Erin and Rick: since you have a slightly lesser understanding of the explosion of Catholic home based hybrid schooling over the recent decades, I recommend at least reading the SCCHE website; it you want to take the pulse of what’s going on in OC in thousands of homes and other southern counties. The organization is actually the SouthernCaliforniaCatholicHomeEducators.org

Better: GO in person! June 22nd  is the next SCCHE convention at St John, the Baptist Catholic church;  and attending for at least a part of the day  would be a one-stop snapshot of just how important a part of the SoCal Catholic experience so called “homeschooling” truly is.

Smart bishops and priests realize the untapped potential of actually acknowledging successful Catholic homeschooling is alive and well.

https://southerncaliforniacatholichomeeducators.org

~~~Truism #1:  Every Catholic (&other faiths) family homeschools their offspring from birth.  Whether 1, 10, 13 in total, homeschooling begins at delivery

Dr. Erin and Howie: a little secret: EVERY Catholic family once #1 arrives… homeschools from birth.  Every one of them, since education does NOT begin Kinder day 1 in PS1 or St. John, the Baptist Catholic Church, the new Pius V.  Especially Catholic education, which is best served warm as a family, in concert with God’s ordained prelates on earth and concurrence with the Catholic Catechism and the magisterium.

What changes after labor and delivery? like all things in family and human development, is when “formal” education is called for.  In 1983, 41 years ago, Donna and I chose an ancient but renewed path, the idea of homeschooling our  family.  Simply put, not always understood, “Homeschooling is a choice, not a crime…it is a lifestyle worth pursuing”

40 years later, years after Donna attained heaven miraculously (of course, not my idea), and in an instant, our  youngest turns 21 this year.  The other 10 are marrying, having children with 5 of them so far homeschooling at birth AND after 3.

Years NOT PM.

Great ones, Erin and Howie, your play by play:  I transcribed your dialogue because it is impactful to understand the dichotomy of viewpoints and discern the truth as the society further degrades and  “polarizes” its formerly common sense beliefs:

Rick Howick or Howie (regarding the concept of  homeschooling):  “I can remember one story that took place, where we had one parent  who was homeschooling had a couple of kids, who really wanted to take advantage of the science program but really only the science program. And  This was a member of the parish whom we knew very well and was very supportive but they had reasons why they really wanted to home school.  We made the ability  for them to come in and deal with the science labs, and work with the science teacher in the science classrooms for that program. And…it was amazing the flack that came from that, again not this diocese, and not necessarily diocesan flack…the questions from teachers, parents, parishioners, what are you doing, aren’t you undermining the (parish) school that you allow homeschoolers, they will somehow deflate, you know the money or whatever…

(Erin) are you finding any of that and let’s change some of  the solutions.”

“I do think there needs to be a change of mission, needs to be a change of mindset and heart,  you know we are so much stronger laser focus on the mission of the Catholic education and I think mission is something we can all agree upon.  We can agree on creating disciples of Christ.  It may look different for me and you, a parent who feels it is their vocation to homeschool their children, that is a beautiful vocation.  It’s not my vocation, my vocation was to teach in a classroom in a traditional classroom, i just find there is so much beauty and power and our schools were designed to complement the Domestic Church which is the family.

 (This author: Our mission in Catholic Home Ed hasn’t changed; modified a bit during the Mao Tse Xi’s incubated virus, suppressed remedies and failed “vaccine” days, but fundamentally the same; Erin is right, the Domestic Church MUST, for this nation’s survival, remain or return to strength.)

Howie:  “my kids rode to school with daddy everyday, they went to a Catholic school, that was our vocation… Erin and that was my vocation too, as an educator but also as a parent, my vocation was to  support my children in a Catholic school, a traditional Catholic school.  So I have so much respect and admiration for families that recognize their call as a parent to homeschool their children in the Catholic faith and I want to, as an educator I want to be able to support that as does our bishop Vann.

I think this is a beautiful complement to the things we are doing really, really well, it expands the mission of Catholic education to families, who again feel that call, They want to homeschool their children and now have a community that is linked to our CAtholic schools and are supported by our dept. and we are going to support their teachers and their principal, even to the extent of involving them in our parochial athletic league  so these can play sports

 (This author:  each Domicilic Pedagogy or homeschool effort typically has the “principal”, either the father or grandparent in today’s world or the mother, who carries most often the heavier load.   Thank you, so kindly, “involving” homeschool students in PAL or other sports.  Truth be told, quite a bit of sports carries on in the homeschool segment of parish life.  Good example is an excellent homeschooling dad and father of 8, make that soon nine {oops, Krista!} Mr. JP Afif, former 6’8″ Sacramento Kings coached a solid basketball team of  Kings and other players, homeschooled. Decades ago, I recall part of youth ministry forming different young adults sports events.  In fact, in the late 70s, we had Monday Night Sports at St Anthony, and had the privilege of having a local law student (tall, yes) and future son in law of Ronald Reagan play for a couple years.

Howie   what does this look like  Do they come in two days or three days to do classwork or?

 (This author’s note: depends on which of a large list of Catholic home ed models you are talking about.  Mr Ebiner teaches French and latin, a former AFA/Colorado transplant taught physics;having an MBA, my privilege was to teach religion, and business, with one year, 3 different companies were started by the kids, with mentors, after training in the five basic areas of business.  Many Catholic hybrid/home ed do form and become a part of voluntary associative cooperatives; others, utilize some charter involvement but carefully.  Same issue our Catholic high schools and some parish based,  are having, with the dilution of well formed Catholic minds due to rising  quantities of other faiths as part of the student bodies.  Our overall mission, in concert with the bishop’s role as the primary religious ed director for his ordinary, remains to preach the Gospel,and inculcate not indoctrinate basic salvation history, the Catholic traditions honoring the Magisterium and raising THIS generation to be respectful and involved citizens of America and eventually, forever in heaven.  And beyond!)

Erin   I think its two days or three days, but I think it is two days … having .a deep connection to a parish which is really important of a Catholic school. and the community that we’ve talked about…And building this community and that experience of a classroom not just sitting at home that being homeschooled but the experience of a classroom interaction with peers.   This is new for me, as an educator as a leader I’m very excited (Howie: “you are very brave for doing this)  I am so excited to learn along the way…and again open my mind and my heart to the differences and responding in a very meaningful way to the differences in our communities and to still be a Catholic school community.

( (This author’s note: Erin has the heart to reach out

 

Howie: It’s very interesting so…are they going to have their own charter or this an extension of what they are already doing or  is that

Erin  it’s an extension of what they are doing, and conversations about accreditation and what that looks like and formalizing a partnership with the diocese…

Howie  WASC is a four letter word…but it’s an important one

Most of what we hear about in homeschool education are the good stories…there are some stories that are not so  good.this would be support that are trying very hard, but I’m drowning here, what do I do with algebra.

Erin absolutely…

Howie  so this is going to be a hybrid that is going to support homeschoolers.  I take it that if this works well, starting this coming year…

Erin   it is …

Howie  if it works well i take it this is something to evaluate into the future

Howie   what would that mean for some of the other schools,  there are a number of parishes that used to have schools…they still have the buildings.  they’ve been mothballed except for religious education for the days we bring in the once a day once a week kids

Erin ..religious education

Howie   could we open one or two more?

Erin   i think anything is possible and I think that’s the freeing, the liberation that comes from expanding and liberating our hearts and minds  to think differently and look differently at what the catholic schools look like in general in the future to what God is calling, how God is calling us to this.  The structures of the past  may not be the right structures of the future to carry us forth in our mission

Erin’s in six years coming in from Los Angeles.

Howie  I was so impressed  with your faith…but you needed that….

Additional Erin quotes  “I think we are at a very important time that the diocesan and parish schools that have served  our church so well for the past 150 years we’re facing challenges and in order to continue this beautiful mission of Catholic education in our country… we need to think differently and so people you and I who were Catholic school teachers and principals, it challenges us to open our minds and our hearts, open to the possibility of…”

 (This author’s note: Howie, in our 40 years of Catholic education sans brick and mortar, we’ve noticed smart pastors and catholic school administrators WELCOME home schooling involvement, to help integrate two diverse family groupings in the parish, working side by side on the altar, at SVDP food drives, etc.  As it is, all 11 of my kids sat in the desks on those nights and Saturdays when the unwashed were allowed into the Catholic parish ed arena.  As a DRE and YMs, we always had good relationships with the parish and school staffs)

Len:  Frankly, parish school communities are voluntary associations that change yearly and over time; the buildings don’t belong to the current school; they are the gift of past generations of parishioners, loaned for the use of this particular School Community IF one is occurring. As Howie mentioned, it IS sad so many empty classrooms echoing decades and decades of students’ and teachers’ voices, questions and more.

Like the Sistine Chapel and the time of St Lawrence and Pope Calixtus, the wealth of the Church is secure in the people, both poor and rich, more than the structures and beautiful paintings.  At St Anthony, our elementary 1-8th were immersed in the beauty of the Church anchored while we could with the Ignatius Press “Faith and Life” series.  Parish school communities are fluid, rotated in and out  every 9-12 years or so, with joyful loyalties extending over decades.  I’m still in touch with Tom, who i graduated with in 1966 from St Anthony Claret on to Servite.  56 years ago, yeow!  But though my immediate siblings experienced 126 years of 1-12th grade Catholic parish education, too many have left the church.  And those who have drifted (yes we do the Monica prayer dance), do not include one brother who was a sex abuse survivor still very active in his faith.

Howie: please realize “homeschooling” is not a monolithic concept just emerging; every Domestic Church that homeschools from birth through rug rat phase, and gives way to curtain climbers, is an individual Catholic school; dad often is known as the principal, following the Scriptural and CCC ideation that the husband is the head of the household.  Hundreds, thousands of independent Catholic schools intertwined with the source and summit of the Faith, the Eucharist. This is, and has been going on for decades, generally out of the limelight for good reason.  Not every one outside of each homeschooling family likes the idea of homeschooling; we are NOT the Turpentines of Riverside County.  But stories are easy to find: one mom of 14 got the knock on the door from a CPS(child protective servant) worker, with an officer of the law standing by: the details later in this letter.  The legal group  HSLDF has monthly journals of stories about governmental interference, unholy laws  restricting, in Calif., the other states and foreign countries.  It seems King TUTS (teachers’ union thugs) have little room from the invading parents thinking they can educate their children.  Home School Legal Defense Association is a must for most families filing ISPs (Independent Studies Programs) with individual; I paid my annual for 30 years but never had to use their services; others did.

Howie/Erin: this is the explosion of interest and involvement in this modality, putting it in structured terms.  But it’s more: for whatever reason families, small families of 1-3 or 4 kids who choose this path more often than not, become larger.  Imagine this: Catholic homeschool families often and quickly discover this lifestyle IS worth pursuing

Yes, Donna gave birth to 11; so did another homeschooling mom Cathy Lipsky who joined Donna in heaven a few years after Donna in Sept 2011.  I can name many large families who have successfully engaged in this lifestyle, NOT survivalists trying to avoid other people but fully immersed in parish life.

Mom, often, provides much of what you see as the critical curricula during the course of the week.    But, NB: Catholic home based homeschooling is exploding but fear not, we are NOT competition for parish schools.   An infantile concept as if God only allows one way to educate our kids.  But natural: we tend to uphold, even protect our particular way of raising and educating our children.  What Erin and Howie, you call your “vocation.”

There’s a quote of the Apostles worrying about other members of His flock doing Gospel to the world; Jesus admonished not to worry about them, they are doing fine, stick to your ministry. You have plenty to do (paraphrased)!

Howie, Dr Erin heard an earful, on a recent Thursday morning Catholic@work breakfast meet, with the Portland Super of Cath schools; various other ed models were discussed; your dialogue above centered on one, as Erin is working with one model, alluded to in your dialogue, with Mr and Mrs Chris Pagel and their team with Cupertino.

Like St John the Baptist  parish, St Michael’s Abbey,  Thomas More, Martin de Poores and others, Peter Chanel, St. Theresa outside the Orange Curtain, long places where homeschoolers are welcome and do cooperative classes,  Cupertino is a natural outgrowth of other homeschooling families looking to do something different, focusing on the higher grades.  Detail?  Go to the source for your questions, your investigations.

This has happened for decades.  And today, there are so many options like Kolbe Academy which provides education resources and on line classes; MODG, Laura Berquist, early founder of TAC who has probably 6000 families now, that exploded under the Mao Tse Xi’s worldwide incubated Wuhan epidemic when 58 million children became auto “homeschoolers” with remote teaching.

Unfortunately, during Covid, for those who don’t see it as a vocation, in too many homes, remote learning did not happen because they couldn’t shake the desire for their kids to be in brick and mortar.  And the horror stories of teachers doing Zoom for their Chicago classes on Cancun beaches, or asking mom or dad NOT to be in THEIR own kitchens when the public education illuminati were pontificating on their ideologies mixed in with some ed.

Please understand, Dr Erin, this is not an ego thing with me; I’m just relating our Beckman “Ranch” history while protecting the familial work of so many dedicated Catholic parents, many of whom prefer the shadows in this dark culture. Not as escapists, but like Howie’s four letter word, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, WASC that your schools and educators brisk at, fearing unbridled attempts to control.

Guess what the #1 question asked of homeschoolers is?  SOCIALIZATION.   My usual Socratic method response is “Could you spell that?  What is it?

They laugh a little…  Truth is, most homeschooling families are oversocialized.  But, the questioners have different motives and understandings.  I ask “where else in society will you expect 40 7 year olds or 25 12  year olds, to inculcate good character qualities and teach basic virtues, Catholic truths and how to avoid vices?”  I usually continue with “Not by the  mob on the playground; it’s interaction with other adults and well  trained older youth that help create a healthy society.

Erin/Howie: hopeless hate encampments by Hitler youths is not healthy; nor is the unspoken answer I get at school board comment periods:   “Why, board members, are you so intent on spaying our precious daughters like they are 3 legged junkyard dogs?”   When we try to be cool and insert some of the godless rhetoric and non science, anti Creation and Design to “get along”, we fail our students, our faith and our Church.  Seattle just announced their school based health clinics are ready to help their students get sex change drugs and get referred to the billion$ gender mutilating care demoniacs.  What is the Church’s response?Like Paul or  like St Joseph of Delaware, former CAtholic with one foot touching hell and the other shuffling along?  We MUST pray for this poor soul, like the Rich Man and Lazarus story of the Gospels.

Some real world examples.

More on that exceptional family of 14; mom and dad are great parents.  Mom had an unscheduled visit from CPS, child protective services, that her home was unsafe and the kids needed protection.  The CPS employee,  with a policeman outside,  “evaluated” the home.  Lisa Lee could have called HSLDF and resisted entry but she allowed the person in.

Like elder abuse staffers in most counties, CPS’ job is to ferret out real child neglect and abuse.  Once inside, Ms CPS noticed the home was fine, in order, no kids locked in closets or handcuffed to the kitchen table.  They had a gracious meeting and the woman left.  Yes, there is the inland empire Turpentine family flouted by enemies of home based education, but they did NOT home school; they home incarcerated.  As it turned out, it was a jealous, nosy, in your face kind of neighbor who lied to “stick it” to Lisa Lee and her husband and family.  No harm?  They might think that.  It was an illegitimate invasion of their family’s peace of  mind, and CCC 2223 mandated responsibilities by encroachment

Like you two, I’ve been a mandatory reporter for decades, through 33 years of parish staff ministry that ended a month and a day after my 65th birthday.  As you can see, we might retire bishops at 75, I still can’t find the mandatory retirement age in general Church documents and the Scriptures.  Many homeschools involve grandparents, especially during that reprobate fallen Catholic fifth stage dementia figurehead occupying the west wing’s desk carrying on Barack Hussein Obama’s reign.  His reckless spending and hyperinflationary idiocies is killing too many families these last 4 years; many are struggling, taking on 2nd even 3rd jobs to shrink the month back to where the money, the fam budget falls short.  And in Catholic history, the extended family IS  the source of good pedagogy, not just the last 150 years of formal Cath parish ed.

You may have never heard about HSLDA. For almost all of our 40 year adventure, I’ve paid yearly though never used the Home School Legal Defense Association’s services.  Like when the OC diocese appreciated the insurance aspects of Boy Scouts Venture program, in this litigious crazy world, we need to protect both our parish and home based Catholic education from “evil”.  Their monthly journal chronicles so many, in states and other countries, of the “state” imposing its often godless will on families that just want to be left alone to raise their kids THEIR and God’s way.

Even banning homeschooling while subsidizing mediocrity,  LAunified (LAUSD) and UTLA get a million bucks per classroom yearly to yield only 78 high school graduates average, leaving 22 Left Behind dropouts, with a 35% math/English core subject proficiency.  In the real private sector world most of us live in, that “company” would be shut down, bankrupt and most of the ’employees’ fired.  But, there are excellent teachers in every method of education;

Dr Erin, I love your openness to finding reasons and solutions for the issues of parish based Catholic ed.  And reaching out to better understand why homeschooling as a lifestyle works well, when practice, not by force brought on by bizarre governmental edicts (fallen away Catholic Newscum err gender fluidics Jen and Gavin Newsom made planned parenthood “essential workers” reducing prebirth kids while locking down our schools and churches…how embarrassing and cowardly) but CHOICE.

Example of reading the results.  Thomas Aquinas College (TAC) is a bi-coastal excellent liberal arts college…truth be told, it is one college that doesn’t have Hitler Youth playing snowflake spoiled  kids replacing Brown Shirts with Brown Tents.

Thomas Aquinas College is a common progression for involved Catholic home based educators; as an Alumnus dad, my Nathan graduated there 2011, just before my wife Donna died on 9/9/11.  He was recruited (homeschooled kids are notorious for being skilled in core subjects and desired by colleges for a non need of remedials) to the  Math dept at Norfolk, VA College, got his Masters, married another TAC (MRS degrees are common side benes of the good Catholic universities like Christendom, Ave Maria, Uof Mary, John Paul II in San Diego, Benedictine etc.  Hillsdale is a solid follow up, should you choose).

Today, Nathan and Jen are adopting three of their last fosters, with Nathan now the headmaster of one of the 61 national Chesterton Academies (Dayton, Ohio).  Mary and I hope to visit as “bookends” to the upcoming National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis this July (is the Diocese sending a contingent?). Your Portland counterpart, Dr Erin, mentioned  this in his presentation about things Catholic ed springing up across America.

As i mentioned, homeschooling is a choice NOT a crime; a lifestyle worth pursuing.

You mentioned your own callings/vocations.  IF your vocation, Erin and Howie, is to help families eval ALL options for a lifelong Catholic life, it should be mentioned more than the easily found “bad” stories anyone can find out there. Certainly, when 58 million kids nationally were “forced” into online, remote teaching at the dawn of Mao Tse Xi’s disease and our medical malpracticed follow up, the millions already homeschooling, had little or less, road blocks and paths to clear.  As history showed, it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, especially when the Gruesome Newsom Twosome gave days/weeks of warning closing the schools.  Personally, we never closed our home and still found avenues for daily Mass and schooling with others.   Big big mistake: when the Church caters to the godless, on the flimsiest of reasons, and closes our schools, churches and lives, God was NOT pleased.  Excuses, like noses don’t help: eveyone has one.    Recall, the hypocrisy of keeping planned parenthoodlums “essential workers”, obviously to protect the Covered California volunteers now staffers: PParenthood today still does vaccinations and tests; I prefer giving women and men driving out of the Tustin Ave Orange PParenthood drive way a fresh big rose and life saving information…to this BS of governmental overreach, and Church level boo-boos.

Recent years, a family of four asked for advice where to get more information on if and why homeschooling works.  They were pulling their two daughters from one of the 60 parish schools in the OC for two reasons: they were being groomed within their school community by a few transgender pathway  kids who were touted in their classroom.  And the kids caught a couple staffers practicing the same thing that our comprehensive sex educators story that made me a fulltime Thursday coop teacher when we discovered two public school teens doing their homework in a local park’s restrooms.  Deaf ears, they are now in year two homeschooling, cooping successfully.   I repeat, Catholic homeschoolers are not competition for parish based; just a choice ALL parents need evaluate,since believe me or not (I only have 11, 22 grandkids with 5 offspring already Catholic homeschooling in 3 states) ALL CATHOLIC families HOMESCHOOL FROM BIRTH.

The Church, God love us, doesn’t “hedge” enough: no longer 100% Catholic schools, which I understand is necessary for financial survival of parish schools and high schools, there is an inevitable dissolution of Catholic educational nurturing.  But Erin IF  you want to build up the Catholic education world in the OC, it is critical to encourage Catholic truths and not kow tow to the bizarre ideologies that  morph and poison our families AND the spiritual health of the Church.

~~~~~history is always 20-20

My 11 kids, over 40 years of adventure and education, started at Magnolia Baptist in the early 1980s, as part of a resurgence of choosing this method of Catholic education and child raising…but no where to go in the Church at that time.  I was staff youth minister at St Callistus, just six years post Saigon, welcoming and working with a good number of  Vietnamese families.

As we added kids, Donna and I joined Marcia Neill’s St Michael’s Academy, in Irvine for ISP purposes; she was supported by the bishop; Marcia like you Howie and Erin came out of parish based Catholic education and formed this cooperative (St Michael’s Academy) that offered  classical classes  in Latin, French English dance, solid advanced math etc; in fact, my kids had 18  years of classes on religion, Church history etc from a capable Premonstratensian  (OK  not impressed, a white dressed Norbertine) who still serves today.

When Mrs. Neill moved on, she turned over SMAcademy to Ginny, who named the new incarnation the Holy Family Institute  which continues today: she will be at the SCCHE (Southern California Catholic Home Educators) conference on June 22, 2024, the 25th anniversary of same, on the SJB campus.  Again you both, IF you want a good view of progress and enlightenment, please attend>  I will pay your entry fee if need be.

Homeschoolers, and our cooperatives, go where they are welcomed not considered invaders. Howie, usually out of ignorance of provenance, ownership and God’s true mission for Catholics, is right: Catholic homeschoolers, even tho EVERY Catholic families homeschool from birth, are too often considered odd interlopers.  As the numbers explode, a little less over time.

Please  don’t think of homeschoolers as the unwashed poor children with smudgy faces carrying a plea to the science classrooms owned by the generous  Catholic parish schools; in our decades, we did innovative classes with an AFA physicist teaching physics, music impresarios teaching song etc.; at the Beckman Ranch, we’d host Science Fairs inviting homeschool families from all over.  I paid $1500 for a comprehensive science program, plus we hosted Science Fairs at our home (sitting on 2/3 of an acre, a 3 bedroom blessing trade up from a 5 bedroom nearby).  Recently, a successful homeschool mom with 13 kids,  just shared a picture she took of her young daughter  and my 20 year old Katy holding a part of an 8 foot python the Reptile Co. brought to demo during one Science Fair in early 2010s.

Donna and I, as to our parish staff involvement, when asked we answered; only once did we leave a church: Fr Marito Rebamontan called us back to St Anthony in 1995 as the DRE/YM leaders.  Other changes were typical of the inevitable Church changes, being let go in 2005 and 2012, both due to finances plagued by the evolving cost of parish education: Erin, I know of what you struggle: NEVER give up your passion for Cath Ed.

We certainly were/are NOT elitists. Our 11 always were involved in parish ministry at the parishes we served. WYDay Rome, Toronto and Kolon from 2000-2005.

In fact, being dyslexic 27, I recall someone you know, Armando Cervantes, young 18 year old, staying up with me for 8 hours on the train ride from Nice  to Rome to greet the Pope.  When the arrangements for male and female on separate rail cars went south; we sequestered the ladies in the rear part of the back car and stayed up all night talking, watching the full moon do its thing.  Armando is one of the best, if not the best, diocesan Y&YA directors; to that role in Texas, my son in law former OLG/SVDP youth minister Brian took my oldest daughter Amanda to Texas to take over Houston’s position 7 years ago…now with 5 kids.  Turning 37  on May 20th.

Our path with the Diocese wasn’t always rosy, either.  Donna and I loved using Ignatius Press’ Faith and Life series and used it in our DRE roles, because it had the “meat” of the Church, including sacred Church art, not the constant reed swaying to the new booksellers du jour.  Parents asked if they could keep their kids’ books and we of course let them.  We had to raise more funds to buy new ones, but passing on the Gospel, building “Disciples of Christ” mission as you call it, Erin, has no heavenly, let alone, earthly price tag.

“Every Catholic family homeschools from birth…”  oft  repeated quote

Howie, excellent show as usual; Dr Erin, now that you know why your husband gave you 11 roses 2 years ago, keep up your tireless work for the Diocese.  Or maybe you aren’t sure quite yet but you will know soon. ALL good.

You two had an instructive dialogue in April (transcribed above) on the state of Catholic schools; broadcast on Spirit Radio AM930 and the Diocese of Orange.  I’ve had a bit of experience in this area, and I’d like to pass along some ideas and understandings to consider.  I will leave my CV Curriculum Vitae until the end but let’s dive in.

Starting from scratch, let’s look at the 2nd edition of the Catechism, illa est CCC2223:

2223 Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule. The home is well suited for education in the virtues. This requires an apprenticeship in self-denial, sound judgment, and self-mastery – the preconditions of all true freedom. Parents should teach their children to subordinate the “material and instinctual dimensions to interior and spiritual ones.” Parents have a grave responsibility to give good example to their children. By knowing how to acknowledge their own failings to their children, parents will be better able to guide and correct them: He who loves his son will not spare the rod. . . . He who disciplines his son will profit by him. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

In English, the first line is more than a headline and the paragraph is well thought out; one of the operative truths ALL Catholic educators, bishops, priests, parents, even our Pope need to internalize is:

“Parents have the FIRST responsibility for the education of their children”

This is often referred to as the Domestic Church.  Howie, you were honest about your reservations about home schooling; I can understand this, coming from a different faith persuasion as you did into the Roman Catholic Church, and other cultural factors:

Untold Truth and rarely thought of: EVERY FAMILY PRACTICES HOMESCHOOLING FROM BIRTH.  Corollary: EVERY Catholic family homeschools from birth.  This melds well from the CCC2223.

Until the early Catholic schools going back centuries in America and Dewey’s work in the early 20th, education happened in the “Little Red Schoolhouses” or at home; the public education brick & mortar institutions of learning, most often “free”, came along later.  Today, if anything makes sense, certain California classrooms receive a million dollars per year, others no where near that amount. And sadly, so much waste since the quality of basic education has ZERO to do with dollars.

The difficulty today, is the culture is not uniform in believing in the ten commandments/suggestions (like prebirth humans are humans except as you cross the hell line at 700 N Tustin in Orange) or have solid moral codes and cores, respecting authorities like officers, statesmen and women, believing in law and order, et al.

In the past, and at seasonal times, Catholic education relates to and is consistent with the society and culture.  But Pope Saint John Paul the Great didn’t call it the “culture of death” vs “culture of life” as an afterthought: it was and remains obvious.

Want a guinea pig sty of 11?

An example: I’m the first of 11 kids who attended St Anthony Claret, Rosary and/or Servite, from 1960 thru 1989.  Only one of my sibs “escaped” Servite on purpose: about 126 cumulative years of Catholic ed.  Today, half of my sibs don’t darken the doors of Catholic Churches and half of that half don’t believe God exists.  Even with the world’s largest structure seated perfectly at the exact center of the world, designed and created by God the Father, they ignore Pascal’s Wager and 50 trillion human cells in each body, whether alive and growing or dead moments ago, prebirth and flayed like chicken at Jon Dunn’s death and kill mill.  What has this to do with education, Catholic especially?  Read on.

This is absolutely not about finger pointing; after all, we all are sinners and fail at times.  As it is, the three pointing back at ourselves cramp up.

Self-assessment is critical to be done, absent our biases for this or that way to educate; but of course, even the Church has been infected with tolerating the question I ask at various public school board meetings; “Are you board members about true education? If so, why are you so intent about spaying our daughters like they are 3 legged junkyard dogs?”  Normally, I say it twice in my allotted 2 or 3 minutes comment time; but it’s a proven need to repeat 7 times for sink in quality.

How did we get here?

Big part: NOT understanding all kids need ADULTS along the journey, once the parents decide they will supplement their home based Catholic education at age 4 or 5 (Cal teachers assoc unions prefers mom to pop the kid out and it rolls down the chute from St Joseph’s maternity into Public PPPreK and parents, go away, we will take it from here) with parish based Cath ed, public school, tutors, non parish based educational means.  Yet, homeschooling MUST continue to form the child in the ways of God, as well as the means to be productive in society…not just first 5.

Another grouping of 11.  Admission against interest: our youngest is 20 now, the last of our 11 kids over 40 years of Catholic homeschooling.  My oldest is 41, Josh (communications director at Kolbe Academy) so maybe its 41 since I still help out at various homeschooling co-opts, speak at different parishes on youth/young adults issues from time to time.

Dr Erin, you work so hard but: Catholic parents can’t expect their kids to live happy forever, by being ChristmaSters, ONLY two a year party Masses celebrating His birth and His Resurrection. Actually, I AM grateful when nominal Catholics DO attend twice a year: it will take years to right the foolish wrong of Church lock down, because we were bamboozled into following illicit orders from the godless.

BUT we need to use those days to “Preach the Gospel and use words if necessary” like one of St Francis’ followers voiced.  BE GRATEFUL THOSE WHO ARE THERE in the pews NEED TO BE, AND NOT JUST FOR THE COIN BASKETS PASSED AROUND.  And as our culture becomes more biased, debased and corrupt, the need to be courageous, morally clear and concise as the modern Catholic witnesses we need to be, in giving back truth out of love, becomes critical.

As a Diocese and a Church, until we walk an educating mile in each other shoes, the messaging of Catholic education will be ambiguous.  For better or worse, my family has been involved in all sides.  Dad was youth minister, young adults, confirmation leader at St Callistus from 1981 to 1995.  Then, Fr Marito brought us over to St Anthony for 10 years until the parish school ran the parish deficit up to $600K.

In the Paul & Irene Beckman 60s+ era, growing up with 10 siblings (like Donna and I, mom and dad didn’t have batteries for the TV remote…wait, was TV invented back then?) the convent on parish grounds which kept the teacher’s salaries about the level of what black slaves earned: close to zip. First year at Servite was $100 with KofC $100 scholarship; YEAR not month; but by Senior 12th, it doubled to $400.  But still per year.

You don’t need a fallen away Catholic president’s hyperinflation to prove the point: we owe a debt of gratitude to the religious workers last century who taught in parish schools.

As the Catholic culture changed, less nuns, more lay teachers needed to have luxuries like food, water, medicines, mortgages etc.

Historically, St Boniface closed mid 90s and the experiment with former rivals St Boniface trying to blend in with St Anthony Claret’s kidlings swelled the enrollment to 335 but failed a few years later;  in part, due to school loyalties don’t always end when a school closes.  In 2006-7, St Anthony closed shop, 40 years after I graduated from 8th.  Listening to Dr Erin, we are making head way, but it will take continuous effort on ALL of our parts.  The Good News there is promising progress; but note that Catholic homeschoolers are involved in so many ways not seen in most parishes.

International Catholic cultures.

In a sense, I am an automatic ambassador for Catholic hybrid and conventional homeschooling; PLEASE NOTE: as I continue to repeat,  it is NOT in competition with parish based, despite biases both ways: how a family schools their kids is their primary responsibility to discern and God’s calling on their lives; castles are built, moats floated all too often missing the prime directive: getting our kids to heaven.

Mutual acceptance of the course a family follows is essential to a thriving parish even if they have no parochial ed classes packed to the gills.

My saintly ex-wife did so much, an ex-wife because she attained heaven 49 days short of 49 years old (9/9/11), celebrated a week later with 900 for the rosary at St Anthony and 1400 for the going away Mass at Holy Family Cathedral one 9/15/2011.

In a real sense, we were an organic ed laboratory; Donna IS an uncanonized saint in way too many minds to be fraudulent wishful thinking.  The unpublished miracles help cement this.  Someday, if you desire, I will comp you two with a book Marion Wayne style, no brag just facts.  I have a transcript written but put on hold as the Covid fiasco, both disease, medical suppression by Dr Pfaucinstein & Co, and Pfizer “cure”.  How do you spell “myocarditis?”

Oddly enough, I was asked to retire from Holy Family two weeks after I turned 65.  No, my birth announcement did not go back to 4600BC like the Proud God Father who lovingly points to His Son’s House of Bread of Life arrival, as the Jews called it.  Only He could design and build the World’s Largest Structure at the exact Center of the World to point 270 miles to the City of David, skirting the Mediterranean aimed directly at the Manger & Swaddling Clothes town.  This hidden in plain sight Catholic icon is no fiction, something I am discussing with priests and laity alike last number of years.

Our Muslim friends call BethLehem their House of Meat.  Interesting but where IS this object, the last wonder of the ancient and modern world?  It’s titled, referenced by Isaiah 19:19-20, “Border Fire in the Middle” smack dab in King Menes combined Upper and Lower Egypt.  Translated, its known as the Giza Pyramid.  No body, no cap or cornerstone on top, but a flat altar type tip, close to perfect world compass. Bright as a fiery pillar at the Spring Equinox at high noon when the world’s largest object has ZERO Shadow!!  Fr. Spitzer and other math/physics oriented priests and lay will be involved a bit in this possibility we are missing a major Catholic icon and stone prophecy from the ancient world.  Erin and Howie, now that I’ve lost you; no, I don’t wear aluminum hats, although I did wear an ObiWan outfit at the local Cinedome theaters in May 1977.

Anyways, most Catholic parish schools should include this as part of their scope and sequence…

My exit from Diocesan staff ministry: Feb/2012:  When my pastor asked me to pick a Sunday in March 2012 for a parish celebration of my demise, I chose March 18th.  Easy pick: you don’t denigrate the true Spring Equinox, March 25th because it is the date Jesus was conceived (purpose of Giza by the Father annunciating Mary’s call) AND died.  Gregorian calendar.  So I chose March 18th; I knew this was my last role in parish ministry for a couple reasons; toughest part was when a mom asking me “Why are you leaving.  Did you get in trouble?  Was it because you gave us a scholarship for the Confirmation retreat last year?”   Always trying to build one another in various parish ministries, as if we are a family working together, which we are, I told her, “no I didn’t get caught with my hands in the poor box, Sylvia” (she was a single mom and her daughter needed a $$ boost). “We all serve at will on staff and msgr. thought it was time to make some changes”.

This killed me: myopic understanding how important various ministries are in the Church; a single mom feeling guilty because we gave a needy child a boost at Holy Family Cathedral.  Erin, you are working  hard, for example, with Pax Christi modelling to find ANY and EVERY way to help needy kids getting a good CAtholic education, most commendable.  My guess there are upwards of 200 empty classrooms, used by religious ed but not daily by parish CAtholic school kids, because of the transition from barely paid religious to paid laity.  Using my example, I was let go from St Anthony in 2007 due to parish school debt after a valiant try putting Boniface and Anthony kids together. My being let go from Holy Family 4 months BEFORE Confirmation as the Director of Youth & Young Adults I believe was a flinch because the new Cathedral was secured Nov 2011 and as one man of the cloth put it: “I just wish it wasn’t so close” at a staff meeting. Same pastor that was in my youngest brother,  11 kids down, class  at St Anthony 8years before he became a priest.

I have zero animosity because I’m like Nanny McPhee: if I’m needed but not wanted, fine.  If I’m wanted but not needed, I’m gone.  God calls us to life, to ministry, to raising kids etc for only a season, a time. BUT age 18 is a massive mistake to think our offspring automatically attain mature adulthood. This is the more difficult thing about loyalties to a particular program or education area, when the time comes to  move on…often we don’t, resistant to change.

God called my wife and mother of 11, Donna to live 49 days short of 49 years.  About 1400 believed she was worth taking time for a sendoff, a last Mass on Sept 15, 2011, at the Cathedral; 900 at a rosary two days earlier at her birth parish, St Anthony.

Back to Jesus’ timeline: His actual Biblical death day was Friday the 13th of the Hebrew month of Abib.  Dr Erin: any one of your students who can email me why this is true, wins the $99.11 prize for Biblical Science Project we will call: How do we know Jesus died on Friday the 13th?  I am serious…Contest starting: NOW! 

Hint: you only need one New Testament gospel and two Torah or two books from the Pentateuch to prove this.

You see, great ones, education IS a life long thing and it only gets MORE interesting the more we understand God’s plan and purposes.  Our students, no matter what platform or method of schooling, need a lifelong humility about what they know, and a real thirst for knowledge based on wisdom; most important, a desire to live forever  with the REAL world, the Trinity, Mary, the Saints and good Angels forever and beyond.

Why this guy after 33 years at three diff parishes had to go? It seems the new cathedral was coming, the first OC proto-cathedral leadership was nervous and our Youth Min and Confirmation program was axed in early March, the perfect time NOT to do so.  Frankly, one of the biggest mistakes in the early 2020’s was knee jerk following the false med malpractice “prophets of profit”: firing the youth ministers, shutting down so much of parish life.   Truth be told, actual homeschoolers continued park coops, a number of  home masses (not just home schoolers) throughout the southland, much less than public and private school issues of declining enrollment AND educational proficiency.

We continued.  I confess, I took on the Covid Crazies: a friend, a professor at two private colleges, died Feb 16, 2020 supposedly from the flu.  It was the Wuhan flu, the activated Corona virus; soon after, I researched and began my current regimen of hydroxychloroquine /Strombectol.  It was NOT fish tank cleaner nor horse dewormer; the bastards that spread this still need a hearing and many jailtime.  Combined with D3, Quercetin, Zinc and personally Balance of Nature, I am still here.  As  you are.

But, like Dr Erin, Howie and myself, after 33 years serving at will, I was no longer on a parish staff.  This retiring thing is a modern concept; personally, to me, retiring is when I put new rubber on our 15passenger van wheels.

It’s not a Scriptural let along Catholic ideal. 11 Apostles “retired” as martyrs; the last died of old age after his salvific writings in Revelation and the Gospel of John: especially John 6, the source and summit, AND FULLNESS of our faith that the proud God Father pointed to 26 centuries previously as well as centuries of Scripture’s prophecies recorded.

But, this eternal realistic optimist writer, I see the emerging Renaissance. So should you two, and those who open to a new reality that renewal is critical to the mission of the Church in these godless cultural times.  

Dr Erin, your honesty is much like Nathaniel’s, without guile, open to discovery and learning,  in saying I don’t have all the answers, as in the foibles our Church experiencing a la the Portland superintendent’s recent presentation, echo mine: I certainly don’t either, but have input that can be helpful.

Howie, we must be careful about bagging on the homeschooling choices made, especially based on isolated anecdotals. There is a natural tension between “parish school stakeholders” and some others many in the parish based education “cocoon”…usually short sighted, noting that bishops are realizing more and more,  homeschoolers are not outcasts,  but a prime source of answered priestly and  religious vocations today.  I lost the side bet with Fr Al Baca a couple decades ago: he promised we could add Life Teen to  our youth ministry work IF my two oldest boys became priest.  My “loss” is a good father, Joshua Christopher and now staffer for an excellent national Kolbe Academy.  His brother Matt  is a computer science IT genius, with 4 kids and an incredibly smart speech pathologist wife.

Let me help. We began our journey in 1983 at Magnolia Baptist regarding CHEA and Mrs Beatty.  The only Catholic Baptist church in the OC is common to homeschoolers today, St John, the Baptist Catholic Church on Baker in CM. Again, just kidding!

But most discomfort comes from ignorance in life.  Marcia Neill, a Catholic educator, founded St Michael’s Academy last century; today it is run by Ginny and known as Holy Family Institute. Throughout our 40 years, ALWAYS involved in parish life.

Erin, you did a reasonable job outlining one of the hybrids coming up is St Joseph of Cupertino using Thomas More’s campus with Chris Pagel etc. leadership; many wise pastors invite don’t block involvement of Catholic homeschoolers; their flexibility and typical devotion is helpful to any vibrant parish life in their ability to lector, join choir, altar serve respectfully, whether English, Spanish or shudder Lingua Latina Masses.  Oh, and become priests and nuns.

Howie, you’d be surprised who were homeschooled the last number of decades if I named them; some I can; others I won’t.

Quick example is Thomas Edison and oh, Father Louis OP, part of the Norbertines at St Michael’s Abbey.  He just happens to have two of his siblings fall in Catholic love, and marry two of my kids. Actually he officiated at the weddings of both and like 60 Premonstratensians every weekend, Fr Louis serves at an OC or LA county parish Mass or other sacrament.  Our beloved Kevin Vann has an assisting bishop Tim who just did a beautiful confirmation at the Abbey in the Confirmation busy season during Mystagogia.

Howie, it was telling in your radio discussions a certain concern more like ambivalence about homeschoolers being a part of science classes. One needs to understand the history of home based Catholic ed over the last 4 or 5 decades  to be able to do understand and recommend families consider  it as a methodology to form their children’s conscience, increase their ability to counteract the death culture, make solid contributions to the renewing Church and be productive members of society.

Mistakes from the medical malpractice surrounding the Wuhan Flu can be corrected; be vigilant for a repeat due to frontal lobe conditioning.

275,000 were killed under Hitler BEFORE WWII, called “Merciful Killing”. Margaret Sanger was a consultant for the National Socialist Party and helped the chancellor develop  the Nuremberg Racial Laws of 1935.  1936, he instituted his idea of the IRS xxx Happiness and suffering are NOT incompatible,   Sanger influenced part of this mentality in the Nuremberg Laws of the same years, 1935.  Seeds of truth and weeds cannot co exist UNLESS the Catholic recognizes the differences.

The highest ranking Catholic oversees killing prebirth, 65 million so far of future students in America.  Recently, at the school board meetings I attend, I’ve specifically asked of the shifting  reedmasters up front:  Why do you demand access, to spay our daughters like they are 3 legged junkyard dogs?  Said the 2nd time slowly, watching their faces.  Public schools have capable leadership in SB presidents like Sonja Shaw/Chino Valley but most don’t realize allowing their green haired trans teachers’ aides access,leads to grooming and suicide.  We need more intentionality Erin and Howie  about standing up to the feckless and reckless death culture.  PopeStJPtheGreat was a once in a millennium St Peter replacement and his legacy is real.

As a youth minister, I did deal with gender ideologies and suicide,before it was fashionable and made billionaires of POSTbirth abortionists called Gender Affirming Care.  I call them death docs: even parents, Catholic too, are like cooked spaghetti when they agree to their kids being made into eunuchs.

When told their kid will kill themselves if you don’t let them become whatever of 56 genders, having their breasts chainsawed off to please only hell, they fear.

Problem is, so many transed are speaking up of the BS they were shoveled and filing lawsuits.  Thankfully.  Suicide ideation is inevitable when Jane now John realize she has no womb but a deconstructed reproductive systen, unable to nurture the fertilized end SHE yes SHE can’t produce nor nurse the children she WON’T have with phantom breasts long sold for parts, with fetal brains, hearts and livers on the tissue black market.   Being a eunuch, like suicide, is NOT painless.  Sorry Hawkeye!

Examples of missed opportunities.  Erin, our church, the home of the greatest mainly priests, scientists of  the last millennium,  needs a dose of courage to speak truth to lies.  We need to push back against the falsehoods, “heresies” if you will like Algoreanism.

Any 4th grade parish based school kid should be able to ask how ”ONE uno (1) carbon dioxide molecule out of EACH 2500 air molecules can warm the globe especially as we have entered a Maunder/Dalton solar minimum this decade: sunspot activity and radiated heat from the sun, is much reduced.  Like changing clump of cells to woman’s choice as technology caught up to the abortion demoniacs, same with global warming became androgenic global warming; when this was disproved, how can anyone ignore “climate change”. This scientist dad can: we call it “weather”. What fools we are, and we in the Church Who follow the Being who created this 553 sextillion mile wide universe should be ashamed of ourselves.  We MUST be concise (unlike this note) about truths, science or otherwise, for a dying world to survive.  CO2 is NOT pollution, Pope Francis and Supreme Court.  It IS life, critical to food and survival.

I still haven’t heard a bishop speak out about these neo Hitler Youths in Brown Tents, not Brown Shirts.  Easy debunk IF we have the moral courage.

Semitism is an ancient  word for four peoples, part  of one human race: the Akkadians, Jews, Phoenicians, Arabian.   But it really is Jew hating and demanding Jew killing.

Take their common mantra praising the demonic descendants of a bad Cyrus the Great, King Khoumenei, the PersiaNazi Jew killer:

From the Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized and the Trinity was preached by the First Principals; TO the Mediterranean Sea, Palestinians are ALREaDY FREE.”   There are 1.8 million so called Palestinians FREE in ISRAEL today who like Egypt want nothing to do with the Captagon drugged Hamas demonic terrorists who burn babies after beheading instead of selling the heads to YaleMed like planned parenthood does.

Another truth: NO brownshirted tents by brainwashed $100K per year “students” on Hillsdale or TAC, Benedictine etc. because they have no loser tenured “professors” of DEI CRT balderdash.  Universities should be for teaching truth, not indoctrinating ridiculous viewpoints.

The Sacraments.   Since I was involved with all educational methods (public, private, homeschool) as the Director of Religious Education and YM with Donna from 1995 to 2005, the year I was let go because St Anthony couldn’t “afford” the English program when the parish school debt hit $600,000, I can give some insight.

As most  engaged parish leaders know, it’s the 2nd communion, without the pomp and circumstance, that is not seen as just as important as the First.   2nd plus Communions, through death, ingesting the “Source and Summit” of our faith, is sooo critical; it separates us in a humble but real world way, from the Protestant delineations of the Gospel.   For another time,  as much as I believe after 35 years of study the reality of the Shroud of Jerusalem, Edessa and Turin, I believe we as a Church miss the richness of seeing just how important and vibrant comes from the Proud God Father.

In this last Easter season, we just heard the gospel regarding the apostles asking to see the Father; Jesus admonished them with you’ve got Me!  But the Father has LOVED His Son for all eternity past.  He leaves nothing to chance in pointing this out at the muddy Jordan, the Trinity reveal; but also, He built the world’s largest Birth Reveal/Announcement with allusions to the future.  AT the exact center of the world (not earth which is 10,000+ degrees).  It points 270 miles, skirting the Mediterranean Sea, directly at the City of David. What is that city?  Not as the Arab Muslims call it, the House of Meat, we and the Jews call Beth’Lehem the “House of Bread”.  Since bread gives humans life (Manna samples in the old testament Ark of the Covenant), I call Bethlehem the “house of Bread of Life”.  A phrase Howie and Erin, you’ve heard before.  The Trinity, thus the proud GodFather, wants us to understand eternal truths as well as we know how many fingers and toes on our extremities.   Am I repeating myself? You bet.

The Eucharist is celebrated this year in a large way; our Church needs this.  At Christ Cathedral, and the National Eucharist Conference in Indianapolis this July.

Another sacrament, post Baptism, Reconciliation and the Eucharist, involves the truth all parishes have multiple and overlapping parish “communities”.   You must see this and be cognizant to ‘improve our serve’ for the renewal underway.

You have 7  Masses in a typical parish, back when attendance was high especially before our Church’s foolish response to Dr Pfaucinstein and Mao Tse Xi’s (pronounced “say cheese”) ‘incubated in Wuhan’ virus; EACH Mass is its own “parish”  of sorts: saturday vigil, old people.   6am,  back  when 6am masses were universal during the week, the  working class devoted Catholics.  Can’t get a 6am on Saturdays many places.   In fact, Carl Karcher an old acquaintance, loved  starting the day early and came to St Anthony for the saturday early before starting his busy day  when St Boniface didn’t offer the break of day Mass.

Sundays, the children friendly usually the 9  or 9:30am.  Sunday nights, youth oriented until our churches ended them, for odd reasons, like at St Anthony making the 5pm and 6:30pm Sunday night monolingual Spanish, bumping  out the 5pm English.

Confession: Confirmation/Pentecost sacrament.  I got  no traction with memes pleading with our bishops and priests as the manufactured Covid response unfolded: last time before covid the Church doors were locked up for Sunday liturgy, was  the first Pentecost liturgy circa 33AD.  That year, the Church  was smaller and locked upstairs in possibly Joseph of Arimathea’s Upper Room INSIDE.  We foolishly locked OUT the faithful unnecessarily, contributing to the decline of membership, ownership and participation at the parish level.

Adults often are like kids: give them the easy out, the easy path they take. It’s ok to watch Mass on the big screen if you are NOT infirm?   You have to BELIEVE in the  importance  of process, ritual etc., BEING in the Pews not watching YouTube Masses  and be PASSIONATE about its importance.  How can we tell our kids they MUST BE CONFIRMED to get married and lock down Pentecost?

Speaking of Confirmation, which happened during Mystagogia ie the Easter Season, Erin take note, the most common question I and my teams would get at the first Confirmation year 1 meeting you might guess is “Why does my Johnny or Suzie have to go to Confirmation classes?  She goes to Mater Dei and gets religion.  Can you just give us credit for confirmation prep at our Catholic high  school and we will show up to get our gown sized and then that oily stuff the bishop puts on her head?”   See the point?  Mater Dei is maybe 93% Catholic kids, the rest all other faiths.

Why must my teens go to Confirmation classes if they are at Mater Dei, or Servite, Rosary, Jserra etc.?”

Erin and Howie, it is important that, IF  this renewal and Renaissance is to continue, we MUST learn the realities behind the surface.  Take the pulse and share the immense richness of Catholic life IF going to church is to become important again.  At 72, I can do a good historical feedback on the Church in the OC since the 1960s; I’m still very active while feeding my 11, dwindling since my #10 Faustina was asked to be married by Elijah King last April 28th outside the Abbey front doors.

If you take  a close look at a picture of the two families of 11+ kids, immediately you would see Elijah and Faustina are soon beginning a mixed marriage.

My point is simple: there is a parish school parish within a parish; it is natural and often impenetrable to others in the parish.  I experienced it growing up, at Annunciation, St Anthony Claret and Servite.  Part of the secret to keeping kids Catholic after public or private school, is getting them integrated in parish life.  Especially the transition to Catholic high school and then college.

That 12th to 13th is a critical

Where’s the “hole”?  Too many Parents/adults are still at their 10th grade Confirmation level religious/faith education UNLESS they dig in deep, study, take classes, LEARN as if life long learning is important.  IT IS!

Their kids may pick up knowledge post Confirmation, but if parents aren’t continuing their faith formation as adults and parents, it is a disservice to their children.  Always remember, the facts of life regarding sound and sight.  Kids see our actions light years ahead  of “hearing” what we preach.  Difference between 185,000 miles per second and about 700 miles per hour.

Confirmation is NOT a graduation nor a right of passage: it is just another, important of course, part of the journey;this is the reason, many of us moved away capless gowns for the Confirmation during Easter season.  Today, we hear the ignorance of an undereducated populace, spending $100K to be indoctrinated, and their mantra: “From the River to the sea…”  Do we realize Jesus’ baptism in the muddy Jordan River was a CONFIRMATION of His journey, Whom He IS and just how eternal, ie God, He IS!   I AM spoke from ABOVE, the Holy Spirit seen in the form of a dove, and so the explicit historical Trinity was establish.   NB: Palestinians ARE free, all 1.8 million of them IN Israel proper; Israel LEFT Gaza in 2006, making it #2 of the 2 P states; Eqypt was in Gaza for 20 years until it left that hellhole controlled by King Khoumenei, the PersiaNazi non Arab, demoniac terrorist and their Hamas “palestinian’ enslavers.   Get the picture? we NEED the Catholic Church to seek and promote Truth not go along to get along.

  Good example, is Catholic continuing “education”…too many adults’ last faith building class ended in Sophomore year after the bishop came to the parish in Easter.  OR 12th grade graduation from Cath Hi.

The temptation for parish based Catholic educators to be “relevant” is a strong one: it is One of the biggest failings today.  Catholic educators MUST NOT teach death culture ideas to their loaned Domestic Church students as Magisterium level truth.

Our young will confront those “heresies” soon enough in life, especially if they don’t attend a solid Catholic college; just think of the $100,000 per year indoctrinated snowflakes erecting Hitler Youth brown tents, marching to help Hamas kill and hate Jews, sometimes in that order. The ivy leagues have become so poisoned, it will take at least one generation to correct…if ever.

I served from 1981-2021, as youth minister and/or DRE/FFDir in three parishes, St Callistus now resident in Christ Cathedral; St Anthony Claret and Holy Family Cathedral.

While youth minister at St Callistus in Sept. 1987, I was privileged to be at Universal studios with our youth “group” when Pope St John Paul II the Great was presented with a human “present” from the LA Diocese.  The best toe jammin’ guitarist in the world.

Like me, Tony Melendez is missing a part of his body: a Thalidomide baby, Tony was born without arms, thus his hands had to be his feet.  Tony presented one of the best Popes in history with an original song he played with his toes. Since then Tony married Lynn, adopted two children, lost Andre unexpectedly, while he continues to sing and minister around the world. Just as Nick Vujicic has spoken to 900 million people worldwide, thankfully he didn’t need his arms and legs.  He has none.

EVERY Catholic parish kid IS no accident and NOT disabled except in our limited understanding of God’s plans. God uses ALL of us that answer His call, no matter HOW He created us, we were born and throughout our life.  “It IS a great day to be ALIVE!” every morning is followed with “Lord, use me as You, not I, will.”

Over the years, trying to be relevant when they already were in many ways, our Church adopted too many falsities in the guise of being modern and “with it”. Our education ideals followed suit.  Erin, I know your job is doubly hard, trying to teach Catholicism to kids and teens, when a sizeable minority are not practicing Catholics or Catholics in faith.  You WILL find a way.  Ready to help but no more roses from your husband anonymously. Although, as I say at Planned Parenthood and elsewhere, “every woman deserves a rose daily”

 

Time to conclude: too long, but hope this opens the door to mutual understanding.

Len Beckman