Catechist: VIRTUS training, something born out of the sins of a few priests and the bishops who sheltered them, has become a millstone around the neck of the laity.

Was there a single person in that room that was unclear about the horrific nature of the acts committed by a specific set of priests and the bishops who covered up for them?  Why were we, the laity, being required to watch what was quickly boiling down to an indoctrination film as a solution to crimes that were not ours?

Read more

Many CCD teachers resort to arts and crafts because of a genuine fear and ignorance in teaching the Catholic faith to students.

St. Augustine-the Father of Catechetics describes catechizing the ignorant in this way:

The best method for instructing ignorant men in Christian doctrine, one that will bear much fruit is to ask questions in a friendly fashion after the explanation; from this questioning one can learn whether each one understood what he heard or whether the explanation needs repeating.

In order that the learner grasp the matter, we must ascertain by questioning whether the one being catechized has understood, and in accordance with his response, we must either explain more clearly and fully or not dwell further on what is known to them etc.

But if a man is very slow, he must be mercifully helped and the most necessary doctrines especially should be briefly imparted to him.

Read more

Editor’s note: St. Augustine figured this out way back around the 4th century. What a shame the Catholic Church threw out all the old, thoroughly proven ways when, for reasons known only to God, it decided to liberalize the church.

Catechists offended by photo of President Barack Obama in Catholic classroom

Precisely where does education stop and partisan politicking begin?

Is it appropriate to have a photo of President Barack Obama, the most anti-life, pro abortion, and (arguably) anti-Catholic president of all time, prominently displayed in an individual classroom of a Catholic school, without some sort of qualification or disclaimer?

What does such a display say about the teacher, the principle, the school, the pastor and the parish?

What message does it send to the students?

I can lend a bit of insight into this issue, since I had the opportunity to substitute-teach in that classroom, not too long ago.

I did my best to simply ignore the display, which I personally found to be offensive, but what really shocked me was the response I got when I asked the kids to name some people they considered to be heroically Christ-like.

A little hand went up, and of course, the first candidate for sainthood turned out to be Barack Obama, the abortion president! Stifling the urge to throw up, I bravely carried on. Next!

I know that complaints about the picture have been made to the teacher, the school principal, the diocese, the provincial of the religious order, and even the bishop … but so far, nothing  at all has been done.

Maybe we need a week or two of picketing out in front of the school, just to make sure that the kids get a fair and balanced view of things. Leafleting the parking lot and/or financial sanctions might work, too.

If we can’t get that Obama picture to come down, the least we can do is demand a disclaimer of some sort … perhaps written in the blood of aborted babies. Alternatively, we might simply “throw in the towel” and give all the kids Notre Dame scholarships.

Paraphrasing the words of President Ronald Reagan (who wasn’t very pro-life either, but who was as ideologically different from Barack Obama  as anyone ever could be, “Mrs. W … tear down that picture!”

Until then, we pray. (Send me an email if you want more information.)