A question for Catholics re school.

[MakeMineAMartina]

hi.
forgive my ignorance, Im not catholic, but someone I know is catholic and when I was a child I went to Catholic school and church (left the church 20 years ago, personal reasons).

im sure the following was expressed or have the laws changed?

to get your child into a Roman Catholic school, don't you have to be married? I thought the church was not on board with unmarried couples with children outside of marriage?

was just wondering.
thanks.

Is it still called Roman Catholic or just catholic?

gosh I sound so thick!

No you don't, an over-subscribed school may ask to see a baptism certificate and a letter from a priest confirming the child regularly attends mass but personal questions regarding the parents' circumstances would be inappropriate.

thanks.

Hi. No dont have to be married. My dd1 has just been accepted to rc school. Although her dad nd I didnt get married until she was 2. Im not catholic but take dd1 to mass every sunday. I love it. Im converting through rcia in september.

Our school is pretty strict aswell. Too many applications for the amount of places available

This has perplexed me too OP. As it's not the dcs who are catholic, but the parents choosing for them to be catholic, but how catholic can you be if you have children outside of marriage?

Courtney, my response to that would be that as Catholics we should be forgiving, compassionate, not judgmental (it is for God to judge, not us). We are none of us perfect, and often fail to do as we should - we are all guilty of judging people, it is very hard not to - but you could equally ask "how catholic can people be if they are judgmental towards other people who have children outside of marriage". Only God knows what is in other people's hearts.

I'm talking about admission criteria for a Catholic school though, not Judgement Day.

They 'judge' the parents if they don't take their dcs to church for an arbitrary period of time, and if they don't baptise before an arbitrary age.

The going to church thing is about current commitment to the values of the school. There's no point in sending a child for a Catholic education if Catholic practice is not part of your life as the child is likely to feel he or she doesn't fit in, it's not about judging but about showing the school is appropriate to you. To pass a judgement on someone's personal life would be irrelevant to the child fitting into the school or not. Tbh this question just seems to be based on trying to find fault with the idea of Catholic schooling. It's fine to disagree with the concept of faith schools but I think the difference between requiring the practice of a faith and making moral judgements on someone's lifestyle is quite apparent.

Some schools may require the child to be baptised. Some priests might be arsey about baptising the child of unmarried parents.
There is a huge variation in the personal theology of the billions of Catholics in the world.

innocent question, not trying to find fault or judgy with any denomination, was just wondering.