Schools and education have always been precious to parents. They entrust their children to teachers in good faith, confident that they will be equipped to become citizens worthy of the name.
Catholic schools make an even larger claim than public schools, namely that they help the child also to grow in the knowledge of God as He revealed Himself through Jesus and His Church. Christ is the only Saviour to whom God the Father has revealed His message of salvation and this message, in turn, is handed on and protected by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Today new developments threaten to undo the work of the past, this time not from without but from within.
In the whole Western world society is in the throes of denying God in three ways: secularism, relativism and the contraceptive, anti-life drive. Secularism separates society from God; relativism separates morality from God and the sexual revolt separates the family from God.
The current condom-mania in Catholic schools described in this and previous issues demands action. The Catholic community, parents, teachers, administrators and pastors, must organize on the local level. There are still many good teachers and good trustees in the Catholic school system but unless the Catholic community takes action, their voices will be drowned by the aggressive, vociferous minority who are accommodating themselves to the world.
We should stop sweeping unpleasant facts under the carpet. Anti-church teachers should be warned and, if necessary, removed from their positions. Hiring should pay attention to knowledge of the Catholic faith, not as presented by dissenters and radical feminists, but as taught by the Magisterium. Acceptance of Humanae Vitae should be a condition for hiring.
Some test should be found of restricting access into Catholic schools in the same way Baptism of children is being restricted to parents who show an interest in living up to their responsibilities as Christians.
The election of trustees, too, should no longer be taken for granted. Those running for that office should be questioned as to where they stand on the moral issues and if the answer is not satisfactory and consistent with Church teaching, they should be opposed and defeated by running better candidates.
Teachers should work to counteract the unceasing secularist attitude of their unions and professional organizations.
Action is needed. Schools ultimately serve the whole community. Catholics may have thought they could do so safely by means of their own school system. But it cannot be done passively and without ongoing personal conversion.
