THE CATHOLIC TRADITION NEWSLETTER
A weekly presentation of News, Information, Readings and Commentary for traditional Roman Catholics and Catholic Families remaining faithful to the teaching Magisterium as held by all faithful Catholics through the centuries.
Vol 19 Issue 40 Editor: Rev. Fr. Courtney Edward Krier
October 3, 2026
Saint Therese of Lisieux, opn!
False Councils: Vatican II
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Saint Francis of Assisi
Family and Marriage
Articles and notices
Dear Reader:
On the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, September 29, priestly ordinations were held for Richard Lauricella, Thomas Netzel and Kyle St Aubin. Richard Lauricella was in our parish for a while until his family moved to Spokane.
The Mass began with the processional entrance of the clergy and ministrants followed by the ordinandi amidst the singing of the choir. The Pontifical Mass continued normal until after the Gradual, at which time the candidates were called out and gave their adsum—present. Bishop Mark Pivarunas, Superior of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen and filling the episcopal vacancy caused by the universal apostasy under the auspices of Vatican II, was the ordaining Bishop. He read the duties of the presbyterate: It is incumbent upon the priest to offer sacrifice, to bless, to lead, to preach, to baptize . . . .
The whole ceremony was in Latin for several reasons, not just by the law of the Church, but because the Church is universal and it is the same for all. The Church must also assure the validity contained within the administration (matter and form) along with that of the intention and therefore the mind of the Church is undoubtedly present in preserving the very words she has decreed meet her standard and canons.
Following the admonition, the Litany of the Saints was chanted with the inclusion of the words:
That You would vouchsafe to bless these chosen ones
That You would vouchsafe to bless and sanctify these chosen ones
That You would vouchsafe to bless, sanctify and consecrate these chosen ones
While the bishop makes the sign of the cross over them.
The Litany over, the Bishop rised again and extended his hands over the ordinandi while the priests then filed past and placed their hands over the ordinandi in silence. After, the Bishop prayed:
Let us pray, dearly beloved brethren, to God the Father almighty, that He may multiply heavenly gifts upon these His servants whom He has chosen for the office of the priesthood; and that, with His help, they may attain what they receive through His gracious favor. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
This was followed by the Preface of Ordination
In the Ordination to the Priesthood, the matter is the first imposition of hands of the Bishop which is done in silence, but not the continuation of the same imposition through the extension of the right hand, nor the last imposition to which are attached the words: "Accipe Spiritum Sanctum: quorum remiseris peccata, etc." And the form consists of the words of the "Preface," of which the following are essential and therefore required for validity: "Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty Father, invest this Thy servant with the dignity of the Priesthood; do Thou renew in his heart the spirit of holiness, so that he may persevere in this office, which is next to ours in dignity, since he has received it from Thee, O God. May the example of his life lead others to moral uprightness." (Pius XII, Sacramentum ordinis, November 30, 1947)
The Bishop then moved the stole in front and crossed in front of the priest and then placed the chasuble over the shoulders of the priest. After another prayer, the Veni Creator Spiritus was intoned during which the Bishop anointed the hands of the priest and wrapped his hands with a linen cloth saying: Deign, O Lord, to consecrate and sanctify these hands through this anointing and our blessing. Amen. He then concludes by making a sign of the cross over the joined hands and says: So that whatever they bless may be blessed, and whatever they consecrate may be consecrated and sanctified, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Next he presented a chalice with wine and a little water together with a paten and host to the ordinandi while saying: Receive the power to offer sacrifice to God and to celebrate Masses, as well for the living as for the dead. In the name of the Lord. Amen.
With this the Alleluia was chanted and the preparations for the chanting of the Gospel were initiated.
In the Sermon after the Gospel, Bishop Mark Pivarunas reminded all the fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachy (1:11): from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation. This prophecy continues as these priests are ordained to offer Holy Mass. There are many priests who make great sacrifices in travelling great distances so faithful Catholics may attend mass and receive the Sacraments. Therefore the need for priests is great in the harvest Christ calls His ministers to reap.
From the offertory the newly ordained priests offer Mass in union with the Bishop, reciting the prayers with him. This is technically their first Mass. It also shows their unity with a successor of the Apostles.
Mass concluding, they stood and professed the Apostles’ Creed which they are to preach and then afterwards each approaches the seated Bishop who says to each while imposing his hands: Receive the Holy Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them; and, whose sins you shall retain they are retained. With the words, May the Lord clothe you with the stole (vestment) of innocence, the chasuble is fully unfolded. Finally the priest is asked: Do you promise me, and to my successors, reverence and obedience? With I do, the priest is instructed to be guided by other priests to properly say Mass. This is followed by a blessing:
May the blessing of God Almighty—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—descend upon you, that you may be blessed in the priestly order and offer pleasing sacrifices for the sins and offenses of the people to God Almighty, to whom belongs honor and glory forever and ever.
Communion and Postcommunion was said with a final blessing and one last admonition before the Presbyterate together said the Last Gospel and all then processed out of the sanctuary.
Pray for these young, newly ordained priests as they go forth to teach all nations, baptizing and dispensing the mysteries of God. (cf. Matt. 28:19; Cor. 4:1)
As always, enjoy the readings provided for your benefit. — The Editor
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False Councils
Gaudium et Spes
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
[Continuing to read from the text of Gaudium et Spes with a recognition of its humanistic Pelagianism:]
27. Coming down to practical and particularly urgent consequences, this council lays stress on reverence for man; everyone must consider his every neighbor without exception as another self, taking into account first of all His life and the means necessary to living it with dignity, so as not to imitate the rich man who had no concern for the poor man Lazarus.
In our times a special obligation binds us to make ourselves the neighbor of every person without exception and of actively helping him when he comes across our path, whether he be an old person abandoned by all, a foreign laborer unjustly looked down upon, a refugee, a child born of an unlawful union and wrongly suffering for a sin he did not commit, or a hungry person who disturbs our conscience by recalling the voice of the Lord, "As long as you did it for one of these the least of my brethren, you did it for me" (Matt. 25:40).
Furthermore, whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia or wilful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where men are treated as mere tools for profit, rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others of their like are infamies indeed. They poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them than those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are supreme dishonor to the Creator.
28. Respect and love ought to be extended also to those who think or act differently than we do in social, political and even religious matters. In fact, the more deeply we come to understand their ways of thinking through such courtesy and love, the more easily will we be able to enter into dialogue with them.
This love and good will, to be sure, must in no way render us indifferent to truth and goodness. Indeed love itself impels the disciples of Christ to speak the saving truth to all men. But it is necessary to distinguish between error, which always merits repudiation, and the person in error, who never loses the dignity of being a person even when he is flawed by false or inadequate religious notions. God alone is the judge and searcher of hearts, for that reason He forbids us to make judgments about the internal guilt of anyone.
Comment
This understanding was brought to the forefront when Jorge Bergoglio replied, regarding accepting open practicing homosexuals: Who am I to judge! The Catholic News Service published this article (https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/33231/pope-francis-explains-who-am-i-to-judge-in-his-new-book):
Pope Francis explains 'who am I to judge' in his new book
Vatican City, Jan 12, 2016
In his new book on God's mercy, Pope Francis explains that his oft-quoted words "who am I to judge", about a homosexual person who is searching for the Lord with a good will, is simply his reflection on Church teaching found in the catechism.
The Name of God is Mercy, to be released Jan. 12, is a book-length interview of Pope Francis by Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli. The book is meant to "reveal the heart of Francis and his vision," according to Tornielli's foreward. He had wanted to ask the Pope about mercy and forgiveness, "to analyze what those words mean to him, as a man and a priest."
The journalist asked Pope Francis about his experience as a confessor to homosexual persons and about his "who am I to judge" comment, made during his in-flight press conference from Rio de Janeiro to Rome July 28, 2013.
"On that occasion I said this: If a person is gay and seeks out the Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person?" Pope Francis told Tornielli. "I was paraphrasing by heart the Catechism of the Catholic Church where it says that these people should be treated with delicacy and not be marginalized."
"I am glad that we are talking about 'homosexual people' because before all else comes the individual person, in his wholeness and dignity. And people should not be defined only by their sexual tendencies: let us not forget that God loves all his creatures and we are destined to receive his infinite love. I prefer that homosexuals come to confession, that they stay close to the Lord, and that we pray all together. You can advise them to pray, show goodwill, show them the way, and accompany them along it."
The book includes nine chapters following the foreword by Tornielli, consisting of questions-and-answers between him and Pope Francis. It includes as an appendix Misericordiae vultus, Francis' papal bull announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.
In the work, Pope Francis explains that he considers the present day a special time of mercy for the Church. He chose to hold a Year for Mercy through prayer and reflection on the teachings of recent Popes, as well as his own thought of the Church as a field hospital for sinners.
"Mercy is God's identity card. God of Mercy, merciful God. For me, this really is the Lord's identity," he reflects.
In The Name of God is Mercy, Pope Francis includes advice for confessors and for penitents.
"I feel compelled to say to confessors: talk, listen with patience, and above all tell people that God loves them," he said.
And Pope Francis' advice for making a good confession is that the penitent "ought to reflect on the truth of his life, of what he feels and what he thinks before God. He ought to be able to look earnestly at himself and his sin. He ought to feel like a sinner, so that he can be amazed by God. In order to be filled with his gift of infinite mercy, we need to recognize our need, our emptiness, our wretchedness. We cannot be arrogant."
The best way to participate in the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis said, is to be open to God's mercy.
A believer "should open up to the Mercy of God, open up his heart and himself, and allow Jesus to come toward him by approaching the confessional with faith. And he should try and be merciful with others."
The above sounds good if the person is seeking forgiveness and accepting those words of Jesus Christ not only to Mary Magdalen: Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more. (John 8:11), but earlier to the man cured at the Pool of Probatica: Afterwards, Jesus findeth him in the temple, and saith to him: Behold thou art made whole: sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee. (John 5:14)
The semantics of Jorge Bergoglio was such that he attempted to apply that of not condemning the sinner, to that of not condemning the sin. It is also an abdication in that a pope is set over the Church to judge what is sin and apply penance, that is, atonement, accordingly to the sinner as well as, as Christ Jesus stated: sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee. Finally, a pope is to protect the sheep and Jorge Bergoglio let the thieves come in as seen by the aftermath of Catholics promoting and supporting sodomitic and transexual lifestyles; politicians voting for these same crimes that cry to heaven for vengeance.
The following from the document only ratifies that the Church will not oppose sin, not through forgiveness as each individual is called to; but as an institution established to remove sin will ignore it.
(To be continued)
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THE GOSPEL OF THE SUNDAY
MATTHEW xxii, l-14
At that time: Jesus spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees in a parable, saying: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man, a king, who made a marriage for his son. And he sent his servants to call them that were invited to the marriage; and they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying: Tell them that were invited, Behold I have prepared my dinner; my beeves and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: Come ye to the marriage.
But they neglected and went their ways, one to his farm and another to his merchandise. And the rest laid hands on his servants and, having treated them contumeliously, put them to death. But, when the king had heard of it, he was angry; and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers, and burnt their city.
Then he saith to his servants: The marriage indeed is ready; but they that were invited were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways; and as many as you shall find, call to the marriage. And his servants, going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good; and the marriage was filled with guests. And the king went in to see the guests; and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. And he saith to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding garment? But he was silent.
Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.
ST GREGORY THE GREAT, POPE AND DOCTOR
On the Gospels: Matthew xxii. 1-13
I. I propose, if I am able, dearest brethren, to go briefly through the text of the Gospel lesson, so that I may then be free to speak more at length. But let us first see whether this account, which is from Matthew, is the same as that given in Luke under the name of Supper (Lk. xiv. 16)? There are no doubt certain things in which they seem to disagree: for here a dinner is spoken of, there a supper. Here, he who came to the wedding in unfitting garments was cast out, there we do not read that anyone who entered was cast out. And from this we may rightly gather, that in this account the wedding is a figure of the present Church, and that in the other the supper is a figure of the final and eternal Banquet: for into the former many enter who will go forth again, while he who once enters the latter shall never more leave it. And should someone say that this is the same lesson as that of Luke, I think it is better, subject to the claims of faith, to give way to another's opinion than give time to discussion; since we may well believe that Matthew speaks of the one cast forth who came without a nuptial garment, while Luke is silent about him. That one speaks of a dinner, the other of a supper does not in any way conflict with our understanding of the lesson; since in former times the dinner was at the ninth hour, and dinner was also called supper.
2. I recall that I have frequently said that in the holy Gospel the present Church is often spoken of as the kingdom of heaven. Because the assembly of the Just is called the kingdom of heaven. And since the Lord says through the prophet: Heaven is my throne (Is. lxvi. 1); and Solomon says: The soul of the just is the seat of wisdom (Wis. vii. 27); and since Paul also says: Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (I Cor. i. 24), we may therefore clearly gather that if God is wisdom, the soul of the just is a seat of wisdom; and, since it is said that Heaven is God's throne, the soul of the just is therefore heaven. This is the reason the Psalmist says of the holy preachers of the Gospel: The heavens show forth the glory of God (Ps. xviii. 2). The Church of the Just therefore is the kingdom of heaven: for since their hearts long for nothing on this earth, desiring only the things of heaven, the Lord as it were already reigns in them as He reigns in heaven. It is because of this He says that: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man, a king, who made a marriage for his son.
3. Your Charity already understands who this king is, the Father of the Son King. He to whom the Psalmist says: Give to the king thy judgement, O God: and to the king's son thy justice (Ps. lxxi. 2). He it is who made a marriage for his son. For God the Father made a marriage for God the Son, when He joined Him to human nature in the womb of the Virgin, when He willed that He Who was God before all ages should at the end of ages become man. But because this union is wont to be made from two persons, far be it from our minds to believe that the Person of our Redeemer Jesus Christ, God and man, became one from two persons. We do indeed confess that He has existence in and from two natures; but we shun as evil the belief that He is made up from two persons. We can therefore clearly and securely maintain that the Father made a marriage for the King His Son in this, that through the mystery of the Incarnation He joined Him to the Holy Church. And the womb of the Virgin Mother was the bridal chamber of This Spouse. And because of this the Psalmist says: He hath set his tabernacle in the sun: and he, as a bridegroom coming out of his bride-chamber (Ps. xviii. 6). As a Bridegroom He came forth from His bridal chamber: for God Incarnate came forth from the immaculate womb of the Virgin to unite the Church to Himself.
He therefore sends His servants to invite His friends to these nuptials. He sent once. He sent again: for He first made the Prophets and then afterwards the Apostles, the preachers of the Lord's Incarnation. He therefore twice sent His servants to invite: by the Prophets he said that the Incarnation of His Only-begotten was to come; by the Apostles He announced that this had come to pass. But because they who were first invited to the wedding feast would not come, in the second invitation He now says: Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my beeves and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready.
4. What are we to understand by beeves and fatlings, dearest brethren, if not the Fathers of the Old and New Testaments? For since I am speaking to all the people it is necessary for me to explain also the words of the Gospel lesson. Fatlings mean fattened beasts; the word fatling coming from the verb to fatten. And since it was written in the Law, that: Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thy enemy (Matt. v. 43; Lev. xix. 18), it was then lawful for the Just to crush with all their might the enemies of God and of themselves and smite them with the sword. In the New Testament this beyond all doubt came to an end, when Truth Itself proclaimed in His own words: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you (v. 44). Of whom then are the beeves a figure, but of the Fathers of the Old Testament, who when by the permission of the Law they struck their enemies with the retaliation of hate, what were they, if I may speak so, but as the oxen which gore their enemies by the strength of their horns? And what do fatlings stand for if not the Fathers of the New Testament, who, receiving the graces of inward enrichment, and fighting against earthly desires, are borne upwards towards heavenly things on the wings of spiritual contemplation? For to give our thoughts to this world here below, what is this but a certain aridity of mind? But they who by their understanding of heavenly things are in their holy desires fed from on high with the food of innermost delight, now grow fat as it were because of this more abundant nourishment. It was on this richness the Prophet longed to be fattened, when he said: Let my soul be filled with marrow and fatness (Ps. lxii. 6).
But since the messengers who were sent as preachers of the Lord's Incarnation, the Prophets first, and afterwards the Holy Apostles, suffered persecution from the unbelieving, He therefore says to those who were invited and would not come: My beeves and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. As though to say more openly: 'Reflect upon the deaths of the Fathers who went before you, and give thought to the dangers that threaten your own lives.' Note that in the first invitation nothing is said of beeves and fatlings, but in the second we are told that the beeves and fatlings are now killed: for Almighty God, when we will not learn from His words, will add examples, that we may more readily hope in all that we now believe impossible, when we learn of others who have already passed this way.
5. Then follows: But they neglected and went their ways, one to his farm and another to his merchandise. To go to his farm, is for a man to give himself beyond due measure to earthly labour. To go to his merchandise is to long for the gains of worldly pursuits. For he who is now intent on earthly labour, now given to the pursuits of this world, yet pretends to ponder the mystery of the Incarnation and to live according to it, going as it were to his farm or to his merchandise, refuses to come to the wedding of the king. And very often, and this is more grievous, some will not alone refuse the grace of the one calling them, but will even persecute him. Because of this there follows: The rest laid hands on his servants, and having treated them contumeliously, put them to death. But, when the king had heard of it, he was angry; and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers and burnt their city.
He destroyed the murderers, in that He put the persecutors to death. He burnt their city: for not alone their souls, but also the flesh in which they dwelt is tormented in the eternal fire of gehenna. Sending His armies He is said to destroy the murderers: for every judgement against men is carried out by angels. For what are the angelic hosts but the armies of our King? Because of this the same king is also called Lord of Sabaoth. Sabaoth is interpreted to mean Lord of hosts. He therefore sends His armies to destroy these adversaries; for the Lord does indeed execute vengeance by means of His angels. Our Fathers of old learned the might of His vengeance; and we have seen it. For where now are the proud persecutors of the martyrs? Where are they who in the pride of their hearts were uplifted against their Creator, and swelled with the death-bringing glory of this world? Lo, the death of the martyrs now flowers in the faith of the living, and they who gloried in cruelty against them are unremembered, even among the number of the dead. We have therefore learned from history what we are now hearing in the parable.
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OCTOBER 4
St. Francis of Assisi, Confessor
1. In young Francis there lived the bold, ambitious spirit of his century, a time of knighthood, chivalry, aspiring citizenry, and of effervescent life in game and song. When the youth was twenty-four, he fell ill; that sickness brought him sense and he began to think about himself and his previous life. Having recovered he tried to escape God’s hand, but God was stronger than Francis. On February 24, 1209, he heard the words of the gospel: “You are to have neither gold nor silver in your purse, nor a staff nor shoes” (cf. Luke 10:4). Francis took off his garments, shoes, and leather belt; he put on a gray smock, girded himself with a rope, and wore sandals on his feet. “That was what I had long sought; now my wish was fulfilled.” He lived as an apostolic, itinerant preacher, in humility and utter poverty. Soon other men joined him, and he founded the Order of Friars Minor, the Order of Poor Clares, and the Third Order (1221). He died on the evening of October 5, 1226, at the age of forty-four. Two years later he was canonized by Pope Gregory IX.
2. “God forbid that I should make a display of anything, except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world stands crucified to me, and I to the world” (Introit and Epistle). Francis hung a large crucifix in the oratory of his monastery and led his brethren to it saying: “That is your meditation book.” By gazing upon the cross Francis had come to understand the nothingness of all worldly things. Things he had formerly prized were now sources of temptation, objects of contempt and annoyance. Only the cross still had meaning for him; it was his only title to fame. In him the words of St. Paul were fulfilled: “Peace and pardon to all those who follow this rule, to God’s true Israel” (Epistle). He took the Cross of Christ as the standard by which all things are to be measured. So intimately was he united to the Crucified that he received the grace to “bear the scars of the Lord Jesus printed on [his] body.” The stigmata marked him unmistakably as, a disciple and “slave of Christ” (Gal. 1:10), who had become conformed to Him both internally and externally. In a certain sense Francis could say with Jesus: “If only I am lifted up from the earth, I will attract all men to myself” (John 12:32). He was not a priest but he founded an Order that circles the world; he effected so great a transformation in the religious and social realms of society that no one can fail to marvel at his success. He has attracted by the charm of his personality the noblest spirits of the centuries so that all do him honor, believers and nonbelievers alike, high and low. His great secret was devotion to the Crucified and a noble-minded rejection of all that the world had to offer; thus did he achieve interior liberty.
“Francis, poor and humble, enters heaven a rich man” (Alleluia verse). Because his profound understanding of the crucified Savior was so practical, he chose the way of poverty and humility. Poverty was the bride and queen of his heart and roused in him such a passion that he envied beggars in their rags. “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3). He founded a mendicant Order that was to live on small contributions, thus challenging an age that was in danger of being submerged in earthly dross because of its growing avarice and love of ease. His love of poverty was the more perfect because it was joined to simplicity and humility. His were not empty words when he said: “God has seen no more miserable man and sinner in the world than me.” Admired and honored by everyone, Francis yet remained true to his standards: “I consider myself as nothing and give God credit for everything. I keep nothing for myself but the nothingness of my origin.” What gives full brilliance to the picture of the Saint is his generous charity, the only thing that could make poverty and humility beget happiness. Francis loved God; he loved the Redeemer in His various mysteries, especially in His crucifixion; he loved the Church of Christ; he loved Christ’s brothers and sisters; he loved the poor, the little, the children. He loved the sun, the flowers, the trees, and the birds. All were for him messengers of God. How rich the poor little man of Assisi was! And how greatly he enriched others!
3. “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” those who are inwardly free from all earthly desires and possessions. «If thou hast a mind to be perfect, go home and sell all that belongs to thee . . . then come back and follow me” (Matt. 19: 21 ). If only we realized what inexhaustible treasures we possess in Christ, we would empty ourselves and gladly sacrifice everything to gain Him. How imperfectly we understand the words of our Lord blessing the poor in spirit; yes, we who day after day offer ourselves as sacrifice in the celebration of the Eucharist. Our offertory is still too much a matter of formality, of words without deeds.
St. Francis can teach us much on this subject. Let us beg him to obtain for us the grace to love the cross and to despise earthly goods, according to his own example.
Collect: O, God, who through the merits of blessed Francis didst enrich Thy Church with a new offspring, grant that after his example we may despise earthly things and ever find joy in partaking of the gifts of heaven. Amen.
—(Benedict Baur)
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Marriage Guidance
A Study of the Problems of the Married and of those Contemplating Marriage
(1948)
By Edwin F. Healy
SECTION III
The Duties of Parents in
Regard to Their Offspring
CHAPTER XX
The Child’s Schooling
THE FATHER AND MOTHER ARE A CHILD'S FIRST TEACHERS AND in the home itself they impart to him much useful knowledge. Because, however, the fields of learning in which boys and girls should receive careful instruction are so varied and complex, the home education must be supplemented by formal schooling. Most parents are not prepared to teach the many courses of studies which are taken in grammar school and high school, nor would they have the patience and skill to give their child the systematic training which one receives in the classroom. In the present chapter we shall discuss the problems that arise in connection with the child's education in schools to which he may be sent.
Nursery Schools
Nursery schools are schools established for the care and training of young children between the ages of two and five. These schools often take complete charge of the child for about six or seven hours of the day. They provide him with a well-balanced, nutritive diet, supervised play, protection against physical injuries, and the correction of curable physical defects. A nursery school can greatly benefit a child whose home conditions are abnormal. It can supply, to some degree, for the lack of love and tender care in the case of a child whose parents are seriously remiss in their duty. Nursery schools have, as can be seen, certain undeniable advantages. Are mothers, therefore, to be encouraged to send their children to nursery schools? Nursery schools obviously fill a genuine need when youngsters cannot be cared for at home. An example of this is the case of a mother who is obliged to earn her livelihood outside the home and who is unable to give her child into the custody of a near relative during the daytime. Such mothers are justified in seeking the aid of a nursery school. Such circumstances, however, must be considered exceptional. In general, children should not be entrusted to such institutions. The reasons are as follows:
1. Nursery schools cannot replace the environment of a good home where the child enjoys the feeling of security, affection, parental understanding, and relaxation. In the quiet, peaceful, and familiar surroundings of the home young children are more at ease and grow up more naturally. Even children who are very small sense the institutional character of nursery schools.
2. It is preferable to keep children under four years of age away from strange children and strange supervisors. During the first three or four years of their life mastering ways of doing so many new things keeps them busy. Learning how to associate properly with other children has its various problems, and this is an unnecessary and an undesirable burden to place on a child who is but two or three years old.
3. School personnel cannot give the child either the love or the understanding which he would usually find at home. They cannot provide him with the singlehearted and· selfless attention of his own parents. Every normal mother has a deep, enduring, and highly personal love for her child, and she burns with a strong, ever-present desire to procure his good. The teacher's interest in the children committed to her care is necessarily of a more general nature. With a large group to supervise she must give her attention impartially to all. Moreover, numberless bonds of affection unite mother and child. By nature they instinctively love each other. No such relationship exists between a child and his school teachers. Nursery-school supervisors cannot supply the parents' understanding. Almost every mother has an intimate and a very sympathetic understanding of her own child. Far more readily than a school teacher, she can recognize and supply his needs, discover and develop his talents, train his character. His stubbornness, clumsiness, unresponsiveness, do not discourage her in the task of rearing him in the proper way. Because of the more intimate relations of family life she is better situated than the school teacher to discover moral defects especially, and she is more sympathetic and patient in applying remedies.
Giving the Child a Catholic Education
Children should be given an education which is looked upon as suitable to their condition in life. In the majority of cases today, at least in our cities, a high-school education seems to be desirable. Catholic children should of course be sent to a Catholic school, for according to church law (Canon 1374) they are forbidden to frequent non-Catholic schools, and this prohibition includes grade schools, high schools, colleges, and universities.
Attending schools where there is no teaching of Catholic doctrine will, in one way or another, generally prove injurious both to faith and morals. First of all, the student does not receive the Catholic instruction that he should be getting at school; namely, the systematic teaching of the dogmas of the Church and the orderly explanation of Christian morality. Only in rare cases are these provided for in the home. As a consequence, the completion of his training in a non-Catholic institution will leave him with a deplorable lack of theological knowledge and character training. Secondly, since religious truths and Christian moral principles are passed over in complete silence in such schools, the pupil will readily conclude that knowledge of such things is of little importance. This will pave the way for negligence in the practice of his Christian duties. Experience has shown that it not infrequently happens that such a student eventually loses the faith completely.
High-school and college students can be harmed greatly by the example and teaching of their professors and the evil influence of their textbooks and prescribed reading. Many non-Catholic universities and colleges demand the reading of works that have a gravely harmful effect on the ordinary Catholic of college age. Experience teaches us that such noxious reading has meant the undermining of morality and loss of faith for many a Catholic who, up to that time, had been fervent in his religious practices. In some non-Catholic schools, though the doctrine taught is not especially inimical to the Catholic faith, danger to morals will arise from regular companionship with those who have no strict code of morality. If Catholic parents actually realized the disastrous influences which are at work in many non-Catholic schools, they would never think of sending their children into the midst of such grave dangers.
The natural law forbids unnecessarily risking harm to one's faith or morals. Parents would sin grievously if they sent their children to any school or college where there was evidently proximate danger to faith or morals. This remains true even though parents have the most weighty reasons for so acting. To send their children to schools (for example, public schools, non-Catholic military schools, and so forth) where these dangers are not proximate may be allowed by their bishop for good reasons (for example, in order to obtain technical instruction that is not to be had in any Catholic school in that vicinity), provided precautions are taken to make up for the lack of positive religious training by means of instruction at home or elsewhere. In all such cases the bishop must be consulted, for he is the proper judge as to whether one's reasons are sufficient (Canon 1374). The permission that must be obtained from the bishop is generally requested through one's pastor.
EXAMPLE. Since the Perkins' residence is across the street from the Lincoln Public School, Mr. Perkins, a Catholic, sends his boy John, ten years of age, to that institution. "It would be foolish," he argues, "to have John go to St. Patrick's, which is a mile away, when he has a good school at his front door. Besides, I know for a fact that by far the majority of the teachers over at the Lincoln School are Catholics."
COMMENT. That John would have to travel a distance of one mile to the Catholic school would not necessarily justify his attending the public school which is across the street from his home. Nor does the fact that the Lincoln's teaching staff is predominantly Catholic put that school in the same category as Catholic institutions of learning. It still remains a school which bans the teaching of religion and which falls under the prohibition of the Church regarding Catholic children.
(To be continued)
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Notices:
Fr Krier will be in Spokane, WA, October 6-9 (Conference). He will be in Pahrump, NV, on October 15. On October 22 Father will be in Eureka for the faithful in Northern Nevada.
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Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church is in the process of constructing a church hall, classrooms, library and residence in its efforts to provide for the parish and to have a place for research in traditional Roman Catholicism as well as a meeting place for those interested in both the perennial teachings and the movements to continue the Roman Catholic Church after the apostasy of the Conciliar Church. We hope you will support us in this effort as a center for spreading the Catholic Faith worldwide. We will still need to borrow $150,000 without your further assistance. Since the Church is located in the heart of Sin City (Las Vegas), it is a metaphor that the Church continues through her faithful bishops, priests, and laity in this sinful world that rejects the saving grace of salvation. Thank you for your prayers and asking for your continuance of prayer to bring this project to completion—the block walls are now going upwards.
Meanwhile, we want to thank all those who have so generously heeded this appeal and all who have supported our apostolate through the years.
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