ARTICLE

A CHILD'S SACRAMENTS AND
HOME PREPARATION

by Ellen Rice

What is a parent to do if the priest requires a child to take CCD even if he is home educated, or if a DRE stereotypes home schoolers as "pre-Vatican II"?

Sacramental life ought to be a large part of Catholic home schooling. For many parents new to home schooling, preparing children for the sacraments is uncharted water, a source of confusion. The Church's responsibilities to home schooling parents and children are only beginning to be clearly enumerated. What is a parent to do if the priest requires a child to take CCD even if he is home educated, or if a DRE stereotypes home schoolers as "pre-Vatican II"?

Home school families need the Church for the sacraments, and the Church in turn depends on home schoolers to do their utmost in matters of catechesis. Four parties are involved in each child's catechesis and reception of the sacraments: the parish priest, the parents, the diocese, and the supreme Magisterium in Rome. The role of each must be put in context of the teaching, governing, and sanctifying mission of the Church, and the primacy of Peter.

I. The Duties of the Parish Priest

Most likely, your parish priest will administer your child's first communion, and so it is that Canon Law entrusts to him the duty of deciding if Johnny or Susie is ready to receive confirmation, holy communion, or first confession. Canon 777 states that "in a special way the parish priest is to ensure, in accord with the norms laid down by the diocesan Bishop, that: an adequate catechesis is given for the celebration of the sacraments; children are properly prepared for first confession and first holy communion, and for the sacrament of confirmation, by means of catechetical formation over an appropriate period of time..."

Parents' rights and duties as primary educators have been affirmed before, in and since the 1983 Code of Canon Law, and in no way is Canon 777 to be read as an infringement upon the role of the parents. Parents can teach, but no matter how hard you try, you can not forgive your child's sins or change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.

The priest is responsible to see that home catechesis is adequate. "Adequate" is in part defined by the norms of his diocese. Lest we be as distrustful of our bishops as our ancestors were of Arius, let us momentarily recall that the bishop's authority stems from his office. A bishop's control of his area is not only his right; it is his commission from Jesus Christ. Good local and regional reasons like persisting native superstitions, heresy, or widespread laxity among the faithful can move bishops to loosen or tighten these norms. Similarly the norms of "appropriate periods of time" are subject to the discretion of the bishop.

Priests implement diocesan and universal norms, but this implementation involves faces and names, not just ideas. Therefore, it works best when home school parents know their pastors well, says Fr. Kris Stubna, Director of Religious Education in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The parent/ parish relationship can take many forms; as many forms as there are parishes. According to Fr. Paul deLadurantaye, Secretary of Religious Education in the Diocese of Arlington, some Arlington parishes give parents catechetical materials to study as a group at someone's home. In other parishes it is customary for parents to meet on an individual basis with the pastor. He adds, "Some parishes here still keep home schoolers at arm's length."

In parishes where only one priest is available, or a pastor serves four or five parishes, personal contact is easily lost and problems arise. "People across the country call me with sacramental preparation problems," says Msgr. Michael Jackels, Director of Religious Education in the Diocese of Lincoln. " In most situations, they have no access to the pastor. A pastor can read situations, but when he delegates, the tendency is for the person just to follow his rules."

If the pastor is inaccessible, Msgr. Jackels advises, very kindly, and without any anger, put in writing a request for an appointment. Appointments usually come through, but if they do not, there is a route of petition to the bishop. Yet he warns, "there are two parties here, and sometimes parents can be unreasonable, too."

Visibility and friendship can increase with the family's degree of parish participation. Many Catholic home schoolers are already involved. "Belonging to the parish community has never been a problem for home schoolers. Pastors see us at baptisms, Good Friday services and stations, and daily Mass," said Mary Kay Clark, founder of the Seton Home Study School and a board member of the Round Table of Catholic Home School Leaders.

Even so, just as priests can become inaccessible, so can families. "The trouble begins when parents step back, go to Mass somewhere else, and lack parish support. Then they are trying to build a relationship with a stranger," said Fr. Stubna.

II. The Bishop's Catechetical Norms

"While it's not our mission to worry about sacramental preparation per se, getting to know the bishops helps break down walls." says Bill Bales. Bales, a parent in the Arlington diocese, and his wife Lisanne are board members of the National Association of Catholic Home Educators (NACHE).

"The perception is that we are fringe Catholics, Lefebrites. But this is starting to change," says Bales.

Vanity is not the reason home schooling parents like Bales want to meet bishops and change perceptions. Bishops have authority over catechetical norms in their dioceses. Some catechetical norms are strict; the Diocese of Pittsburgh requires CCD for home-taught children. One thing is certain: if bishops thought that the home school movement was heretical - an arm of the Society of Pius X, enemies of Vatican II, rigid or Manichean- stricter norms regulating or prohibiting home catechesis would emerge. And perhaps with the right intent, although with the wrong facts. A bishop has to stop heretical catechesis.

According to Canon 775, the bishop's task is the following:

While observing provisions made by the Apostolic See, it is the responsibility of diocesan Bishops to issue norms concerning catechetical matters; to ensure that the appropriate means of catechesis are available, even by preparing a catechism, if this seems opportune; to foster and to coordinate catechetical initiatives.

The bishop is expected to know the local flock better than does the supreme Magisterium of Rome. Other canons also exist which require the bishop to preach often and visit his parishes regularly. If the bishop on his rounds hears heretical catechesis, it is his duty to correct it. But unfortunately, bishops seldom make it to catechism classes, or visit the homes of home schoolers. They rely on others for information, and in the absence of that, stick to their gut feelings on a matter. Hence, the worry that bishops will stereotype Catholic home schoolers as Lefebrites.

In this country, bishops rely heavily on DREs to direct catechesis and assist them in these matters. The DRE often drafts the catechetical guidelines that are subject to a bishop's approval. Lay or clerical, such support staffs are legitimate ancillary bodies (see Canon 228). It is important to realize that the bishop trusts and relies on DREs very much.

As practical executors of religious education, DREs receive findings and professional advice from organizations like the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA). The NCEA, located in Washington, D.C. is a 93-year-old organization which promotes Catholic education and provides leadership to its members, such as DREs.

While home schoolers battled fears that bishops would cast them as Lefebrites, the NCEA issued a survey containing a question asking DREs if home schoolers were "pre-Vatican II," "Vatican II" or "post-Vatican II." Sr. Antoinette Dudek, assistant director of the elementary schools division, which issued the survey, said "pre-Vatican II" was not meant to refer to the council, but simply to place home schoolers in a historical era. Which ever way the respondents understood the question, 74% of them agreed that home schoolers are "pre-Vatican II."

This survey, conducted "non-scientifically" using a convenience sample, and was "for in-house research," according to Sr. Dudek. "We wanted to test the waters before issuing a statement on home schooling." Sr. Dudek knows home schoolers personally, including her own relatives and also special education children she has worked with. She was, in fact, the person who brought home schooling to the attention of the department, and has issued a statement to school principals about home schooling.

The DRE survey results were posted on the Internet. Home schoolers, and organizations like the Round Table and NACHE, responded with various letters and phone calls. Reactions to the survey ranged from cries that the question was not asked fairly and that the survey was meant to prejudice DREs, to a letter by NACHE reiterating the hope that the NCEA and home schoolers could work together.

Dr. Mary Kay Clark questions the validity of the "pre-Vatican II" response to begin with. "(The survey's) perception of home schoolers is really behind the times. The DREs in a diocese work downtown, not in the parishes. How many home schoolers do they really know?"

"I only know one family personally," said Msgr. Jackels. Jackels serves Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz in Lincoln, Nebraska. Last year Bruskewitz excommunicated any Catholics who belonged to anti-Magisterium groups, the most famous of which is Call to Action. Jackels believes the diocese's stance for orthodoxy has in fact forestalled a large home school movement.

"Home schooling is not widespread here. We have a good Catholic school system and the issue hasn't come up. I assume this family has a good relationship with their pastor," he said.

Curious to see if the home schooling trend had just not caught on in the Midwest, I contacted another DRE office, in the Diocese of Milwaukee. Unfortunately, the member of the office with whom I spoke declined to participate in this report.

Meanwhile, DREs in Pittsburgh and Arlington know home schoolers and talk about them. They think home schoolers have a legitimate place in the Church. Fr. Kris Stubna calls home schooling a vocation, to which some parents are called and given the grace of state. "They provide a real witness to the Church, proclaiming parents as the primary educators. They can share a lot with other families. They show forth the dynamism of a Catholic home where everyone is involved."

Fr. Stubna knows many home schoolers personally, and false stereotypes actually fueled his interest in helping home schoolers. Fr. Stubna has presently drafted a document called "The Teaching Home and Teaching Church." Intended to place home schooling in the context of Magisterium teaching on the family and religious education, this document is being created with the help of home schooling parents. "The Teaching Home and Teaching Church" will soon be submitted to Bishop Wuerl for review and deliberation.

A few hours away in Arlington, Fr. deLadurantaye espouses a less verbal and more activity-centered philosophy. He, like Fr. Stubna, does not see home schoolers as reactionaries pulling their kids away from parish life and parish schools. The growth of Arlington home schooling, he says, has not hurt the Arlington Catholic schools. "Look at our schools- we have waiting lists and we're building new ones! We keep a good Catholic identity and a hand on the faith. Home schoolers here are not anti-parochial."

The diocese quietly oversees home school activity in the area, which is a national center for home schooling. Seton Home Study School, the first of its kind, is within this diocese. Home schooling conventions go on within the Arlington boundaries due to its proximity to the capitol. In addition, home schoolers enjoy diocesan-wide activities and structures, such as field trips, sporting events, and a newsletter.

"Socialization is a big concern with some of our priests, and this structure allays the fears that these kids are not socialized," Fr. deLadurantaye says.

These two large, east-coast dioceses are working to facilitate alternative Catholic education. Perhaps they are anomalies among DREs, and perhaps most believe that home schoolers are "pre-Vatican." Your DRE may be open, or guarded. In any case, a DRE's attention to professional literature must remain secondary to the voice of his bishop. And a home schooler whose DRE is inattentive can certainly, like Bill Bales, just try to make friends with the bishop.

III. Local, American, or Catholic?

Lisanne Bales says she has never had a problem with sacramental preparation. In others' lives the problems exist, recorded as long-distance calls to Msgr. Jackels.

The Body of Christ does not put obstacles in the way of the faithful. But the Church is lively, full of free individuals, and even the most ardent ecclesiophile among us must admit that priests and bishops can conceivably choose to become renegades. It happened in King Henry's England, and it happened with Arius. Like orthodox Catholics in any situation, home schooling parents are unnecessarily burdened by this trouble: is the local authority a renegade, in matters large or small? And often, the faithful are in too deep, and need to call a trusted monsignor.

The issue comes to bear on two points: compulsory CCD, and a pastor's decision that your child can or cannot receive a sacrament. In the first case, the issue is what the books are or are not putting into your child's head. This has been a large problem in the past, but this may be changing. "The new Catechism, I hope, will be one good thing. All diocesan materials on religious education will have to conform," says Fr. Stubna.

In the second case, the issue is whether the priest or his assistant takes an illicit view on the sacraments and expects you and your child to parrot it back. Msgr. Jackels believes parents' frustrations with pastors are often legitimate in this area. One priest many years ago, he said, went so far as to establish a "naming ceremony" to replace infant baptism. "People have a right to the deposit of faith. The priest has a duty to administer the liturgy and the sacraments correctly," says Jackels.

In Lincoln today, the matter of the priests' loyalty to Rome is not much of an issue, Jackels says. He cites the candidate selection process and the choice of sound seminaries as reasons. If diocesan programs can prevent the emergence of renegade priests, this again suggests that the correct place to redress these grievances is with your bishop.

IV. Parents and Sacramental Preparation

Mike Aquilina thinks that too often we Americans try to go it alone in matters spiritual. "The typical American attitude of 'services rendered' affects Catholics sometimes. Pope Leo XIII condemned Americanism, a philosophy that exalted the autonomous individual. I grew up in an ethnic parish where it wasn't like that. There is legitimate authority that reaches into our 'little corners.'"

There is plenty of help available regarding home catechetics. Catholic home school organizations, catechism series you can use in your home, preplanned curricula and home schooling manuals that discuss sacramental preparation are all possibilities. The teaching Catholic homes across America are becoming more and more linked.

Ideas now in practice can enhance the sacramental catechetics in your home school. In Arlington, some parishes offer a home school Mass every month. Others in Arlington have discussion groups for parents. Mike Aquilina in Pittsburgh likes home instruction plus CCD; his child came home one night and asked if he could go to confession every week. Mary Kay Clark finds CCD repetitive of home instruction, but stresses daily Mass and involvement with sacramental life.

Parents, hopefully, can avoid alienation from their local authority. Submitting to authentic authority and challenging bad catechetics just come with the territory. If a child must take CCD according to local norms, so be it. If your DRE thinks you are "pre-Vatican", send him an e-mail so he'll know you live in the information age.

What lies ahead for home schooled children? Everyone involved in this issue - parents, priests, administrators - has some control over the outcome.

Let us remember, though, the Supreme Magisterium is in Rome - not in our living rooms, in the rectory, in the office downtown, or in Washington, DC.

Ellen Rice, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, is the Assistant Editor of Catholic Dossier.