knowing that God loves me is what brings me to my knees in church each week. is what makes me cry in church some weeks. and being able to introduce this love to my chidlren is the greatest gift i can give them.

i want them to be adults with a faith. if religeon goes out of the window which is prolly will, i hope they retain their faith ( theres a difference between faith and religeon)

i feel very sad that i have to defend my religeon almost every week either on here or at work or in my private social life. i am a minority fighting against the " you dont believe in that bollocks do you?" every week. my non catholic friends think its the biggest laugh ever - i get riduculed constantly and called the virgin mary and saint lisa. my Boss ( whith whom i have the best intellectual debates)forever jobes me about being catholic and always goes on about its history and the horrible things its done - which he then expects me to defend , and which i obviously cannot!! this is how my family works - i am not an evalngelist and i dont want to "turn" anyone. i dont burst out into a rosary every time i pass a church. i swear, i drink, i smoke, and religeon ( not faith) gets on my nervs sometimes. but i know i am lucky to have found god here in this life.

It's interesting though isn't it custardo, just how many of us were put off religion by the experience of a Catholic education. I even went and did a degree in religious studies despite my inherent athiesism, so the experience did do something for me. Unfortunately what I think the experience of being taught by nuns and priests did do was instill a deep cynicism of religion and it's shop stewards.

Call me naive (sp?) but I didn't realise there were still so many religious people thesedays.

i'm getting very pissed off by your anti-irish remarks, marialuisa, can it please.

Nothing wrong with Irish in my mind My father was Irish My mother was 1/2 Welsh I too feel there is 'some' anti Irishisum going on..

I must say I'm completely bewildered about the anti-Irish remarks. A fair percentage of he nuns at my convent were Irish but their nationality had bugger all to do with their qualities as Catholics or teachers.

How well said custardo...
I now understand what you mean marialuisa..and no offence taken dispite having 2 irish parents
TBH I'm more offended at the comments directed towards faith schools on the other thread - but don't want to go there anymore!!

Regarding the catholicism at schools discussion, I went to a very "hell fire & damnation" junior school but fortunately my senior school was much more "God is love" because I know I would have been screaming for release had it been the former.
I am half Irish, so feel both defensive and understanding of comments about Irish Catholicism. My mother (Irish) seems to have a more negative and punitive form of Catholicism where it is all about the things that you can't do, rather than the positive, supportive stuff. I do think that in Ireland, religion was oppressive and a negative enforcer for much of the last century.

Bugsy2, I think my irish parents would agree with that

Hey I need the support marialuisia......

1. C of E. Grandmother and mother had strong faith - both big influences on me. When I was young girl, I thought that I could join the Salvation Army if all else failed! (Didn't want to be a nun as wanted to marry and have children.

2. Didn't go to particularly religious schools. DH is Irish Catholic and went to several Catholic schools. He was brought up by his Granny who was v. fervent and he later rebelled against her and Catholicism, only becoming practising again much later.

3. I'm a Catholic convert - all my family go to Mass. When I first went, was amazed at how many young people and children attended. Church had a lovely Irish Priest with lots of humanity and great sense of humour. He's had to take time out unfortunately due to alcoholism.

4. Ds and dd1 go to Catholic schools with caring environments v different from Dh's childhood experience. Dh teaches in Catholic secondary.

1. dad catholic, mum protestant, big row between families so I was brought up to embrace all religions but became catholic at university (!)

2. no 3. yes 4. hopefully

Sorry to come back to this one but I was talking to an "older" woman yesterday who read the article in the Times about MN and she said that young Catholic mums would appreciate a website like MN but for Catholics. I didn't agree with her but would be interested if you other RCs out there think there is a specific need? (BTW to save you re-reading the thread I am one and practising and all that - it was a church meeting ) Thanks

it would never take off - all those devout rc mums would be too busy with their multiple offspring

I guess you wouldn't need a Contraception section.....

I think one for just catholics is probably a bit too specific.

I thought so too, coppertop. Most of my parenting concerns have very little to do with being a Catholic - probably none in fact (apart from the mad dash on a Sunday morning )

I think it would stress the hell out of everyone, there would be a topic called guilt for a start.

1. Who was born into a Catholic family?

Yes DF was strong RC, DM was CoE

2. Who went to Catholic school? Yes RC comp up to aged 18
3. Are you still a practising Catholic? No If not ,why not? Didn't do anyhting for me!
4. Will you be sending your child to a Catholic school? no If not why not? fely my rc school but too much emphasis on fearing god and not enough on education

Fairyfly