THE

PARENT-EDUCATOR

New Series, Volume I

PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

lious Discussion Club Text with Outlines

Publications Department

CONFRATERNITY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N. W.

Washington 5, D. C.





THE

PARENT-EDUCATOR

New Series, Volume I

PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

A Religious Discussion Club Text with Outlines

Publications Department

CONFRATERNITY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N. W.

Washington 5, D. C.



Copyright, 1941, by

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine

First printing, May, 1938

Second printing, November, 1939

Third printing, July, 1941

Fourth printing, February, 1942

Fifth printing, December, 1943.

Nihil ohstat.

HENRY J. ZOLZER,

Censor.

Imprimatur.

9 thomas h. McLaughlin,
Bishop of Paterson.

December 8, 1943.

This and other literature issued by the Publica-

tions Department of the Confraternity of Christian

Doctrine, 1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N. W.,

Washington 5, D. C., may be ordered direct from

St. Anthony's Guild, Paterson 3, N. J.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

BY ST. ANTHONY GUILD PRESS, PATERSON, N. J.



CONTENTS

PAGE

FOREWORD V

Most Reverend Christian H. Winkelmann, S. T. D.,

Bishop of Wichita

Response to C. of C. D. Program. Cooperation of

Church, School and Home. Parents Co-creators of Off-

spring. Material for Matrimonial Instructions; for Pro-

moting Spiritual Life of Family; for Stimulating Forma-

tion of Discussion Clubs.

INTRODUCTION VIII

No New Agencies Needed but Parental Obligation

Realized. Renewed Conception of Parental Responsibility

Awakened by Pius XI.

THE PARENT AS EDUCATOR, Chapter I 1

Most Reverend Edwin V. O’Hara, D. D., Chairman

Episcopal Committee of Confraternity of Christian

Doctrine.

Rights and Duties of Parents. Place of Family in Edu-

cation. Parents May Not Resign Their Duties.

THE PARENT AS EDUCATOR, Continued

,

Chapter II 7

Graces of Sacrament of Matrimony. Attitudes toward

Parents as Educators. Basic School of Christian Life.

Fertile Field for Catholic Action.

PREPARATION OF PARENTS FOR RELIGIOUS IN-

STRUCTION IN THE HOME, Chapter III ... . 14

Most Reverend John A. Duffy, D. D., Bishop of

Buffalo

Responsibility of Home. Vicars of Christ Remind Par-

ents of Duties. Home Training. Discipline.

Ill



PREPARATION OF PARENTS FOR RELIGIOUS

INSTRUCTION IN THE HOME, Continued

Chapter IV 22

Character Formed in First Years. Equipment of Parents.

Home Environment. Parent Education through Parish

Societies.

SECTION ON RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHIL-

DREN BY PARENTS IN THE HOME:

THE PRESCHOOL CHILD, Chapter V 31

Mrs. Dorothea McCarthy Rock, Ph. D., Graduate

School, Fordham University

Importance of Period. Character Development. Limita-

tions of Child’s Vocabulary. Basis of Religion Is Love.

THE ELEMENTARY-SCHOOL CHILD, Chapter VI 38

Mrs. Frederick W. Rice, B. A., New York

Home Influence in Spiritual Development. All-Pervad-

ing Love of God. Liturgy. Christ the Greatest Influence.

THE HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENT, Chapter VII 45

Mrs. John S. Reilly, M. A., New York
Grade-School Religious Education Inadequate. Discus-

sion of Religion in Home. Honesty and Sincerity Foster

Confidence. Appreciation of Catholic Culture. Aware-

ness of Privileges of Faith.

IV



FOREWORD

Most Rev. Christian H. Winkelmann, S. T. D.,

Bishop of Wichita

It is most gratifying to note the generous response on

the part of the clergy and the laity to the general program

of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. In the last

decade a crusade has been launched to make "Christ and

Him Crucified” better known to the masses. Today, the

scope of this work has been broadened to such an extent

that the leaders in this movement may well be encouraged

by the results achieved and the cooperation received.

For decades our devoted Catholics were content to

leave the religious instruction entirely to the Church and

the school. Many parents considered themselves free

from all obligations if they sent their children to the

parochial school and a Catholic high school, and gen-

erously supported the Catholic system of education. The

burden of double taxation was cheerfully borne in order

to give their children a sound religious education. The

duty of being the first and most important religious teach-

er of their offspring rarely came to their mind. The home,

as a result, did not cooperate with the Church and school,

and in this trinity of educational work the home is the

foundation. This laissez-faire attitude on the part of

many Catholic parents has brought about disastrous re-

sults. Again and again Catholic educators have pondered



over the questions: What is wrong with our Catholic

schools? Why are so many of our promising pupils today

no longer a source of honor to us? Why do so many of

our former pupils prove unfaithful and disloyal to Mother

Church? These and kindred questions perplex many

priests and teachers who are giving their entire energies to

our Catholic schools.

There is but one answer for these perturbed souls.

It is not the fault of the Church or the school— it is the
fault of our homes. Our homes have failed to cooperate

with the school. We have Catholic schools, but the ma-

terialistic and neo-pagan spirit of our times in too many

cases has permeated Catholic homes
;
and the saving teach-

ings and admonitions of the Church are stifled in the

hearts of the young by a lack of sincere cooperation on

the part of parents, the divinely constituted teachers of

the child. While the utmost care is bestowed on the child

to promote its physical and intellectual growth and prog-

ress, the spiritual life, the divine life, is largely ignored.

In view of this prevailing trend of thought this

volume, the new series of The Parent-Educator, is most

timely. Catholic parents are again reminded of their ex-

alted position in the family, and of how, as co-creators of

their offspring, they must cooperate with the Creator’s

will in building strong religious characters. The twofold

purpose of all catechetical instruction is brought out in

the present study: intelligent presentation of our beliefs

and the building of religious life. Our schools achieve

both purposes, but parents must cooperate more generous-

ly in the home for the attaining of the second object.

vr



The first two chapters of this splendid brochure offer

timely material to priests for matrimonial instructions.

Those aspiring to the privilege of parenthood should be

duly apprised of their responsibility and the manner in

which they can best promote the spiritual life in the

family. This information will be welcomed by all par-

ents having the weal of their children at heart. Homes

that welcome God’s children will be grateful for the help-

ful instructions contained in this booklet.

Real pioneer work was done by the Parent-Educator

groups that contributed the remaining chapters. We may

not overlook the fact that these discussion groups had few

suitable texts to assist them in doing their work. Their

contribution is, therefore, the more remarkable, and

merits in consequence our profound appreciation and

gratitude. Their initiative will undoubtedly encourage

others to emulate their example by forming discussion

groups in which religious life in the home will be studied

and present-day family problems will be solved.

This small vade mecum of practical information

should stimulate Catholic parents to organize similar dis-

cussion clubs in urban and rural centers. The Catholic

Church need then entertain no fear for its future prog-

ress in our country. And Catholic homes will serve as a

bulwark against the onrush of Communistic propaganda.

VII



INTRODUCTION

During recent years we have become increasingly con-

scious of the shortcomings of our system of religious ed-

ucation. We have become conscious, too, of the unique

importance of the home as an educational institution. It

happens, however, that we have usually gone about the

business of improvement by trying to create new agencies

and by initiating new methods. Much better results might

be obtained if we could arouse parents to an adequate dis-

charge of their obligation as the religious teachers of their

children. Thus to arouse them would help to forestall

trouble and make later remedial action unnecessary.

Pius XI, in his encyclical letter on The Christian Edu-

cation of Youth, awakened the Christian world to a re-

newed conception of the responsibilities of parents. In

response to the Pope’s appeal, Catholics all over the world

have displayed a new interest and activity in this matter.

Several European countries have organized annual con-

ferences to discuss the role of the family in religious edu-

cation. In this country the Confraternity of Christian Doc-

trine has met with gratifying success in its effort to make

Catholic parents realize that they are the divinely ap-

pointed teachers of their children. One of the means em-

ployed by the Confraternity has been the organizing of

Parent-Educator groups made up of fathers and mothers

who meet to discuss their problems and to seek correct

solutions.

VIII



As these Parent-Educator groups require assistance in

the solving of their problems, the Confraternity of Chris-

tian Doctrine has established a standing Committee whose

function it is to provide such assistance. This Com-

mittee takes religious education in the home as its exclu-

sive field, and does not enter into the study of what may

be done or what should be done by the Catholic school

or by the pastor. Its duty is to aid parents in solving prob-

lems connected with the religious education of the child

at home.

The chief objectives of the Parent-Educator Commit-

tee therefore are:

1. To impress Catholic parents with a due sense of

their unique and God-given obligation to give their chil-

dren a religious and moral education;

2. To prepare brief, simply written leaflets and

pamphlets which will enable even untrained fathers and

mothers to impart religious instruction to their children

easily and well;

3. To encourage and assist the formation of small

groups of parents who meet to discuss the actual prob-

lems which they encounter in carrying on the religious

and moral training of their children;

4. To discuss and give publicity to solutions for the

practical problems confronting the Catholic parent-edu-

cator. At an annual conference which takes place during

the National Catechetical Congress, the Committee in-

vites both questions and constructive suggestions from all

who are interested in the vital subject of religious educa-

tion in the home; and in addition the Committee wel-

IX



comes questions and suggestions sent at any time of the

year to the Parent-Educator Committee, National Head-

quarters of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 1312

Massachusetts Avenue, N. W., Washington 5, D. C.

As time goes on other studies made by parent-educator

groups will be distributed to the Catholic parents of

the United States. But the principal publication will

be a yearly volume of The Parent-Educator, prepared

to facilitate religious group discussion.

Since the need of outside help is greatest in homes

where parents— perhaps through no fault of their own
have had limited religious instruction, the Parent-Edu-

cator Committee is very desirous of circulating its pub-

lications in these homes. Experience shows, however, that

even parents who have been graduated from Catholic

schools and colleges frequently need outside help; and the

Committee offers its services to them also. Most of all,

the Committee hopes to distribute its publications widely

among the Catholic parents living in the ten thousand

parishes and missions of the United States that are with-

out parochial schools.

Each year the National Parent-Educator Committee

designates a topic for study. The topic chosen for the

year 1941 is The Virtues. It has been selected with a

view to encouraging Parent-Educator groups to discuss

their experiences in teaching children to practise the vir-

tues, report the difficulties encountered, and their solution,

and state the kind of assistance which would be most help-

ful to parents engaged in teaching the virtues in the home.

x



Chapter I

THE PARENT AS EDUCATOR

Most Reverend Edwin V. O’Hara,

Bishop of Kansas City

Education in the Home

If the program for Education of Youth is to receive

a Catholic orientation, it must have as one of its pillars

a Catholic understanding of the rights of the parent in

the field of education. Still more important, if our young

people are to receive a Christian education, Catholic par-

ents must understand and fulfill their duties as educators.

This paper undertakes to present the basic Catholic posi-

tion in regard to the rights and duties of parents as

educators.

Permit me first to establish the authoritative teaching

of the Church on this subject, and then to draw the prac-

tical conclusions which require special attention today.

In the great encyclical letter on The Christian Educa-

tion of Youth, issued by Pius XI on the occasion of his

Sacerdotal Jubilee, our Holy Father dealt with the subject

in an authoritative manner, defending the Catholic doc-

trine with telling passages from St. Thomas Aquinas, Leo

XIII and the Code of Canon Law. I will quote a single

passage here and refer you to the papal document itself

for its fuller treatment.

[
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"The Church’s mission of education,” says Pius XI,

"is in wonderful agreement with that of the family, for

both proceed from God and in a remarkably similar man-

ner. God directly communicates to the family in the nat-

ural order fecundity, which is the principle of life, and

hence also the principle of education to life. . . . The fam-

ily, therefore, holds directly from the Creator the mission,

and hence the right, to educate the offspring, a right in-

alienable because inseparably joined to the strict obliga-

tion, a right anterior to any right whatever of civil so-

ciety and of the state, and therefore inviolable on the

part of any power on earth.”

The Holy Father points out that this right, like all

human rights, is not absolute, but must be exercised in pur-

suance of the end for which God created the soul of the

child. "It must be borne in mind also,” concludes Pius XI,

with a reference to the Code of Canon Law, "that the

obligation of the family to bring up children includes

not only religious and moral education, but physical and

civic education as well, principally insofar as it touches

upon religion and morality.”

Discussion Aids. What should the program for the

Education of Youth have as one of its pillars? What

must Catholic parents understand if children are to re-

ceive practical religious education? What does this article

undertake to present? What encyclical of Pius XI is

referred to? What is said of it? How is the Church’s

mission of education in agreement with the family? Show

why the family has a right to educate the children. What

reference is made to civil society and the state? To what

[
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end must the right of the family to educate, be exercised?

What does the obligation to bring up children include?

The Place of the Family in Education

The fundamental Catholic teaching concerning the

primacy of the family in the field of education is a doc-

trine strikingly in harmony, as Pope Pius XI observes,

with the traditional American principle expounded with

convincing eloquence by the Supreme Court of the United

States in the famous Oregon School Case. "The child is

not the mere creature of the state,” said the Supreme

Court in that memorable decision. "Those who nurture

him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the

high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional

duties” (June 1, 1925).

So far, we see that parents have from nature and

from God a right to direct the education of their children.

With this theory the greater part of the civilized world is

in agreement today. The governments of Russia, Mexico

and Germany form an unholy trinity of secularist abso-

lutism which denies these fundamental rights of parents.

Nor must we forget that the forces of secularism in our

own country, though checked by the decision of the United

States Supreme Court in the Oregon Case, are more active

than ever in promoting their anti-Christian theories. The

Holy Father has laid down the sound principles which

must be defended and propagated as the very Charter of

Christian and parental liberty.

Discussion Aids. What is the Catholic teaching as to

the place of the family in the field of education? What



was the decision of the Supreme Court of the United

States in the Oregon School Case? What is the attitude

of the world today toward the rights of parents to edu-

cate their children? What should be the attitude of

Catholics? What theories are being promoted in the

United States today? Where do we find sound principles?

The Duty of Parents to Teach

We come now to a further question: Does the Catho-

lic doctrine of the educational mission of parents mean

only that parents have an inalienable right to choose the

teachers of their children; or does it imply also that the

parents themselves have duties as teachers?

In opening this discussion, allow me to reproduce a

pregnant passage from the famous encyclical letter of

Leo XIII, Sapientiae Christianae. Though this letter on

The Chief Duties of Christians as Citizens was written in

1890, the principles of Christian wisdom it inculcates have

grown more timely with the flight of years:

"Parents,” says Leo, "hold from nature their right of

training the children to whom they have given birth, with

the obligation superadded of shaping and directing the

education of their little ones to the end for which God

vouchsafed the privilege of transmitting the gift of life.

It is then incumbent upon parents to strive manfully to

have and to hold exclusive authority to direct the educa-

tion of their offspring, as is fitting, in a Christian manner;

and first and foremost, to keep them away from schools

where there is a risk of their drinking in the poison of im-

piety. In this regard indeed there are to be found in many

[
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countries Catholics worthy of general admiration, who in-

cur considerable outlay and bestow much zeal in founding

schools for the education of youth. It is highly desirable

that such noble examples may be generously followed,

where time and circumstances demand; yet all should be

intimately persuaded that the minds of children are most

influenced by the training they receive at home. If in their

early years they find within the walls of their homes the

rule of an upright life and the discipline of Christian

virtues, the future welfare of the state will in great meas-

ure be guaranteed.”

Discussion Aids. Do parents discharge their duties by

supplying teachers for their children? By sending them

to a Catholic school? What does Leo XIII say of the

rights of parents? Of their obligations? What schools

are to be avoided? What is said of schools in many Catho-

lic countries? What training has the greatest influence

on the minds of children? What will guarantee the fu-

ture welfare of the state?

Parents May Not Resign Their

Duties as Educators

Pope Leo’s teaching is plain. Parents have not only

the right to choose teachers for their children, but they

have the duty of conducting the moral and religious edu-

cation of their children themselves, and not merely

through the agency of other teachers. Granted that they

may call in the aid of religious teachers, they may not

normally resign their own function as religious and moral

educators, even in favor of priests or brothers or sisters,

[ 5 ]



not to speak of lay instructors. "Those who would tear

civilization away from Christian discipline,” says Leo,

"seek to corrupt the family which is the cradle of civil

life. Parents,” he continues, "have not only the right of

training their children, but the superadded obligation of

shaping and directing the education of their little ones

for God’s purposes.” In other words, Christian schools

do not supplant, but only supplement, the work of par-

ents as religious educators. The parent remains the chief

religious educator and the home remains the chief school

of religion.

Discussion Aids. What is the teaching of Leo XIII

regarding parents as educators? Are parents relieved of

their obligation of education in the home when their chil-

dren are provided with other teachers of religion? What

is the cradle of civil life? What is said of schools hostile

to religion? What institution supplements the work of

parents as religious educators? Who are the chief re-

ligious educators?

Religious Practices (select a religious practice and pro-

mote it in your home during the week)

:

1. Discuss with your children their religion lessons

for the week.

2. Consider daily one thought from Chapter I and re-

late it to your life.

3. Discuss with the other members of your family the

teaching of Church and State regarding the home.

4. Encourage parochial school attendance.

[
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Chapter II

THE PARENT AS EDUCATOR, Continued

Graces of the Sacrament of Matrimony

That the parent is the chief religious educator and

the home the chief school of religion is evident from the

very graces bestowed by the Sacrament of Matrimony. By

the Sacrament of Holy Orders, which is a sacrament or-

dained for a social purpose, a man is made a priest and

given power over the natural and Mystical Body of Christ,

power to celebrate Mass and to forgive sins. By the

Sacrament of Marriage, also a sacrament ordained for a

social purpose, a man and a woman are made husband and

wife and given a right to the graces to educate their chil-

dren as Christians. As Leo XIII said in his encyclical on

Christian Marriage: "By raising marriage to the sacra-

mental dignity there has been vouchsafed to the marriage

union a higher and nobler purpose than was previously

given to it. By the command of Christ, it not only looks

to the propagation of the human race, but to the bringing

forth of children for the Church, fellow-citizens with the

saints and domestics of God.”

"The primary purpose of marriage is the procreation

and education of children for the glory of God,” says

Noldin. "The effects of matrimony, inasmuch as it is a

sacrament, are: an increase of sanctifying grace for the

contracting parties, and a right to actual graces necessary

[
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to the marriage state; this includes the grace to educate

children well.” The sacramental graces enabling husband

and wife to educate their children are the distinctive pre-

rogatives of parents as educators. These graces bespeak

the will of the Holy Ghost that parents should personally

concern themselves with the religious training of their

children.

Discussion Aids. Compare the graces bestowed by the

Sacraments of Holy Orders and Matrimony. To what

does the Sacrament of Matrimony look? What is its

primary purpose? State the effects of matrimony inasmuch

as it is a sacrament. Are parents inclined to excuse them-

selves from their parental obligations? In what ways?

What does Leo XIII say of the responsibility of parents?

Attitudes toward Parents as Educators

In this discussion regarding parents as educators many

persons will be tempted to say: "Why waste all this time?

Every Catholic knows that parents are expected to train

their children in religion. But every person of common

sense knows, too, that most parents are incapable of per-

forming such a duty, except in the most elementary fash-

ion, and that, consequently, the most sensible thing is

for parents to turn the duty over to priests and brothers

and sisters, who will do the work much more competently.

For practical purposes, Catholic parents who send their

children to Catholic schools may consider their consciences

clear if they pay the tuition and keep an eye on the sort of

companions their children associate with outside of school

hours. You cannot ask parents to do the impossible. They

[
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have to earn a living and support the Catholic school
;
that

is all they can be expected to do in these times. They have

neither the time nor the ability to act as educators for

their children. It is a question of division of labor. Let

parents support the Catholic school, and let the sisters

take care of the religious education of the children. As

for those parents who send their children to the public

schools, they are even less capable of teaching religion;

and as for their children being brought up Catholics, it

is a forlorn hope. To be brief, the only available instru-

ment for religious education in our day is the Catholic

school, and any talk about parents as educators is not

merely a waste of time— it is worse than a waste of time,
because it will distract our people from the one great

work which a century of labor on the part of zealous

bishops, priests and religious, cooperating with the laity,

has accomplished, and which still needs our undivided

attention.”

One must take issue with this entire statement as be-

ing lacking both in Catholic principle and in practical

effectiveness. Hark back to the words of Leo XIII, who,

while praising the self-sacrifice which establishes religious

schools, does not hesitate to issue the warning that it is

within the walls of their homes that the children will re-

ceive the most lasting influence toward an upright life

and the discipline of Christian virtue. Let us not be de-

ceived into underestimating the function of parents as

educators, or into thinking that any substitute can be

found which can relieve them of the exercise of that func-

tion without detriment to religion and society.

[ 9 ]



Discussion Aids. State the attitudes expressed regard-

ing education by parents. Are parents excused from their

duty to teach religion in the home because of numerous

other demands on their time? Does the religious educa-

tion received by children at school or church duplicate the

religious education in the home? Why does the Church

accept no substitute for education of children by parents?

The Basic School of Christian Life

It may be readily granted that there is an imbecile

fringe in the great circle of Catholic families where the

religious and moral training of children within the home

is hopeless, and in these cases the children would be better

off removed from their parents’ influence. I acknowledge

with the greatest regret that there is a vast section of so-

called Catholic families in which parents never speak to

their children of religion, in which family prayers are un-

known, and even individual prayer is never indulged in,

except in haste and almost half-ashamed secrecy. One

need not yield in loyalty to the principle that every child

should be educated in a religious school, and yet may

maintain that the religious school is being asked to assume

a task beyond its possibilities until the Catholic home is

recalled to the exercise of its function as the basic school

of Christian life and discipline. The school has its place

in this reconstruction of the Christian home, but it alone

is not adequate to the task. There must be a frontal at-

tack by every agency of religion against parental indif-

ference and incompetence in the field of religious educa-

tion. Parents must be warned to stir up the graces which

[
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they received in marriage for the religious education of

their children. They must be taught their responsibilities

and must be led to assume those responsibilities with

courage.

The task is indeed herculean. The battle front extends

over a vast sector. The message must be brought to mil-

lions of homes. There will be a temptation to find easy

solutions, to be satisfied with reaching 50 percent of the

children who are now in our Catholic schools, and to de-

fer the hope of remedying the home situation until these

children grow up to be heads of families. Fatal procras-

tination ! The grace of Christ for the religious training of

children has been confided to every home founded in the

Sacrament of Marriage. The spark is still there, slumber-

ing under the most unpromising embers or seemingly

burnt-out ashes; but it is there, ready to be fanned into a

sacred flame on the domestic altar. There are difficulties,

but when the essential interests of Jesus Christ are con-

cerned, there are no insuperable obstacles.

Discussion Aids. What is lacking in the religious life

of many homes? In what school should every child be

educated, if possible? Why is religious education neces-

sary in both home and school? What is said of the sacra-

mental grace of matrimony? Of cooperation with this

grace in overcoming obstacles?

A Fertile Field for Catholic Action

The most extensive, and at the same time the most

fertile, field of Catholic Action in America and in the

world today, is not the reconstruction of industry, or of

[
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politics, or even of the schoolroom. The most fertile field

of Catholic Action today is the renovation of the Chris-

tian spirit in domestic society. And for this crusade we

need, not a Peter the Hermit calling men to leave their

homes to rescue the tomb of Christ from the infidels, but

rather the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Par-

ents may follow in the steps of Mary and Joseph in de-

veloping the lineaments of the Christ-Child in the chil-

dren committed to their care, without leaving the four

walls of their own homes.

The practical program for enlisting millions of fathers

and mothers as parent-educators is not to be found in one

formula. I do not advocate a particular panacea, but I

can tell you that the home is not so far gone that its re-

covery is hopeless. There is a vast army of devout Catho-

lic parents who are looking for a call to the colors, whose

hearts beat with new courage when they see the banner

of family Christian education raised aloft. During the

past few years, in several scattered dioceses, there have

been literally thousands of families studying diligently and

with profit the little volume prepared under the auspices

of the Parent-Educator Committee, and they have been

improving the methods of giving religious instruction in

the home. It seems to me that among the agencies that

will fruitfully be engaged in recalling the Christian home

to its high responsibility as a school of life and religion,

will be the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, organized

by command of the Holy See in every parish. The Con-

fraternity not only enrolls the most zealous parents, but

provides them, through contact with the pastors and con-

[
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secrated teachers of religion, with the ablest guides in

leading parents to an appreciation of their duties and

their opportunities. Of all the activities of the Confra-

ternity of Christian Doctrine, its insistence on the respon-

sibility of Catholic parents as religious educators of their

own children, and its efforts to provide practical assistance

for parents in the fulfilment of their sacred duty, will

constitute its most basic contribution to the religious Edu-

cation of Youth.

Discussion Aids. What is the most fertile field for

Catholic Action today? Discuss the fields mentioned as

less important. What is needed in this crusade for the

Christian home? Who must be the chief crusaders and

where is their work to be done? What is said of the re-

covery of the home? What is said of the response of

Catholic parents? What means are suggested to restore

the Christian spirit in the home? What is said of the

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine? By what authority

is it organized? Who enroll in the Confraternity? What

is the basic contribution of the Confraternity to the re-

ligious education of youth?

Religious Practices

1. Introduce family prayer in your home.

2. Encourage greater devotion at private prayer.

3- Cooperate more fully with the graces received in

the Sacrament of Matrimony.

4. Promote active membership in the Confraternity of

Christian Doctrine.

[
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Chapter III

PREPARATION OF PARENTS

FOR RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN THE HOME

Most Rev. John A. Duffy, Bishop of Buffalo

The Responsibility of the Home

One of the greatest dangers that threaten modern

America is the lessening of religious influence in the lives

of its people. The record of her infant days is a story of

ideals and principles clothed with religion; in her strug-

gling youth she was esteemed of nations as a Christian ex-

emplar; in early adult life she still regarded religion and

morality as important elements in the permanent structure

of society. But today, although the statutes remain, an

analyst points to the danger signals already visible on the

American horizon, and a non-Catholic commentator adds:

"Unless the Churches can christianize men and women,

the world is going back to barbarism.” More and more

each year Christian principles are being relegated to the

limbo of the undesired: the last generation witnessed the

rapid fall of America down the scale of nations; and the

decade just passed saw the criminal and the racketeer

ascend to shameful prominence in our national life.

In no dark and ugly corner do we find the breeding

of this dragon that pulls down our standard of security.

It cannot be traced to the halls of legislation, nor do its

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unmistakable imprints lead to the door of the classroom.

Although many agencies have contributed to the decline,

nevertheless it is unquestionably true that the finger of

major responsibility must be placed upon the home.

"Hast thou children? Instruct them, and bow down their

neck from their childhood” (Ecclus. 7:25).

Discussion Aids. What is one of the greatest dangers

to modern America? What is the religious record of

early America? What does a non-Catholic predict for the

world? Tell of the change in our standards of security.

To what is this decline in standards mainly due? Discuss

the quotation from the Old Testament.

Vicars of Christ Remind Parents

of their Responsibilities

The Vicars of Christ in their uninterrupted line have

continuously reminded the home of its responsibilities.

Our present reigning Pontiff, Pius XI, in a very special

manner has devoted himself to recommendations for its

greater stability. His letters on Christian Education and

Christian Marriage are masterful efforts to build up the

defenses of its frontier. He reiterates that it is the school

of schools, and that the "lamentable decline in family

education” can be remedied only by the more effective dis-

charge of the obligations of the parents within the home.

"It is certain,” he says, "that by the law both of nature

and of God this right and duty of educating their off-

spring belongs in the first place to those who began the

work of nature by giving them birth, and they are indeed

[15]



forbidden to leave unfinished this work and so expose it

to certain ruin.” Regretting that parents have little or no

preparation for the discharge of the fundamental duty

and obligation of educating their children, he implores

"pastors of souls by every means in their power, by in-

structions and catechisms, by word of mouth and written

articles widely distributed, to warn Christian parents of

their grave obligations. And this should be done not in a

merely theoretical and general way, but with practical

and specific application to the various responsibilities of

parents touching the religious, moral and civil training

of their children, and with indication of the methods best

adapted to make their training effective, supposing always

the influence of their own exemplary lives.” "They that

instruct many to justice shall shine as stars for all eternity”

(Dan. 12:3).

It is my privilege at this time to make suggestions for

the carrying out of our beloved Pontiff’s injunctions in

providing this instruction for parents; but in a paper of

this length one can do no more than restate the parental

task, enumerate the principles to be applied in faithfully

discharging this duty and indicate practical steps toward

equipping the parent for the task of successfully leading

the little ones to Christ.

Discussion Aids. How have the Vicars of Christ re-

minded parents of their responsibility? What great letters

regarding the family has Pius XI written? What is the

remedy for the "lamentable decline in family education”?

Why have parents the right and duty of educating their

offspring? How does the Holy Father ask the “pastors

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of souls” to warn parents of their obligations? What

reference is made to practical application and methods?

What quotation states the reward of parents?

Parental Duties

Young children, children unskilled in the ways of

the world, are jewels that must be kept in a perfect setting

— the home— lest the thief of irreligion encroach upon
the parents’ domain and despoil them of their richest

treasure; they are talents, as the Holy Father calls them,

that must be worked with and returned "to God with in-

terest on the day of reckoning”: a work which is not com-

plete until the child is properly educated. The care of the

natural wants of the child falls upon the shoulders of the

parents, and this duty is not properly discharged until

they have provided their offspring with food, shelter,

clothing and protection during the years of the little ones’

inability to care for themselves. Shall we deny the same

responsibility where spiritual things are concerned? Have

parents fulfilled their duty when they have provided mere-

ly for the natural wants of their children, neglecting the

wants of the soul, the more important part of man?

Proper safeguards must be provided for the children from

their earliest years; good example must be constantly

before their eyes; religious and moral training must be-

come a living thing in their existence, a part of them-

selves, a principle that controls their actions. "My son,

hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law

of thy mother” (Prov. 1:8). Unless the parent becomes

the angel with the flaming sword at the portals of the

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educational paradise, outside influences will soon ravish

the sanctity of the home and despoil the sacredness of

its position.

The admonition of Cardinal Gibbons in Our Christian

Heritage can well be quoted here as an accurate summary

of the responsibility placed on the shoulders of parents,

especially mothers: "Let Christian mothers recognize

their sublime mission. Let them bear in mind that to

them is confided the most tender portion of the flock of

Christ, which on that account should be watched with

greater care. On them devolves the duty of directing the

susceptible and pliant minds of their children, and of in-

stilling into their youthful hearts the principles of piety.

It is theirs to plant the seed of the word of God in the

virgin soil, and when the more experienced hand is re-

quired to cultivate it, the ministers of God will not be

wanting in developing its growth.”

Discussion Aids. What does the Holy Father call

children, and how must they be returned to God? Discuss

the duty of parents to meet the child’s natural wants; his

spiritual wants. What safeguards must be provided for

children from earliest years? What is said of outside in-

fluences? What does Cardinal Gibbons say of the mission

of mothers? Of the duty of mothers? Of the seed they

must plant?

Home Training

The home training must provide the child with the

fundamental equipment to cope with the difficulties of

this life, and prepare him properly for life in eternity.

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Whether the home accepts or neglects its sacred responsi-

bility, in that measure do the mother and father lay the

foundation of all future religious knowledge, with a cor-

responding effect upon the product of the home.

The pupil in the home must be taught that he has a

destiny, a sublime end, a purpose in life that cannot be

attained by making his aims earthly. It is the doctrine of

Christ that man is born not only to be an inhabitant of

earth, a member of society, but rather to become a child

of God— to know, love and serve Him on earth and be
happy with Him forever in heaven. Since man is des-

tined to an eternal life, he must obtain more than a mere

secular education, for secular education does not carry

him above the plane of earthly and secular things. His

must be an education that speaks to him of the eternal

God, of his sublime destiny, of his moral obligation to

serve God and to seek the happiness and the company of

the blessed in the life to come. The physical, civic and

secular training which is essential to his well-being here

on earth must be given as well; but the training of the

intellect must not be at the sacrifice of the formation of

the heart.

There can be no effective training without discipline.

The Apostle of the Gentiles instructs fathers: "Rear them

in the discipline and admonition of the Lord” (Ephes.

6:4) . Pope Pius XI states:
"
'Folly is bound up in the

heart of a child and the rod of correction shall drive it

away’ (Prov. 22:15). Disorderly inclinations then must

be corrected, good tendencies encouraged and regulated

from tender childhood, . . . the mind must be enlightened

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and the will strengthened by supernatural truth and by

the means of grace. . . Discipline, however, must not

be too rigid, too autocratic, nor must it be inconsistent;

it must be in keeping with the child’s capacities and his

understanding. Discipline must be devised so that it does

not become a repression policy which stunts the growth

of initiative and freedom and incites to rebellion, but

rather teaches a self-control which will produce a respect

for the rights and privileges of others, in youth and later

in man’s estate.

From the very beginning religion should be presented

to the child as a service of love; his thought of religion,

immature as the thought may be, should bring him in

touch with religion as a bond of love existing between

a kind and loving God and a faithful and devoted crea-

ture. Never should the realities of hell be portrayed to

the child of tender years, for the important seed to be

planted in the young mind is that God loves us and pos-

sesses a special love for little children; hence the doctrine

of fear should not be used. One mother reveals that her

children never had any childish fears of a storm, because

lightning and thunder are "God’s fireworks,” and never

did they fear going to sleep alone in the dark, for "my

own big angel was guarding the bed with his wings

spread out.”

Discussion Aids. What must home training provide?

How is the foundation laid for future religious knowl-

edge? For what end is the child created? Why is not

secular education sufficient for life? What is said of the

training of the intellect? What does St. Paul say of dis-

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cipline? What does Pius XI say? What must parents

guard against in disciplining children? What must dis-

cipline teach? How should religion be presented to the

child? What is said of fear?

Religious Practices (select a religious practice and pro-

mote it in your home)

:

1. Discuss with your family the thoughts in this ar-

ticle on our purpose in life.

2. Strive to overcome the fault that hinders you most

in setting a good example in your home.

3. Practise patience in disciplining your children.

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Chapter IV

PREPARATION OF PARENTS

FOR RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN THE HOME

Continued

Character Formed in First Years of Life

The training of the children must be begun in the

home. Some psychologists assert that the most important

period in an individual’s life is completed when the child

reaches his seventh birthday. "The moral man,” says De

Maistre, "is perhaps formed when seven years old; and

if he was not trained on his mother’s knees, this will be

his lasting misfortune, as nothing can make up for that

education that he should have received.” "If anyone have

no care of his own, and especially those of his own house,

he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

Sister Mary, I. H. M., reporting her study in the Journal

of Religious Instruction, states that the average child can

have some knowledge of God as a Creator at three, al-

though children can and do know God at two years; some

at the age of three will speak of heaven as a place where

good children go after death, and can also express a num-

ber of moral ideas. School children at six have clear no-

tions of religious duty and are thus influenced by religious

motives.

However, although psychologists only reiterate the

statement of the Angelic Doctor when they assert that

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character is formed in the first years of life, they are on

insecure ground when they hold that the child’s destiny

is practically or totally fixed before he is seven years old.

It is true that character formation must begin before

seven, but it is likewise true that it can be molded and

influenced during many years after seven. But the fact

remains that no matter how broad the school’s work, the

home is the first educational institution.

Discussion Aids. Why must the training of children

begin in the home? Tell what De Maistre says of moral

training. What does Sister Mary, I. H. M., say of the

child of preschool age? Is it true that a child’s destiny is

practically fixed before he is seven? When must character

formation begin? When is character molded and influ-

enced? What is the first educational institution?

Home Instruction by Parents

Home instruction is the work of the parents, partic-

ularly of the mother, as Cardinal Gibbons remarked. A

child with maternal love and companionship as his guides

begins his education under the most favorable circum-

stances, for when the mother initiates the religious train-

ing of the child, she binds his first religious memories with

the bond of filial respect and love, a condition that can

never be attained in the school. When the child lisps his

first baby words and becomes interested in things outside

himself, the religious mother is prompted to tell him of

the Baby Jesus, and to aid him in saying the Sacred Name;

she speaks to him of the Baby’s Mother, how good, how

beautiful, how loving! There is stirred up immediately

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an interest because of the kindred relationship. The child

wants to know more about this Baby and His Mother.

In these ways the child reciprocates by actively cooper-

ating with the mother.

The child’s habits, attitudes and character are largely

formed before the Church has had an opportunity,

through her established educational system, of bringing

religion into its life; and the home’s responsibility be-

comes all the more grave in the revelation that children

can and do know God at the age of two years. Hence,

the pastor, according to the Holy Father’s instruction,

must seek to supply the parental deficiency, and the par-

ents must enlighten themselves as to the best means of

discharging this duty before God and their own con-

science.

Discussion Aids. What are the fruits of parental in-

struction? What condition can be attained at home but

not in the school? How may a mother begin teaching

religion to her child? What is said of "kindred relation-

ships”? Why has the home a grave responsibility for pre-

school religious training? What are the Holy Father’s in-

structions regarding parental duties?

Equipment of Parents

To discharge their duties properly and to establish in

the home the preventive work which will forestall the

remedial action which now prevails, parents must possess

a certain equipment, and suitable means must be provided

in the parish units for presenting such training.

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That the parents may be properly equipped, it is nec-

essary that they should know what material to present

and the best means of doing it effectively. The material

that should claim attention will depend in a large meas-

ure upon the ability of the child and the circumstances

that envelop him. His attention must be directed to

thoughts and words concerning God, His creative works,

trust in Him, our dependence upon Him, and the reward

for goodness. This will provide the opportunity of pre-

senting a few elementary truths (for complete truths

are not even required for First Communion), and will

lead to a knowledge of God and responsibility before

God—the foundation of all religious life.
It is in the tender years when the religious sense be-

gins to unfold that many parents endeavor to make edu-

cation Christian through the arts, pictures, stories, God’s

works, projects— the work of the child’s own hands—
and through prayer, which lifts his mind as well as his

tongue to the praise of God: an appeal to the child

through sense and feeling to inculcate religious truth.

That the child may acquire the spirit of Christ that

will urge him to continue his religious practices in the

face of all difficulties, the parents first of all must have

absorbed much of Christ’s spirit, for "no one can teach

without himself being full of the subject.” This requires

on their part an earnest effort to acquire personal holi-

ness, Christlike patience— Christ living in them, made
present by a life of personal prayer, a life filled with the

consciousness of grave responsibility, a life of faith. Thus,

having studied the Ideal and having made Him their own,

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it becomes much easier to present Him to the flesh of

their flesh, bone of their bone.

Discussion Aids. Why must parents be equipped to

instruct their children in religion? How may the parish

aid parents? To what must the child’s attention be direct-

ed when teaching him of God? What is the foundation

of all religious life? Discuss helpful religious instruction

materials and their use. How does the parent assist the

child in acquiring the spirit of Christ? How may parents

prepare to assist the child in acquiring the spirit of Christ?

Home Environment

The home environment should be that of a "well-

ordered and well-disciplined Christian family,” one de-

signed to give the best thoughts and to inspire only the

noblest actions; for no amount of after-training, no matter

how perfect it may be considered, can eradicate the de-

fects or entirely allay the impressions obtained in a bad

home environment. No parent can set a bad example

and then expect the child to follow his counsels. The

Holy Father states that the environment during the per-

iod of the child’s formation should "correspond with the

end proposed,” and that "education, as a rule, will be

. . . more efficacious in proportion to the clear and con-

stant example set, first by the parents, and then by the

other members of the household.” Good example thus

reflected in the shadows of the home fireside will forever

be associated with the affectionate sentiments of parental

love and will be a determinant in future conduct.

An excursion outside the home—to the parish church,

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to visit the home of the Baby Jesus, during which time

the mother will reveal more of the Divine Child— will
be a religious landmark in the life of the child. Christmas

affords a beautiful occasion to link all the previous

thoughts together in a birthday party for the Infant Jesus.

Thus at an early age the proper version of Christmas be-

comes a living part of the child’s life. The simple faith

and earnest devotion of such a mother grow upon the

consciousness of the child, so that the mother becomes a

symbol of things pure and holy; she stands before the

child as a living example of what he must become. Par-

ents who fail to make use of their opportunities in un-

folding the mysteries of God to their children are missing

one of God’s rewards for their sacrifices.

This thought brings us to story-telling. Stories are the

child’s life. Even though story-telling is the gift of few,

nevertheless all parents can acquire a proficiency that will

enable them to perform this important task well. Even

two-year-olds can enjoy a story, especially the story of

the Christ-Child, for the Infant appeals to them and they

get the notion that the Infant had many things in com-

mon with themselves. The results will be that they will

feel closer to God. The story of the shepherds, the story

of the Three Kings, of Herod’s hating the Babe, etc., are

narratives that the child will relish and never fail to cher-

ish dearly. "It is better to die without children than to

leave ungodly children” (Ecclus. 16:4).

The daily home occasions have been suggested to the

mother as a medium of instilling religious truth. If the

church bells should ring, their purpose and their signi-

[27]



ficance may be explained to the child while the house-

hold routine continues; if the priest should call at the

home, the child’s curiosity may be appeased by explaining

to him Whom the priest represents; if someone in the

neighborhood dies, the future life may be taught; if there

are very poor people in the community who have become

the object of the family’s kindness, a lesson in charity

and unselfishness may be discussed with the child; when

around in the garden or abroad for a walk, nature pre-

sents an abundance of object lessons; and the life of

Christ is a very treasure-house of events that the parents

may use in developing their children’s knowledge of

Christ and love of God.

Discussion Aids. What is said of home environment?

What of the example of parents? How may example

affect future conduct? Give examples in which the mys-

teries of God may be unfolded to children. What is said

of story-telling? Give examples of stories that interest

children. What is said of ungodly children? Give ex-

amples of "daily home occasions” when religious truths

may be instilled.

Parent Education through Parish Societies

In carrying out the instructions in the Holy Father’s

letter on Christian Education, might not pastors of souls

bring to the societies of their parishes, which are composed

largely of parents and married people, the task of un-

dertaking this duty? Might they not formulate for these

existing groups the catechisms, the practical helps to ac-

complish this work within their own homes? Instead of

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Holy Name Societies, Rosary Societies and Altar Societies

with chiefly financial responsibilities, might they not have

the preparation of parents for religious home training as

their principal objective? Might not the Holy Name men

become bulwarks in the home for the religious training of

their children and thus bring about leadership which is

so important for the promotion of the cause of Catholic

Action? Will such not enhance the societies’ spiritual

value? Surely this would be one means of bringing back

to the home the influence and the prestige which it is fast

losing, as other agencies encroach upon its sanctity, for it

would place the fundamental education for eternity where

it belongs — in the home.
To facilitate the education of parents along the lines

which have been suggested, nothing would contribute

more to the success of the pastors’ work than to have

leaflets prepared by those familiar with the steps to be

pursued, to put into the hands of the parents. They could

be produced very inexpensively and because of a large

printing could be sold for a penny or less. These leaflets

could contain suggestions to the parents as to what to say

to the child, when it could be said most advantageously,

and how it could be said most effectively. As to the Cate-

chism in the hands of the parents, we feel that the time

for this is not before the child’s school life has actually

begun.

We may conduct our parochial schools, we may or-

ganize confraternities and sodalities for the instruction of

youth, as many as we will, but, in the words of a sainted

prelate, "if the home fails in its duty to the child, the

[29 ]



child will fail in his duties to himself, to society and to

God.” But with the restoration of the home to its right-

ful position in the training of the child, we may confi-

dently expect religion to assume its place of influence in

society; and with the parents thus elevated to the pedestal

where their efforts determine the lives of men, they will

be returning to God with interest those talents which they

held in sacred trust.

Discussion Aids. What suggestions are made for pro-

moting Christian education through parish societies?

How can you further such activity in your parish? What

should be the result of such parent education? Present

the suggestion given for the distribution of inexpensive

leaflets supplying parents with religious instruction aids.

What is said of the use of the Catechism? What does a

"sainted prelate” say of the home’s duty to the child?

Why is the restoration of the home so necessary?

Religious Practices

1. Visit the parish church with your children and tell

them of the Divine Child’s love for us in making

the church His home.

2. When the Angelus bell rings explain its purpose

and recite the Angelus with your family.

3. Help your children to realize the satisfaction that

comes from pleasing God.

4. Discuss with your pastor a plan to aid parents in

fulfilling their duties.

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Chapter V

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN

BY PARENTS IN THE HOME:

THE PRESCHOOL CHILD

Mrs. Dorothea McCarthy Rock, Ph. D.,

Fordham University

(This paper comes as the fruit of discussion by a

group of mothers who studied the special problems in-

volved in the education of very young children. It draws

attention to common difficulties and it submits a number

of considerations deserving of careful attention; but it

does not undertake concrete solutions.)

Importance of the Preschool Period

The preschool period is, in many respects, the most

important period in the child’s religious and moral edu-

cation, since the beginnings of many of the child’s habits

and attitudes regarding God, the truth, his fellow-men,

property rights, etc., are well established during this time.

Long before he goes to school the child absorbs from the

attitude of his parents, habits which predispose him

either toward an eager acceptance of, or an antagonism

toward, the religious instruction he will later receive out-

side the home.

The Church has always recognized the importance of

religious training in these early, impressionable years. She

[ 31 ]



insists on placing the prime responsibility for the child’s

religious instruction on the home. Moreover-, since our

Holy Father has given Catholic children the privilege of

receiving the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist

as early as seven years, and since a primary grasp of his

religion is and should be expected before the child re-

ceives these sacraments, it is clear that a very large propor-

tion of the child’s religious training must occur before

school age, and therefore during a period when the home is

not only the predominating, but almost the sole, influence.

Yet little has been done in a definite, constructive

way to assist parents in the carrying out of this most im-

portant duty. Just as the young mother needs help from

the doctor and the nurse at the well-baby clinic in learn-

ing how to care for her child’s physical needs, so she

needs help from the clergy to show her how she may

best provide for his spiritual life. Even among well-in-

formed Catholic parents there is a great need for help in

scientific techniques for presenting religious truths to the

very young child in ways that are meaningful to him at

each stage of his mental development.

Discussion Aids. Why are preschool years so im-

portant a period of life? What is the purpose of this re-

port? What habits and attitudes may be established dur-

ing preschool years? What effect does the parent’s atti-

tude toward religion have on the child’s future instruc-

tion? Where does the Church place the responsibility for

the religious instruction of children? How does the re-

ception of Holy Communion at an early age emphasize

the parent’s responsibility? When is the home almost the

[32 ]



sole religious influence? What assistance to parents is

suggested in this report? Within your group, discuss

the ways in which you have presented religious truths to

the preschool child.

Child Training and Character Development

Based on the Teachings of the Church

There are many secular organizations giving excellent

help and suggestions to parents, Catholic as well as non-

Catholic, regarding other aspects of the child’s develop-

ment and training. Many of the problems which they

encounter, however, are primarily moral in character, and

their methods, even though based on sound psychological

principles and good common sense, are entirely lacking

in any religious note, and on this basis are often severely

criticized. Catholic parents desperately need methods of

child training and character development based on the

teachings of the Church, which make the religious aspect

the point of departure. We need also to make use of

sound psychological approaches adapted to the child’s

intellectual level.

In other words we need some assistance and sugges-

tions from specialists in parent education and child care

and training on methods of approach and effective tech-

niques in the teaching of religion to young children.

Specialists have usually regarded this as the function of

the Church, and try to avoid any intrusion into so deli-

cate a field. But on the other hand, the average religious

teacher has had little first-hand contact with children of

preschool years, and often fails to grasp their limitations

[ 33 }



and needs during this period. Many Catholic mothers felt

that some means should be worked out, through the co-

ordinated efforts of persons well-grounded in Catholic

doctrine and persons trained in child psychology, where-

by parents will be assisted in the more effective carrying

out of this important duty.

While the details of such a program would have to be

worked out by a joint committee of experts in both fields,

a few points discussed by the committee might serve to

illustrate the type of coordinated program hoped for.

Discussion Aids. What is said of child development

and training in secular organizations? What is lacking in

secular parent education organizations? On what must

character development and child training be based? What

urgent need of parents does this report point out? What

limitations of preschool years make the teaching of reli-

gion difficult? What is the suggestion of this report to

aid parents in teaching religion to the preschool child?

Limitations of Child’s Vocabulary

One of the chief problems is: How can the parent

give the child simple, truthful explanations of religious

concepts at an early age in such a way that he can grasp

their meaning and have a groundwork on which later

elaborations, paralleling his mental development, can be

built without causing conflict? One serious obstacle en-

countered is that of vocabulary and terminology. Good

pedagogy demands that the limitations of the child’s vo-

cabulary should be considered in presenting new material

on any subject. Too frequently this matter is neglected

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in religious instruction, and unfamiliar terms and words

are often used without definition, or are explained by

other terms which are likewise unknown. The parent

who knows his religion in adult terms and tries to ex-

plain it to the child finds that the child does not under-

stand his language. He tries to simplify. The simplifica-

tion sounds strange to his own ears and he begins to

wonder if his interpretation is sound doctrine. But why

should this translation be a problem for the individual

parent? Should there not be an official solution at hand?

Closely related to this same problem is the need for

simple, short prayers in words the child can understand,

which might precede the learning of the Lord’s Prayer

and the Hail Mary. It was also pointed out that the child

needs to be taught how to pray, how to formulate in his

own words a simple prayer of love, of thanksgiving, of

sorrow and of supplication, according to the occasion, in

order to form a habit of prayer which should be his com-

fort and joy throughout life.

The power of a good example in religious training is

perhaps the most clear-cut instance of the value of a psy-

chological method in this field. Take for example the

matter of truth-telling. How, for instance, can the parent

who evades his child’s questions and answers with only

half-truths, expect his child to be thoroughly honest and

truthful on all occasions? Experience shows that the par-

ent who fails to keep promises made to children, or who

constantly makes threats that are never carried out, is

weakening the child’s confidence in him. There is little

reason to expect truthfulness in a child who has lived

[ 35]



in such an environment of bad faith. Obviously we have

here a combination of moral and psychological factors

which might be most effectively dealt with together. It is

of course possible to teach a child to share his possessions

and to take his turn by mere example and by direct, verbal

instruction without any spiritual appeal, and thus to form

desirable social habits. But how much better and more

easily could such habits be inculcated with the added spir-

itual incentive of religious unselfishness!

Discussion Aids. What is a chief problem raised by

the committee in this report? What is a serious ob-

stacle in teaching religion to the preschool child? Discuss

and list religious textbooks and materials suitable for the

religious instruction of the preschool child. Ask your

pastor to check your list. What is said of prayers for the

preschool child? How may the preschool child be taught

to pray? What is said of the habit of prayer? Show the

importance of the good example of parents. What is said

of truth-telling? Of the parent who fails to keep prom-

ises? What is said of the spiritual incentive of the virtue

of unselfishness?

The Basis of Religion Is Love

Another consideration is the question of general mo-

tivation in religious teaching. The basis of all our religion

is love, love of God and love of one’s neighbor. The

child’s experience of filial love, which he should have in

the Catholic home, is an excellent starting point for his

comprehension of the broader concepts of love in reli-

gion. Emphasis should be placed on the motive of love

of God rather than on fear of God and His punishment.

[
36]



Psychologists have shown that rewards are usually more

effective than punishments in learning, and that fear mo-

tivation is often unwholesome. The laying of emphasis

on the positive and constructive features should lead to a

higher type of religious motivation as well as to a better

mental attitude.

May we sum up our findings by affirming that there

is really urgent need of a coordinated program which will

enable parents to present the teachings of the Catholic

religion in a simplified form suited to the preschool age

and harmonized with the principles of scientific psy-

chology.

Discussion Aids. What is given as the basis of all

religion? What may be a starting point for the broader

concept of love in religion? What is said of fear and

God’s punishment? What is said of emphasizing the posi-

tive aspects of religion? What were the conclusions of

this committee’s study of the preschool child?

Religious Practices

1. Place a picture of the Christ-Child or the Holy

Family in the children’s room. Use the picture in

telling stories of the home at Nazareth.

2. Teach your children to offer their hurts and pains

to God; to offer them to make up for when they

or others have hurt Him.

3. Make a visit with the children to the Blessed Sac-

rament where Jesus waits to come to us in Holy

Communion.

4. Strive to overcome the fault that deters you most

in giving a good example in the home.

[37]



Chapter VI

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN

BY PARENTS IN THE HOME:

THE ELEMENTARY-SCHOOL CHILD

Mrs. Frederick W. Rice, B. A., New York

The Importance of Home Influence

in Spiritual Development

There are two premises fundamental to any discussion

of the problems involved in the home religious training

of the elementary-school child:

The first is the grave responsibility incumbent upon

parents for the spiritual development of their children;

the second is the unequaled importance of parental

example.

The parent is directly answerable to God for the

proper training of the child
;
and no element of the train-

ing process is so essential as the parent’s own good con-

duct. The influence of the home is tremendously impor-

tant in every phase of the child’s life; but in the spiritual

sphere it is preeminent. The value of a Catholic educa-

tion in a Catholic school can be easily nullified by the

lack of Catholic home influence.

Moreover, "the essential education in boyhood or girl-

hood is done by character on character. It is the effect

of a person on a person. We are alive and what moves

us most are living things. As children we are most af-

[ 38 ]



fected by the human beings we meet with and especially

those with whom we come into closest contact when we

are young children” (The House of Gold, by Father Bede

Jarrett, O. P.) . Especially is this true of the age group

with which we are dealing now— the children of ele-
mentary-school age, the age when the child begins to ob-

serve most keenly and to reason about what he observes.

What does this mean for those of us who, as parents,

are charged with the responsibility of guiding the spir-

itual development of our children through this formative

period? A small group, all of us mothers with children

ranging from infancy to college age, have been discussing

and considering our problem together. We came to no

startling conclusions nor were we able to work out any

comprehensive solution for the age-old difficulties which

confront every mother. However, we formulated several

ideas which seemed helpful to us, and we pass them on

to you in the same spirit in which we discussed them —

-

as one mother to another.

Discussion Aids. What is the first point considered

in this report? What is said of home influence? What

may lessen or even destroy the value of a Catholic school

education? What is said of parental example? Give the

example quoted. By what are children most affected?

When do children begin to observe and reason keenly?

What is the purpose of the report of this committee?

The All-Pervading Love of God

In the first place, it seems peculiarly the function of

the mother to inspire in her child a sense of the all-per-

[ 39]



vading love of God— a love which it is so very natural
for the child to return. This love of God should form

the whole pattern of his life. It should be the reason for

and the means of developing the character traits which

prepare us all to face life as Catholics and children of

God. When the child does wrong he should be made to

feel that he is hurting a loving and merciful Father ra-

ther than enraging a stern Ruler of the universe.

The first step in this direction may well be to teach

the child the example of the life of Christ. The story of

Bethlehem carries a note of beauty which appeals to the

fancy of the child. The Child-Christ in the manger es-

tablishes a sympathy with all other children. The Boy

Christ, obedient to His parents, is a figure which they can

comprehend and appreciate. Through his knowledge pf

the God-Child of Bethlehem, the Blessed Mother, the

Saviour on the Cross, the Father Who is in heaven

"where we shall go some day,” the child begins to under-

stand the great truths of his religion, the infinite goodness

and wisdom of God, and above all, the love of God for

each one of us.

Toward the same end will go the reading of the lives

of certain saints whose activities and sacrifices for God

appeal to the hero-worshiping sense of most children. A

number of short lives particularly well suited for children

have appeared recently. Six O’Clock Saints and More

Saints for Six O’Clock (published in this country by Sheed

and Ward) are examples of this type of material. Robert

Hugh Benson’s Alphabet of the Saints is another intended

especially for young children.

[
40

]



The reading of carefully selected sections from the

Bible, the Old Testament as well as the New will fa-

miliarize children with the text and significance of Sacred

Scripture. Several mothers in our group found that this

appealed to children from the age of nine or ten as a

special devotion for Lent or Advent. The rereading and

discussion of the Sunday Gospel at home serves to bring

it to the attention of the child, who is apt to miss its

significance when it is read at Mass.

Discussion Aids. What seems peculiarly the function

of the mother? What should form the whole pattern of

the child’s life? What treatment is suggested when a

child does wrong? What may be the first step in pre-

senting the truths of religion to the child ? Give examples.

What is said of presenting the lives of the saints to the

elementary-school child? What books are mentioned?

What books of Lives of the Saints have you used? What

is said of reading the Bible? Of rereading and discussing

the Sunday Gospel at home?

The Liturgy; Individual and Family Prayer

We Catholics are fortunate in having for our children

the liturgy, which appeals so much more strongly to chil-

dren than do the sermons and prayers of the Protestant

denominations. The Mass and various devotions and

ceremonies make a deep impression on the child who

knows the significance of each part. This knowledge

comes easily and naturally when given little by little by

the mother as she and her children attend church together.

At a surprisingly early age, children can be taught to use

[
41

]



the Missal intelligently (about ten or eleven years, in the

fifth grade)
,
and this knowledge also comes more easily

under the mother’s supervision at home, or whenever the

opportunity arises for the mother and child to attend

Mass together.

To the average child of today, individual daily prayer

is more attractive than family prayers, but there are cer-

tain family devotions which serve as a unifying bond with-

in the family circle and leave a precious memory for after

life. Joint prayers in any family emergency, the rosary

during October and May, simple devotions at certain other

times, carefully planned in order to reach all members of

the family without tiring the younger ones— all these
help to make religion an integral part of the home en-

vironment.

This brings us to a point which seems particularly im-

portant— namely, that parents and children should re-
ceive the sacraments together frequently and also attend

the various parish devotions together. It is not enough

to see that the children go by themselves.

In the last analysis, of course, every mother must

plan for her own child. However, we offer these sugges-

tions humbly realizing our own limitations, but hoping to

draw out from other mothers ideas which will be more

helpful to all of us.

Discussion Aids. Why should the liturgy appeal to

children? What suggestions are made for presenting the

meaning of the Mass and various devotions to children?

What is said of the use of the Missal? Of the value of

individual prayer? Of family devotions? How should

[
42

]



family prayers be planned? What is said of parents and

children receiving the sacraments together?

Christ, the Greatest Influence in Education

To quote again from Father Jarrett: "And so we come

back, as we must come back, to Christ our Lord as the

greatest influence in education. In education you can only

give to the child what you have yourself. We all have

the responsibility to serve God and love God and those

responsibilities are all the greater in a father or a mother

because of their children. They have now a new obliga-

tion. They are fathers and mothers. They have responsi-

bilities for the child. Yet they can only give what they

have got. . . . You can’t inspire unless you are inspired.

You cannot move people unless you are moved. You

cannot teach them beauty if you don’t see beauty. You

can only establish it because it is first in your own heart.

You cannot give light without light. You cannot give

fire without fire. So with your children about you, re-

member that you can only give what you have got and

that you yourself must be first moved by His character

before you can move others by telling them of it.”

Discussion Aids. What is the greatest influence in ed-

ucation? How does one prepare to educate the child? Why

has a parent an added responsibility to serve God? What

have you gained from this report?

Religious Practices

1. Interest each member of the family in the life of

his patron saint.

[43}



2. Reread and discuss in the family the Epistle and

Gospel of last Sunday.

3. Provide the members of the family with an Ordi-

nary of the Mass or a Sunday Missal. Encourage

intelligent use of the Missal.

4. Promote more frequent reception of the sacraments

as a family group.

[
44

]



Chapter VII

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN

BY PARENTS IN THE HOME:

THE HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENT

Mrs. John S. Reilly, M. A., New York

Grade-School Education in Religion

Wholly Inadequate

What can parents do to protect the Catholic faith of

their children of high-school age attending non-Catholic

schools?

You parents can hardly avoid this issue. If your chil-

dren are sent to non-Catholic schools, you are faced with

the clear duty of seeing that they keep the faith of their

fathers— intact. You cannot hope to pass this obligation
over to anyone else. It is inescapably the function of par-

ents to guarantee the religious belief and background of

their children.

The religious instruction of the children is far from

complete and should not be stopped when they enter a

non-Catholic high school. You should uphold and support

the efforts of your parish to continue instructing your

high-school children along religious lines. Encourage

your boys and girls to attend religious discussion clubs

or other activities of the parish for their benefit, or see

that they are instructed in their own religion in and

[
45

]



through the high school itself, as is now permitted by law

in not a few states.

The problems of parents with high-school students in

a way resemble, and in another way differ from, the prob-

lems of parents who have children at non-Catholic pri-

mary or grammar schools. Parental example in the pious

practices of religion and an atmosphere of tranquil, de-

vout Catholicity at home still have their deep effect. But

the age is now reached where reasonable and informative

discussion is more acceptable to children than the laying

down of precepts by their parents. Our parental role is

better played from now on by our attitude than by our

words. Our attitude should strongly show forth that we

ourselves are entirely secure in our beliefs, entirely serene

in our faith, and entirely loyal to the Church. But we are

required also to speak when our children ask us to give

them intelligent reasons for the faith that is in us. Be

ready for them when they look to you for the facts about

their religion, and those great facts will speak for

themselves.'

The insistent demand of our American-bred children

of high-school age, as I know them, is for independence:

the right at least to begin to conduct their own experi-

ments, lead their own lives, make their own decisions, use

their own judgment. Parents ought clearly to understand

that this is an entirely normal and logical development

— not necessarily an indication of defiance or rebellion
on the part of these young people, but more often a nat-

ural and decidedly important part of the process of their

growing up. This phase in our children’s lives calls em-

[
46

]



phatically for patience on our part, for tolerance in allow-

ing them to express their youthful point of view and for

persevering effort to understand and help them.

Discussion Aids. What is the responsibility of parents

whose children are attending non-Catholic high schools?

What must be guaranteed these students? What is your

duty toward promoting the religious instruction program

of your parish? What are the laws of your state regarding

religious instruction during school hours? For gaining a

unit of credit which may be applied for graduation?

What is said of the example of parents? Of informative

discussion at this age? Of the parents’ attitude? Of the

parents’ preparation to give intelligent reasons for their

faith? What are the normal demands and attitudes of

high-school students? What virtues does the wise parent

exercise in educating high-school students?

Discussion of Religion in the Home

When high-school children bring home a question

about religion, it is an important event. The answer may

not be deferred or lightly passed over. We should en-

courage them to bring their questions home, sympathize

with their difficulties and stimulate religious discussion in

our family circle. We ought to be able to guide our chil-

dren and to indicate or to find for them the Catholic an-

swers and the Catholic point of view on important spirit-

ual and intellectual matters.

All this implies a certain amount of self-education for

Catholic parents. We should make ourselves intelligent

about our religion. We should be aware of the contro-

versial subjects most likely to arise in our schools, so that

[
47

]



we may provide antidotes and ammunition against attack.

Not only should the better Catholic periodicals be avail-

able in our homes, but we ourselves should read them reg-

ularly and faithfully in order to become saturated with

the Catholic attitudes on the questions of the day. And

we may further help ourselves by forming discussion clubs

for parents where we may exchange our anxieties and

problems for those of other serious-minded and con-

scientious Catholic fathers and mothers. An outline could

be prepared sketching the difficulties which the Catholic

boys and girls of the community meet at school and bring

home to their families, and this outline might well be a

subject for study by the parents in such a club. General

discussions of the possible dangers to Catholic children’s

faith ought certainly to contribute to our own wisdom

and our fortitude in handling the problems which may

arise in our own family.

Discussion Aids. How may children be encouraged to

bring up religious questions at home? What is said of the

self-education of parents? What use should be made in

the home of Catholic periodicals? Is your diocesan paper

read and discussed in your home? What is the advantage

of membership in a religious discussion club? What

dangers to the faith confront the Catholic youth of your

parish? How can you aid your pastor in meeting this

issue?

Honesty and Sincerity Foster Confidence

Intelligent parents give the strongest proof of their

intelligence when they recognize and acknowledge their

[
48

]



own intellectual shortcomings. When you do not know

the right answer, the best answer, to a question asked by

your son or daughter, admit your ignorance at once and

diligently seek the answer. Do not give a second-rate

answer or an inadequate or incorrect one simply because

you are unwilling to admit to your child or to yourself

that you do not know. A poor answer will do more to

turn your child away from you and to lose that precious

confidence placed in you, than if you were to refuse to

answer altogether. There are sources of right information,

and these you must know and consult. One such useful

source of Catholic information is the Catholic Encyclo-

pedia. If you do not own one and cannot buy it, you can

usually find it in your local public library, or in one not

far away. Advise your children to seek their answers there.

To stimulate interest in their devotions there is noth-

ing more helpful than the use of the Missal at Mass. The

color, the variety, the beauty, the unending interest of our

liturgy can be brought home to the expanding and sensi-

tively responsive intelligence of children of high-school

age through following the Catholic calendar and the

prayers proper for every Mass they hear. Parents ought

to provide each child with a Missal, show him how to use

it, and establish the family habit of following the Mass

rationally. The use of the Missal is an excellent remedy

for adolescent distractions or indifference at church.

Family prayers ought also to be an established custom,

especially in every household where the children are at

school under non-Catholic educational auspices, if not

every morning or evening, then at least once or twice a

[49]



week. And in all moments of family exaltation or dis-

tress, family prayers should be resorted to, and the habit

of instinctively and immediately turning to prayer, well

begun in the early years, should be continued through

those high-school years when difficulties arise for parents

and children to be solved only by divine assistance.

Discussion Aids. What should parents do when un-

able to answer a question about religion? What is the

danger of a second-rate answer? Discuss sources of right

information available in your community. Is there a Catho-

lic encyclopedia in your public library? Do Catholic high-

school students know local sources of right information?

How may interest in religious devotions be stimulated?

How may intelligent use of the Missal be promoted?

What should be an established custom in every home?

How may the habit of prayer be developed?

Develop an Appreciation of Catholic Culture

It is essential for us parents to remember in dealing

with these children of ours that the high-school age is

apt to be an age of extreme sensitiveness, expressed either

by highly conspicuous behavior or by a tendency to slink

out of sight and remain unnoticed altogether. Children

of this age are torn by the longing to appear well in the

sight of their contemporaries. They yearn for the praise

and approval of their teachers and their fellow-students.

They therefore conform rigorously to the conventions laid

down by their young group, and above all things they

dread appearing or behaving in any way different from

their fellows. The Catholic student in a non-Catholic high

[
50

]



school is well aware of his differences from the rank and

file of his schoolmates, and these differences far too often

make him feel inferior and ashamed. This is a very dan-

gerous feeling for a young Catholic. It is highly impor-

tant that his parents should impart to him a sense of deep

pride in his faith and in his Church, and a conviction of

his superior status as a Catholic. If at school he absorbs

a Protestant or non-religious culture which is in a sense

alien to his own, he should at home be kept aware of the

high traditions of Catholic culture, the part the Church

has played in fostering and preserving learning and the

arts, and in furthering and sponsoring the great discov-

eries of science, and her rich contributions to philosophy.

Catholic commentary on current events, Catholic con-

temporary achievements in science, in literature, in art

and in history, the biographies of great Catholics, lay and

cleric, should be part of the family conversation and of

the family atmosphere. This is done not for the develop-

ment of a boastful, complacent attitude in our children,

but simply to give them a knowledge of what is certainly

their heritage. Such knowledge, once assimilated, should

uphold them in a serene inner consciousness of the supe-

rior cultural values of their religion, as well as of its

higher spiritual values. Our children should be absolutely

secure in their faith, undisturbed by any challenge they

may hear or sense, ready to hold their own in argument,

but never initiating a religious quarrel.

Discussion Aids. What characteristics of the high-

school age should be recognized by parents? Why do

high-school students conform to the conventions of their



group? What may be done to counteract the non-religious

culture of the secular high school? Why should parents

impart to their children a sense of pride in their faith?

What is said of the high traditions of Catholic culture?

Develop an Awareness of the Privileges

and Merits of the Faith

To sum all this up: From the angle of parents the

dangers faced by young Catholics of high-school age in

non-Catholic schools are not so much dangers of propa-

ganda or of misstatement. These, where they are serious

enough, can be met by the methods I have outlined, that

is, by open, intelligent discussion at home, and by seeking

the truth at its source. The real dangers are more insidi-

ous and subtle than these. They may be called psycho-

logical, and have to do with the young boy’s or young

girl’s gradual persuasion that to be a Catholic is to be

different, socially unacceptable perhaps, or culturally in-

ferior. It is in this sense of shame, so torturing to the

self-conscious and ambitious adolescent, that the gravest

menace to the religion of our Catholic boys and girls lies.

Of the possibility of this state of mind in your children

you Catholic parents should be thoroughly and calmly

aware. It must be dealt with delicately, restrainedly, un-

derstandingly, prayerfully, and with all the parental wis-

'dom you can summon to your aid. You are called upon

to strike a happy balance between too great sternness and

too great laxity, to allow your children to participate

heartily in all the activities of their non-Catholic school-

mates, except where these may or actually do endanger

[
52]



their Catholic principles. Prepare your young people to be

alert to detect wrong or distorted ideas expressed in school

about the Catholic faith, but help them to realize always

that most of the misstatements made about Catholics and

Catholicity are made through ignorance, not through

malice. By persuading your children to explain rather

than to fight, you Catholic parents will do much to build

up a relationship of confidence, of mutual tolerance and

better understanding, a much more helpful, satisfactory

and profitable relationship, between non-Catholic teach-

ers and the Catholic children who must so often be con-

fided to their care.

When you know beforehand that your children are

destined for a non-Catholic high-school or preparatory-

school education, make your preparations well ahead to

meet the difficulties these young Catholics of yours will

encounter. Let them enter a non-Catholic school well-

grounded and well-instructed in their faith, enthusiastic

in the privileges of their Catholicity, strong in Catholic

ideals, full of fortitude for the trials and minor persecu-

tions and sacrifices which every Catholic is called upon

at one time or another to meet and make. With this

foundation, and a strong desire to convince others (espe-

cially through example) of the merits of the Catholic re-

ligion and to help them to know it better, I believe Catho-

lic boys and girls of high-school age will thus be better

able to resist during their schooling, and to remain un-

affected by, attacks upon their faith, whether those attacks

come from without or originate in their own troubled

young hearts.

[ 53]



Discussion Aids. What are the chief dangers to faith

in a secular high school? How may obvious dangers to

faith be coped with? What are the most subtle dangers

to faith? How may these subtle dangers be handled?

What is the cause of most of the misstatements about the

Church? How may parents prepare children to recognize

and intelligently answer misstatements? What prepara-

tion should fortify children deprived of a Catholic high-

school education? What is said of the privileges of the

faith? Of convincing others of the merits of the faith?

Religious Practices

1. Discuss in the home Catholic current events.

2. Establish the custom of family prayer.

3. Promote reading of the diocesan paper by calling

attention to articles in the current issue.

4. Volunteer (to your pastor) to organize a religious

discussion club for youth.

[
54

]





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