Brandy Java - if you read the article I posted, you will see that Rochester diocese says that this happens "up and down the country". I know of 15 other schools that take children to church buildings and role play the ceremony in front of Priests.
Obviously, there is a bit of confusion here, as this is happening in classrooms with teachers and it is also happening in churches with Priests. Personally, I don't think either should be happening, but I am far more concerned about Priests 'officiating' these ceremonies.
I spoke to someone the other day, who is middle aged, with a grown up son. She told me that a boy in her class, when she was in primary school, gave her an engagement ring. She tells me she still has that ring and thinks of him often. How much more of an impression would it have made, if he had given her that ring, in a church, in front of their classmates in front of a Priest.....
I attended St Mary's church, Greenhithe today (the church in the article) and a real life baptism was taking place.
In that baptism, the Priest said that the baby was "clothed in Christ" and was "God's, forever".
I know that there is a practice to have mock baptisms at churches, along with weddings - at present, I believe they use teddy bears, which is fair enough but, I would not be at all surprised, to learn that there are some that baptise children. Indeed, there is a comment, in this thread, of a child baptising a child (not sure, if this was in the classroom or church). Wonder if that kind of language is used then? "You are God's forever" and "you are clothed in Christ".
From their point of view, the learning objective would be a "fun" way to talk about christianity and the 'sanctification of marriage' and the vol au vents are to add to the occasion.