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Archdiocese, Dioceses Issue Home School Guidelines

By Sandra Guzman

Following a nation-wide trend, the Los Angeles archdiocese has proposed guidelines for home schooling families preparing their children for the reception of the sacraments. The November 1, 1998 document, called Guidelines for Faith Formation and Religious Education in Home School Settings, was written in collaboration with the Monterey, Orange, San Bernardino, and San Diego dioceses.

"The Religious education/faith formation of children and youth is the responsibility of parents, pastors and the local parish community," says the document, "...therefore it is the obligation of the parish leadership to provide religious education...there are situations where some families choose to 'home school' their children/young people. It must be understood that these efforts cannot be done independently of the parish setting." In ten different points, the document goes on to elaborate that, though the parents have the primary responsibility for the education of their children, this cannot "be interpreted in an isolated way, since the family is an integral part of the larger ecclesial community. All religious education must be carried out in a way that builds unity within the Church. No home schooling can be tolerated that does not promote the understanding that being a Christian is not a private matter of individual choice..."

Guideline Number 7 states: "The pastor and Director/Coordinator of Religious Education will require a periodic progress report to be made by the home schooling parents." Point 8, after stating that the "faith tradition is the responsibility of the whole parish community," states that "pastors, parents and directors of religious education must collaborate to insure that the children/young people are appropriately catechized...as parishioners, families are expected to participate in the parish Sunday liturgy." The guidelines make the assumption that each child's religious education is best served when the parents are supervised by the parish director of religious education and the pastor. The tenth point says that only "approved textbooks" are to be used; some dioceses, such as San Bernardino, list the Baltimore Catechism and Ignatius Press' Faith and Life series as not being "approved."

In the diocese of San Bernardino, home schoolers have had a mixed reaction. Barbara Barthelette of Our Lady of Angels support group in Rialto, told me, the guidelines are "a solution with no facts. To my knowledge, no home schooler was consulted [in order to draft the guidelines]." The San Bernardino diocese did not return phone calls to comment.

In the greater Los Angeles area, the guidelines have caused confusion among home schoolers. Jim Bendell, an attorney with Roman Catholic Faithful who is also a home schooling father of two, commenting on the guidelines, said he found it ironic that the Los Angeles Archdiocese's religious education department was issuing guidelines for home schoolers: "we are talking about a diocese that holds an annual religious education conference where every major dissenter is given a forum." One home schooling leader told me: "I just feel so sad that these undue burdens are being placed on parents by the Church in Los Angeles...we look to the Church for support. I wonder why they are doing this to us. We are raising children in an already hostile environment. The Church should be our helper and our support." One home schooling group meets at the First Christian Church in Monrovia, partly because of the feeling that none of the Catholic churches in their area are receptive to them.

Sister Edith Prendergrast, director of religious education for the Los Angeles Archdiocese, admitted that these guidelines are just that--guidelines. When asked how the archdiocese would enforce them, Prendergrast admitted that the guidelines could not be enforced. Prendergrast said that the archdiocese's intention is to say, "here are some ways that we would like you to know how you can connect with your parish. The kids are being initiated into the parish community. We are saying these are ways to connect...come to the parent meetings." When asked whether the Baltimore Catechism is an acceptable catechism, she said: "We are beyond the Baltimore Catechism, we now have the Catechism of the Catholic Church."

When told that the religious education director admitted that the guidelines are merely suggestions, home schoolers were not surprised: "We already knew that. We questioned their legality and we knew that they were unenforceable because we know our faith and we know our parental rights and responsibilities. What bothers us is that people who don't know these things...can be harmed or abused by misinformation."

One home schooling family, who requested anonymity, told me that their pastor at first allowed their children to receive first Holy Communion with the parish's first Holy Communion class. Upon hearing of the guidelines, the pastor rescinded his promise. The family was told that the only way their children could receive First Holy Communion was to enroll the children in the parish CCD class. The parents refused to go along with the parish's demand. To date, the family does not know what they will do. "We have to find another way," said the father. This family is hurt and confused by the pastor's actions, though they think that the priest is merely implementing the cardinal's policy.

Mary Kay Clark, director of the Seton Home Study program, told the Mission that back in the 70s guidelines that parishes had to govern the reception of the sacraments were not problematic. Clark said that the problems with guidelines began in the 80s and 90s when sex education was introduced into the CCD curriculum. Clark stated that parents often home school their children because they want to avoid the sex education programs in the public schools; to have sex education surface in the CCD class is more than the parents can bear. "Parents have the primary responsibility for preparing their children for the reception of the sacraments," said Clark. "The parish cannot dictate what books can be used given the large array of material that is now available. Given the tremendous resources that are now on the market--videos, interactive CD-ROMs, and the internet--it is unfortunate that the parishes think that they have to restrict the resources that are available to home schoolers." *

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