Open letter to all our bishops, priests and interested laity about the oppressed American Catholics in your dioceses often called “homeschoolers”.
Cardinal McElroy, I pray your days in our Nation’s Capitol are blessed. And like you, your grace, I was homeschooled from birth, the first of 11 kids, conceived in Chicago and
born in Pasadena CA. No one thinks this way, apparently but me, but Mr and Mrs McElroy didn’t wait 5 years to begin to teach prayers, inculcate the growing Robert Mc and his four siblings with the “deposit of faith”.
A closer read of CCC 2223 shows brick & mortar education attached to a saint’s building like St Thomas or Christ Cathedral is NOT the only way the deposit is withdrawn from, shared and “invested” in the next generation to carry out the Great Commission.
Are you aware, Cardinal, similar to Nigerian Christians, Harvard Jews and other groupings of humans, Catholic homeschoolers face unnecessary bias from other members of the Church, society, the public ed machine and even extended family and neighbors. However, the saddest is being dismissed like the “unwashed” poor outside the moat with the draw bridge closed tight.
At birth, you were given the name Robert, reflecting your mother’s first name; and Walter and Roberta, like good Catholic parents, began home schooling you from February 5, 1954 onward, as part of a five children educational cooperative of love. My journey on earth started two years previous, when my German dad married my Polish mom in Chicago and my conception was completed 2000 miles away in Pasadena, CA at St. Luke’s. Like mood rings, pet rocks and two churches named St Callistus, St Luke’s is gone forever.
Why the detail? Education, whether in Jesus’ time or the 50s/60s, or today, is NOT monolithic BUT it is essential should we desire ALL Catholics to attain heaven. And today’s Catholic ed offerings during this Eucharistic RENAISSANCE, loaded with converts, reverts and spiritual renewal, like new Church members, is exploding. With or without the DC Cardinal’s help.
I believe your family, Cardinal McElroy, was involved in a local parish and presumably, like myself, you attended your parish Catholic school if Roberta did not continue primary homeschooling after age 4 or 5 OR you went to public schooling. As it were, my 10 sibs and I attended St Anthony Claret, Rosary and Service, basically 128 years of Catholic parish and Catholic high education!
Reflect back at your homeschooling family inquisition, September 2024 What might have been missing in your Presbyteral council’s 13 -1 decision to ban “home school Students” is understanding this reality:
ALL Catholic kids become students at birth…basic science meets catechetical guidelines of Scripture and the CCC.
Maybe the San Diego diocese does not understand or believe such, but as a 40 year veteran of Catholic home based schooling, I am hopeful for a resurrection in compassion for a growing, thriving part of the San Diego and Imperial county diocese.
With your promotion to DC, Cardinal McElroy, this remains unsettled business in your former diocese and is something needed to be addressed in many dioceses. St Jerome coined the phrase “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”. Think about its derivation.
But just maybe, the progression of the hierarchical generations might resolve this unsettling unsettled banishment: historically, you were ordained April 12, 1980; 80 days later, on July 1st, I began 33 years of 3 parish staff ministries as the youth minister at Msgr Scannell’s Orange County parish, St Callistus. Now, St Callistus, both churches were razed and became two story homes, and St Callistus is represented in the basement of the new Christ Cathedral. Point is, change happens and we need to adapt as much as possible to do St Therese’s focus, “save more souls.” Each is precious.
The irony, Cardinal McElroy, at the same time you and I assumed these new roles, Cardinal McElroy, a 13 year old Catholic teen was fleeing communist Vietnamese oppression, escaping to a refugee camp in Malaysia and 5 years later, his family moved to San Diego.
I believe you know him, Cardinal: you were there when he was installed as the 7th bishop of San Diego, along with the excellent Cardinal Christophe and awesome Archbishop Gomez, to replace you on July 17, 2025: the most reverend bishop Michael Pham.
Your excellency, you might have seen the movie, Hidden Figures. The story hails from the 60s, a history not fable, of the struggles, racism and rejection black women experienced in working in the fledgling space program, trying to keep up with the Russians.
The Holy Family, even in Cairo, experienced the Holy Spirit’s guidance protecting them from Herod. Probably homeschooled Jesus abroad.
The colored women were the computers before computers, segregated to a basement 1/4 mile away from the engineers. Among them, a once in a generation genius math whiz, Katherine G Johnson, faced incredible prejudice, bias and even hatred.
For example, it took her an hour to hit the restroom once promoted to the engineering core at NASA; her supervisor, acted by Kevin Costner was miffed at Taraji Henson, playing Johnson, until he found out there were no “colored women’s bathrooms” in his building. Next morn, Costner took a sledge hammer to the signs and said there are only bathrooms, for all colors. The movie is worth seeing because if the black Johnson had not been allowed in, her expertise in trajectory and analytical geometry prior to IBMs landing at NASA, it easily could have meant John Glenn’s death with an UnFriendly 7 flight missing the magic window of re-entry. 20 sq miles is a small target in a big ocean.
Believe it or not, Cardinal McElroy, this level of prejudice is evident today in too many parishes and dioceses regarding the “unwashed” Catholic home educated kids. YET, majority of Bishops welcome and help this movement toward education as a lifestyle.
Your “solution” to your Presbyteral Council’s vote (I’ll bet not one of them was homeschooled or gave a beaver’s dam) was to ban Catholic families from using facilities their parents and grandparents helped pay for, let alone the same 60s that saw accelerated building of parish schools.
In fact, due in large part that nuns did not receive living wages as today, the excellent parish school teachers have to feed kids, pay mortgage, car etc. The schools prospered while kids were being born (higher birth rate) as well as the massive influx of people from other countries (officially called ‘illegal aliens’) over the last 4 decades, especially here in the formerly Golden State.
Now, hold on to your miter a moment, this is NOT hyperbole. The current San Diego parish school parent(s) who complained do not “own” the buildings their kids inhabit 180 days a year for 6 hours per diem. And, you must agree, the homeschool families have equal rights to use the facilities when school is not in session, just like the public school elementary religious ed and public and private high school students occupy facilities in the evenings. It is called “evangelization” and catechetical training. I was a DRE for many years…
Cardinal McElroy: It is your policy as of Sept 11, 2024 (appropriate date!) having these four points:
Your Point 1
“Catholic teaching makes clear that parents are the first teachers of their children in faith and in choosing the educational setting for their children.” This is a well stated doctrine that reflects CCC 2223 and following:
“”The procreation of children brings about the duty of their moral and spiritual formation. Therefore, the
parents’ right and duty to educate children is primordial and inalienable. Parents must see their children as
children of God and educate them in God’s law.
Parents fulfill this duty by creating a home filled with tenderness, respect, and fidelity, in which the virtues of
self-denial and sound judgment are taught. Parents (primarily by their own good example) must teach their
children to subordinate material desires to spiritual ones. “He who loves his son will not spare the rod” (Sir
30:1). “Fathers, bring your children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph 6:4).
In the home, parents must teach communal responsibilities, turning their children away from degrading
influences that ruin society.
Grace from the Sacrament (CCC 2225-2226)
By the sacrament of marriage, parents receive the grace to evangelize their children. They must initiate
them into the mysteries of faith and associate them with the life of the Church. A good family supports the
children’s faith throughout their life.
Parents must begin this education in faith in the earliest years. Family catechesis must precede and
accompany other forms of instruction. The parish is the privileged place for the family’s liturgical life and
catechesis (for children and parents).”
Cardinal McElroy! God bless you:
Your Point 2:
The historic ministry of Catholic schools lies at the center of the Church’s educational mission. In approaching the question of basing home school cooperatives in parishes, the vibrancy of our Catholic schools takes precedence. It must be recognized that the movement toward housing home school related activities in the parish will inevitably create the impression that the Church is endorsing a parallel educational model without the in-depth educational oversight that the Church carries out in its parochial school program.
Wow: Can’t BOTH schooling methodologies be vibrant and excellent SIMULTANEOUSLY? Or are pastors and principals, unnecessarily so, fearful of competition?
God forbid, the world gets the impression that Catholic homeschooled kids, from which, undeniably, a higher number of ANSWERED priestly VOCATIONS comes from helping to PRESERVE the Church in America and the world, in a vocation desert today, that there is more than one way to successfully educate a child.
Catholic families that homeschool follow CCC2223 and ‘base’ their schooling primarily in the homes. When a park or building is used for shared classes, like Physics, Math, Biology, theater, phys ed, natural sciences etc, the effort is IN the environment, whether Bishop owned facilities or parks, but not ‘based’there. Parallel educational model? In-depth educational oversight? Huh?
For comparison, with all due respect, presbyterals, cardinals and bishops, for 40 years we homeschooled our 11 kids,
and immersed them in the three parishes Donna and I were on staff as YM, Youth Director, DRE etc. Deja vu, we experienced the same mistrust of public school kids using the precious desks of the anointed parochial kids.
But we were intentional, diplomatic and helpful to the parish schools. We respected the parochial school classrooms actively; we worked hard and well with the parish school staffs out of respect and realizing parish teachers need their rooms honored, left the way we found them.
We even photographed classrooms so that when we finished Tuesday nights, the rooms were picture perfect as much as possible, despite 350 kids using them. We left notes and gifts; worked well together. This is what CATHOLIC LEADERS and other parish ministries do for each other: WE SUPPORT EACH AND THE OTHER.
Basic physics re: classroom space in time: there was no St Padre Pio bilocation; our programs were NOT at the same time as the parish schools’ schedules; YET, CARDINAL MCELROY AND BISHOP PHAM, neither are the current San Diego (and other bishoprics) homeschoolers asking to have half the desks while St Thomas Aquinas parish school is in session.
“Basing home school cooperatives” is a misnomer. Pull up a bulletin: you have bingo, alcoholic anonymous, senior meetings, women’s prayer groups etc that use the parish facilities. School buildings ARE multi-purpose in the event parish school administrations see the whole parish picture.
Imagine, how you sound Cardinal McElroy in your seemingly arrogant disregard for another way of teaching the next generation the Faith! “It’s my way or the highway, you unwashed minions” Funny, despite so many schools closings, and the creeping in of transmutilational heresies and acceptance of the death culture’s ideologies. Time to look up and around, bishops!! Your excellency, innovative educational scope and sequence, and methods are exploding and there IS room for more: things like hybrid, academies, charter Catholic and other sound educational offerings in most dioceses.
In my home diocese, blessed with homegrown Bishop Tim, Vietnamese gift Tom and Kevin Vann, we have Cristo Rey, the Cedars school (with a Lebanese bent), a 5 parish consolidation called Pax Christi, multiple homeschool coops ‘based’ at welcoming parishes, as well as park settings.
Parents are NOT satisfied with the status quo and rightly so. And YES we have excellent parish based schools, one of which I support in different ways though my youngest of 11 is now 22. To quote Pax Christi’s Steve Cameron:
“It’s time for a new vision for Catholic school governance, which requires direct accountability, financial and technological sophistication and an investment in more innovative ways to educate and form children in Christ.” STEVE CAMERON CHAIRMAN, PAX CHRISTI ACADEMIES BOARD OF DIRECTORS”
Cardinals and bishops, Steve is a visionary helping parochial schools survive, stemming the tide of parish school closures; just as I at 73 remains active in Catholic education pushing for the godless CalifDeptofEd to take their talons off a mere $7777 per student for K-12 Calif families. OK, $8000 like Ohio or even $6000 per kid per year will make a major difference.
A mere pittance of the believe it or not, the 1/3 of a Trillion$$ given to government schools and state UTLA etc teachers’ unions to use as THEY, not PARENTS, see fit. It’s working for my headmaster son in Ohio, with Chesterton Academy of St Joseph getting $8000 per student this year, taking obvious pressure off parents and improving the education picture
Cardinals, bishops, priests: imagine the massive RENAISSANCE of Catholic education should a St Norbert’s school receive $7777 per student for parents who choose this path. Yes, I know patting pro baby killing/teen mutilation Dick Durbin on the head, or preaching the climate change fraud that CO2 is NOT God’s
critical gift of life to the atmospheric and food ecosystem gets the blessed ice treatment in Rome…may seem more important, but IMAGINE if the USCCB pushed for ‘education climate change’ in all 50 states to actually HELP their parishioner parents get to use $8000 per desk per year at Our Lady of Recreation parish schools…or public or even the unwashed homeschoolers.
If your fear homeschooling will take over, like my fave parish principal admitted to me, you are mistaken. It’s too much work for most parents to undertake though the rewards are incredible. In Calif: $330,000,000,000 yearly taken from Californian taxpaying parents, doesn’t belong to the green haired public school teachers’ aides who groom dysphoric 12 year olds into breastless cross sex druggies
…It BELONGS TO THE PARENTS but the godless have control in Sacramento. Too much control via President hopeful Newsom
Imagine if all our bishops and cardinals went bold, fearless and compassionate about fighting FOR their Catholic families’ rightly owed ed dollars (like Ohio, Arizona & others), how much more time you bishops would have to enjoy this Eucharistic Renaissance of True Presence and revert/convert explosion.
Ask your neighborhood atmospheric physicist like Dr Valentina
Ok, you could still borrow the climate justice blue fabric river simulations for your own diocese but getting to the TRUTH and beyond our mutual “unforced errors” in the Catholic tennis court of life would ALSO explode. God designed our 553 sextillion mile wide universe for man and womankind, not the reverse. He made NO mistakes in designing the Krebs Cycle or the essential nature of carbon dioxide, let alone the 50 trillion celled humans, sacred from conception thru prebirth abortion or natural end.
Point of comparison: the Cincinatti diocese in the 1930s, almost a 100 years ago, worked hard to keep Catholic education for free, including schools for black students during the Depression. It is eye opening to read some of the bishop’s communications to his parishes during those trying times in the late 1930s. Summarily, he finally had to charge the basic parish schools a fee, and tried to keep the black counterpart schools for free soas to maximize the number of poor students getting a sound education. Poverty is NOT an earmark of poor education: look at Dr Ben Carson who came from poverty and became the world’s most noted pediatric neurosurgeon separating siamese siblings. The other, too often glossed over indicator of poor study and success, is rampant FATHERLESSNESS since LBJ paid welfare to black mothers as long as the fathers did not live in the home. Money talked in the 1930s, as it did in the 60s with the rabidly racist Lyndon Johnson who figured his grand delusion would keep Negroes voting Democrat forever. One wonders if Mr Liquid Gender Newsom got the idea for his Prop 50 Dem politicians 4ever from the Texas senator turned president.
CONTROLLING PARISHIONERS Beloved Church leaders: do you believe it is your role and responsibility to be life long arbiters of parishioner relationships? Do you force various ministries at the parish ministry fair to make their participants intermingle? What exactly is this elusive “unity” you proclaim?
Cardinal McElroy, like many leaders, hopes for “unity” in their parishes. But, apparently, many are NOT aware homeschooling parents/families have relationships with other members of their parish, including parish schools, Scouting, fiestas etc. Whether a cardinal, priest, bishop or like I served as, youth minister and director of religious ed, we shouldn’t be the arbiter of which Catholic family builds relationships with others in the diocese and parishes. IT HAPPENS naturally. After all, there are plenty of interparish, as well as intra-parish events that bring all Catholics together. But your bias against homeschooling families, already involved IN your parish, is outrageous.
Must you replace the yellow Star of David our Jewish brothers and sisters experienced last century and now live anew, with your Dirty Feet patches on the chests of the “unwashed” barefoot homeschooling families required when they set foot on your hallowed parish grounds? I can hear how outrageous that I would bring this up: if the shoe fits, wear it. Bias against any Diocese class of Catholics is more than sick: it is not what Jesus would do. We are called to help each other, well formed corporal and spiritual works of mercy help us help.
Cardinal McElroy: let OUR people go! Please recommend to Bishop Michael Pham that he reconsider locking out the unwashed Catholic home educated. The buildings don’t mind more joyful students; the science labs can be replenished, since homeschool coop science classes BRING THEIR OWN MATERIALS. We subsidize parish schools (like Steve Cameron’s work in raising funds to resurrect dying schools) but homeschoolers are asking zip except to be allowed to use facilities already paid for and available when charity and love prevails. See Hidden Figures and you will understand it is a metanoia of the heart most needed to right this grievous wrong making homeschooled kiddoes 2nd class citizens.
Your Point 3:
“For Catholic children who do not attend Catholic schools, the parish should provide an integrated faith formation program which is normative for sacramental preparation in the parish…” But, homeschoolers DO attend Catholic schools, WITH or without coops not on sacred parish school grounds while DREs work tirelessly to provide for sacramental prep and continued religious education.
Your next point: “All students within the parish should participate in the same program together as a sign of the integrity of the community of faith.” interesting concept, but what of the various languages, different needs, the typically Spanish and Vietnamese, as well as English due in part to immigrant communities: They are parallel experiences usually with separate masses in the venacular. Well, all except Latin which has found disfavor with God only knows who. Must be the fear of those brass knuckle rosary carrying 90 year olds packing the empty pews during the week accosting those who don’t darken the Church during weekdays.
You must know, a parish based school IS its own community, noting some parent must have raised the issue of the unwashed using THEIR buildings… and desks. It is a blessing that students build camaraderie and friendships, but those most often reside in the school NOT the parish. I can report homeschool homes in the neighborhoods often becoming after school hubs for kids from both parish and public schools whose parents work later shifts.
A bit like the nutty black reparations craze signed into law by President Candy Newsom, few are alive today when the buildings and desks were first paid for by previous classroom using parents, most often.
The current parish school principal, teachers and students are ‘borrowing’ the facilities; like the Sistine Chapel, they belong to the parish NOT to the graduating class of 2029 etc. And education in the parish (again CCC time) is a support, offered at grade K or 1, or 6th when the kids are older, or high school, to families purchasing the school’s services. I graduated Servite in 1970, at $400 per year, doubling since freshmen days. Trust me, you know, with the loss of underpaid nuns and the need for hard working school teachers to eat and feed their kids, it’s not $400 anymore. Therein lies an important roadblock that IS correctable!
Sounds great on paper but please think it through. Whether at St Callistus (1980-95), St Anthony (1995-2007 until parish school closed and parish ended English Religious Ed) and then Holy Family Cathedral (2008-2012 until shortly after my wife Donna died at age 48), we often heard this:
“why does my high school teen have to come to Confirmation class when she gets religion (Mater Dei, Servite, Rosary etc.) all day?” I almost made it into a plaque for the meeting rooms and hall. An sadly, too often it was the 8th grade parish school graduates in Freshman year feeling their oats and whining to mom. I’ve always been saddened we use 10th grade confirmation, as if the graces are not needed in a rapidly deviant world until then, to KEEP them in the parish. Except those YM programs that face up to the challenge.
Your Point continues “The Church blesses all of its children equally and blesses equally all of the choices that parents have made for their children.” Sorry, non sequitur: home based educated kids HELP parishes by altar serving and other aspects of ministry and want to be a part; in other counties, I see this since we help (youngest is now 22) assisting at cooperatives at parks, some SoCal parishes etc. Example after example is available.
YOUR Point 4
“The Diocese supports the decision of a growing number of parents to choose home-schooling for their children…”
‘ Really? then why do you treat them like pagans, separate but unequal. They aren’t demanding anything more than recognition and occasional space, co-existence with the other educational formats in a parish and diocese. And to be left alone much like parish classrooms need to be free of unnecessary interruptions. Need an example? I know a mom of 13 kids whom a jealous neighbor turned her in to Child Protective Services for homeschooling her kids, claiming neglect which turned out to be an outrageous lie.
Bishops, priests, principals, lay folks: people go to JAIL for exercising CCC2223 now only in somewhat civilized USA but many countries throughout the world that demand government schools are supreme. In the People’s Republic of California, (by calling it the PRCalif you automatically think this author is an anti government survivalist but furthest from reality), constant vigilance is important as we have had to do for 4 decades. Do any parish schools require a Parish School Legal Defense fee every year?
When Donna and I began homeschooling in the early 80s, our annual payment to the Home School Legal Defense Fund was insurance for those illicit CPS visits; I stopped paying the $100 fee a few years ago now that my last 22 year old is almost finished with college. HSLDA still gets an occasional donation because its cause is JUST and CRITICAL to keeping this option open. Does the USCCB or various dioceses ACTIVELY defend and encourage Catholic families to consider this home based option or are we too provincial that we only defend and promote the classic brick & mortar schools? Ignorant bias is dangerous, whether as Pope or pauper, bishop or parent. Math whiz Katherine’s battle to save the early space program is legendary yet her hour long race, in rain and shine, to relieve herself at a colored only restroom located only in the colored only black organic calculator’s basement is proof: our rush to judgement, voting 13 to 1 to protect the polished desks of K-8 classrooms from the ilk of Catholic parishioners taking the “less traveled” road.
Need more examples? Just ask. I have plenty of the prejudicial treatment homeschool families have experience over decades.
Ahh, the Ace in the hole, total inanity: “At the same time this (diocesan) support does not include a right for basing integral elements of home-schooling programs in parish settings. Home schooling is not inherently a ministry of the parish.” …shall I wait to throw up or is this the best time? So raising future saints is not inherently a ministry of the parish. Thank God the Cardinal was appointed new digs; maybe there is a chance for sanity in San Diego and Imperial Counties.
Cardinal Mc, bishops, pope Leo, etc: Homeschooling is NOT a crime (hat tip Michelle Malkin) nor simply a choice, it is a lifestyle worth considering and you agree apparently by your nominal support for same.
I hope Bishop Pham understands better than you did Cardinal McElroy.
This treatment of the presbyteral “gang of 13”, yet meanwhile other bishops did NOT force on homeschoolers… but you’ve left town, your hands are washed clean.
I agree the parish model needs help, but to despise active engaged devout Catholic families is like cutting off your left leg so the right one gets more attention: there is ROOM for both and in fact the parishes work so much better together when the hierarchy challenges the baseless complainers not active educators, and fosters this elusive unity everyone talks about. Frankly, we are more united than some leaders believe.
IF a principal or school parent complains and it is valid, deal with it is a must. But you already admit it: Brick and mortar classrooms can be and are used by other groups, even outside community groups but not homeschooling cooperatives. Insane, no? It’s okay to do yoga and Eastern mysticism, but Catholic kids not registered in the parish school are banished, the bane of a bishop or pastor’s busy day.
Then I ask, why is homeschooling erupting nationwide year over year? The reason homeschooling is erupting is due in part to the way we pulled off unforced errors during Covid locking out faithful parishioners for the Dr. Pfaucinstein ridiculous anti science response banning HCQ, Ivermectin and proven treatments to get a Nobel prize in mRNA EUA..
Notably, the damage still reeling from the Pentecost 2021-2023 LOCKOUTS that Bishop Pham today has made a good tradition of celebrating different classes on (not races, since ALL come from the same race no matter where in the world people call home: go to a parish fiesta/festival for proof. Whether carrying out John 6 or at parish fiestas, we are “here for the Food”) and cultures IN the parishes and Diocese. Face the reality: we revive dying dogs or drowning non swimmer kids, but WE ARE IN THE EUCHARISTIC RENAISSANCE long echoed by Mary’s frequent flyer visitations across the world AND the centuries.
Just as the Vietnamese refugees needed American families to be sponsored, homeschoolers are kindred to the rest of the preteen/teen spectrum of learners. At ALL different levels. Frankly, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: adapt and accommodate. Zounds of the simple solution to male and female: there “ain’t but two genders” so there ain’t a good reason to whack off breasts and penises so death gender cult doctors can buy a new Mercedes or yacht.
Also, as people/families become more variant in their work styles and concern about the culture, the homeschool numbers are rising and the Church (many bishops already see the benefit and rights) is growing, benefitting from same. Hierarchy, embrace this blessing and stop detracting the essence.
What a time we are in! As reverts and converts scream higher and due to the martyrdom of Charlie Kirk the evil world down under is taking note and boldness, fearlessness and truth is had by all, Catholics and non.
So, if Catholic home schooling is NOT a benefit to the parish nor a ministry to it, then why are the kids/teens most often the most respectful, most engaged Catholic young people? Do you recommend they become Mormon or Baptist?
Why, for example, do I provide an annual scholarship for St Norbert graduating 8th graders? Why? Because ALL parish members are important, whether they are the brass knuckle rosary Latin Mass ladies routinely being herded out like a milder form of Latin Auschwitz across America? or the implied ‘tolerance’ of surgical transmutilation breast removal, vagina destruction and excessive circumcision of male body parts so we appear as decent social justice warriors. Bishops, this VIOLATES the basics of CCC2223 as well, interfering in parents’ right to SAY NO to sex drugs pumped into the two sexes/genders. Time to WAKE UP? you tell us.
Yet another “unforced error” one might think: all of a sudden, the devout Latin choosing families and mainly seasoned daily Mass citizens are banned from Latin masses; polling my wife and others, those brass knuckle 80 something rosary ladies probably are the “most powerful prayer warriors” in our broken but healing Eucharistic Renewed Church today; yet since the pews are soooo packed like European cathedrals (tongue firmly in cheek), we can winnow out those nuisance old ladies. I’ll bet God is really pleased bishops!
Also, people expect solid truth including science. Any common sense intelligent scientist knows we are in an atmospheric worldwide cooling trend, low sunspot activity, less heat world wide (aka Dalton/Maunder Minimum..ask any atmospheric physicist) and that trace essential carbon dioxide is THE lifevsdeath GIFT from God that feeds us. Sorry Harvard Law Jumanji Jackson Brown, once you figure out what a woman truly is, rescind the stupid belief CO2 is POLLUTION that the Supreme Court ruled.
Pope Leo means well, but we need to separate climate fact from fiction. Instead of speaking the truth, that the godless secularist culture of death’s politicians want to control the means of production by limiting a beneficial trace gas, we entertain in Rome the likes of JohnFingKerry, Arnold Swartzenneger and the other AlGorean Heretics. Does Leo XiV’s invited Climate clowns know that the Islamist Fulani are using climate change to justify killing Nigerian Catholics and burning cities, excused by their government?
Probably not; busy rehearsing blue waved simulated river fabrics and ice blessings.
Wanna really help the poor re: climate?
Here’s a freebie: why not proclaim the gospel of inexpensive natural gas (God’s tremendous gift especially today), with trillions of acre feet of low/no polluting high energy coefficient gas stuck in the ground (even in fallen away Mr. Liquid gendered gov Newsom’s Calif.) that will TRANSFORM THE ECONOMIES AND LIVES OF 3RD WORLDERS AROUND THE GLOBE?
It works for electricity generation, cooking, heating, fueling cars…instead of waving blue river flags for Climate Justice in Castle Gandalfo. But all these “climate change” activists keep their unscientific biases in their frontal lobe, while 3rd worlders could improve their lifestyles considerably and CHEAPLY, i might add.
Riddle: why is Leo XiV blessing solid blocks of water with bishops and Schwatzenegger waving blue fabric like a theatre rendition of the Blue Danube? No idea! But, at least the good results of the baby killing and transbreast teen mastectomy cult fan Dickie Durbin fiasco showed bishops are thankfully becoming bolder in sticking up for truth and justice. Fearlessness is NEEDED!
We love our bishops and they need to carry the mantle.
To paraphrase what the NEC gestapo chief of Indianapolis football police told me face to face on July 19, 2024, as he threatened me with arrest for giving Tony Melendez a permitted hug, if I didn’t leave immediately 2 days in: “what were you thinking, partner?“. Yes, Billy the renegade Indianapolis security boss, unknown even to Bishop Cozzens and the NEC intelligentia, destroyed my wife Mary and I’s long awaited visit to the Eucharistic Congress using words right out of Orwellian 1984: “Len, if we did not give you permission (to hug Tony on stage), we would have tackled you”. Huh?
So, to finally answer Billy Bob’s question 15 months later, I was thinking that Tony, a 25 yr friend and co-traveler to 3 world youth day pilgrimages had just lost his only son to suicide and his birthday was days away: Tony could use a big but brief hug so I got permission, told the sisters near us, which they ‘cheered’ and used up 20 whole seconds.
We got applause, no one got hurt, i had permission and yet the NEC propagandists erased the 20 second segment from their NEC Manna sales videos. Thank you to Relevant Radio, they left it in since it fit well and were not so anal about peer pressure and image, one guesses than today’s revival leadership.
Bishops, what ARE you thinking as a new era in the Church unfolds? Why do we communicate inadequately about the obvious demonic range (influenced thru obssession, even possession in some cases) of our teens, now preteens, via the terribly named “gender affirming care”; ie recreating human gender/sexes instead of teaching basic truths to help these sad dysphoric souls to heaven? BY THESE INACCURATE MEALY MOUTH CHURCH HANDLINGS OF SERIOUS FAMILY ISSUES, YOU ARE INTERFERING DIRECTLY IN GOD’S CALL ON THOSE PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR A CHILD. MOM AND DAD.
IT IS TIME to WAKE UP and smell the Renaissance. In fact,Bishop Cozzens, I still wear the NEC pilgrims’ wristband from the last 8 perpetual pilgrims arriving at Archbishop Gomez’ Lady Queen of Angels cathedral on June 21 signaling the END of the revival and the NEW:
Eucharistic RENAISSANCE. It’s here!
Bishops, embrace it and SEE it while it unfolds! We revive drowning kids and dying animals: knowing Jesus is TRULY present IS the long needed Renaissance, so why not show the world we KNOW and believe this.
Thank you Tim, thank you Jason: The Revival has accomplished its goal; are we going to milk the phraseology for another 7 years or 70? And just as well, our Church adapts to new educational models WHEN ignorance is overcome with Socratic discourse and solid answers.
San Diego, what do you even mean: “endorsing a parallel educational model?” written in your 4 points Holy Door Augsberg thesis declaration. All parish ministries are unique and should be complementary forging unity of parish purpose. Read the whole line:
‘It must be recognized that the movement toward housing home school related activities in the parish will inevitably create the impression that the Church is endorsing a parallel educational model without the in-depth educational oversight that the Church carries out in its parochial school program.’
Balderdash! Cardinal McElroy, your ego is getting in the way on this. Years ago, this is why when Michelle Malkin was oppressed for choosing home schooling for her challenged child, I coined the phrase:
“Homeschooling is NOT a crime, maybe a choice. It IS a lifestyle worth considering…”
When Donna and I first chose to homeschool, our research noted very little available in the early 1980s for Catholic families to consider this path. We began at a church that, unlike San Diego bishops named McElroy, welcomed homeschooling families for cooperative learning: Magnolia Baptist. and joined CHEA the Christian Home Educators Association, a fledgling group. Yes, we were pioneers at the time and today Catholic home based education numbers in the millions, and it “evolved” to so many options today. But, your excellencies and most reverends, trust me: MOST CATHOLIC PARENTS WILL NOT CHOOSE THIS PATH ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU SECURE WITH YOUR POWER Catholic ed choice $$$. They will choose parish schools. Why?
Homeschooling takes a lot more effort than enrolling them in private, parochial or public schools. Much more. After 40 years, I believe it was worth it, through challenges like the death of my 11’s mother, Donna, through questions like “Why are you keeping your kids out of school”. The classic question that gives me a super chuckle is:
“WHAT ABOUT SOCIALIZATION?”
When someone parroted this complaint about Catholic homeschoolers, I first ask a simple: “could you spell and define socialization?” The hems and haws are deafening: I let them off the hook and ask: “Where in life do you expect 40 7 yr olds to teach respect, good behavior, moral virtues; or 25 14 year old high schoolers to teach healthy respect for the opposite of the two sexes, male and female, how to treat other teens…” You get the picture. GOOD socialization comes from adults and older formed conscience young people who pattern good virtues and wisdom; certainly not what you get when speaking at public school board meetings (I do often) and asking the “adults” and boarders “why are you destroying our daughters? 10 years after you’ve sanctioned a teen having her breasts removed and vagina ravaged, will you school board be there to console her when she goes suicidal realizing “I can’t nurse the baby girl I cannot have”. Even our parish schools too often make the transmutilation condoning mistake, but that’s for bishops and principals to focus on. I have examples, should you desire.
The historic model of Catholic education has ALWAYS been adaptive. We create and modify our teaching methods, as needs be, for adults AND teens/children IN CONCERT with the Catechism AND basic common sense if something isn’t working, change and find something that does.
Good example: My son, yes homeschooled, is the headmaster of Chesterton Academy of St Joseph, resident this year in a 5 parish combine in Dayton Ohio. Last year, they occupied a beautiful downtown Lutheran church whose school has closed; they were joyful the sounds of school kids had returned for a time. Chesterton academies embrace the same classical ed model many of our bishops today are promoting in their dioceses. Miracle of miracles, this year, Ohio is allowing parents to get back $8000 per student of THEIR tax dollars to CHOOSE and Chesterton’s parents ARE choosing.
BISHOPS, WHY NOT CHASE YOUR STATES FOR EDUCATION $$ CHOICES INSTEAD OF CHASING OUT OLD LADIES WHO SPEAK SEMPER UBI SUB UBI?
We live in the people’s republic of Alta California so getting a small slice per student from the CalDeptED’s ONE THIRD of a TRILLION DOLLARS annual confiscation is a distant dream. But maybe.
Leave your homeschoolers alone and: EVERY BISHOP IN EVERY STATE SHOULD BE PUSHING THIS. Why? IT WILL REINVIGORATE YOUR PARISH BASED SCHOOLS REPLACING THE NUNS SALARIES OF BYGONE ERAS WITH $7000-$10,000 PER student. And then you won’t worry about the unwashed unwelcomed homeschoolers and LEAVE THEM alone to help renew your parishes.
Yet another unforced error: I’ve had a principal I respect shut out the rental use (I thought schools needed funds, with a $3000 donation READY TO BE GIVEN) WHEN school’s out for summer for the Southern California Catholic Home Educators conference because he “feared” the competition. THERE IS NO COMPeTition and we all are on the racetrack to the kingdom of heaven. Someone must have a copy of 1 Corinthians 12 at the Chancery or in DC! Be NOT afraid, bishops and school leaders, these words served Pope Saint John Paul the Great, Padre Pio, Pope Leo XiV and Jesus so well. The Holy Spirit’s got this!
Bishop Pham, if you are reading this as the new ordinary of San Diego, you struggled to become an American Catholic. Your training WAS different since early arrivals from Vietnam needed special training in the country that sponsored and welcomed you. I personally saw and lived that at Christ Cathedral’s former home, St Callistus with high numbers of refugee Vietnamese families in the parish, whom I loved working with, as the youth minister 5 years after the fall of Saigon and 15 more years at the parish.
In addition to homeschooling, two reasons we have adequate priest vocations in the Orange Diocese is, first, the Vietnam war, with moms like yours, Bishop Pham, promising God, like Hannah, their Samuel IF they survived the South China Sea. Adversity, as occurs for homeschoolers, leads to good things: it has reaped huge rewards for the repatriated victims of the godless communist VietCong AND the American Church. Vocational calls are plenty; it’s the ANSWERED calls that need encouragement.
The other large vocation source is St Michael’s Abbey, with 100 priests and men in training that service numerous parishes; I know this, because two of our kids are married to two siblings of recently ordained Father Luke, a Premonstratensian ok Norbertine at St Michaels. Meanwhile, the list of Vietnamese surnames in the Orange Diocese’s priest roster is heavily skewed to Nguyen, Pham etc. Of course, this is a ‘Nguyen Nguyen’ for the Church. The potato famine in the 20th century led to Irish priests coming to America; the demonic Viet Communists led to a new source of priests in the Southland and other places in the USA.
Bishop Pham, hard working Catholic homeschoolers like the Harolds and others deserve better treatment. Bishop Pham, you escaped hell and came to America; your mom probably, like so many other oppressed moms, promised you to the Lord and the priesthood if only you escaped the South China Sea flotilla!
Like Reagan in Berlin said “TAKE DOWN THIS ARTIFICIAL WALL CALLING HOMESCHOOLED CATHOLICS THE UNWASHED AND UNWELCOMED. Bishop Pham, you escaped oppression; why continue it for your diocesan CAtholic families who have chosen the harder, tougher path of homeschooling??
PLS Eliminate or at least MODIFY THE 4 POINT DECREE TO BE FAITHFUL TO GOD’S CALL ON THE CHURCH, ON PARENTS.
After 40 years of being pioneers in the modern Catholic homeschooling movement, call it Neocanonical, call it parental choice, but call it what it has become: A SUCCESSFUL MODEL TO EVANGELIZE OUR CHILDREN THAT PAYS DIVIDENDS into the next GENERATIONS.
PLEASE RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF ALL YOUR PARISHIONERS. I offer my help for free to educate your diocese and even the presbyteral 13 to an honest appraisal of what they are missing and losing by banishing one class of Catholic families most ignorantly.
Cardinal McElroy, I am not holding my breath on this; it takes humility and self-discernment to apologize to the homeschooling families of your former diocese. But, historically, 3 years ago on my new wife and stepmom to 11, my Mary’s birthday, you became cardinal designate McElroy, actually Cardinal-priest of San Frumenzio ai Prati Fiscali. August 27, 2022
Now you are hopefully more suited to run the District diocese; at least, some hope for common sense to set in in San Diego and homeschooling families treated like they belong, with a new prelate. Most reverend Bishop Michael Pham, what say you? It would be my pleasure to visit and meet with you and your 13 prebyterals for a peaceful discussion and solutions even the wealthy parish school parent who complained could accept.
Respectfully and in His service!
Len Beckman Lenbeckman@gmail.com 714 267 1413
Len and Donna homeschooled 11 kids over 40 years, though Donna had an early exit to heaven with 1400 funeral attendees at Holy Family Cathedral. They served over 33 years in parish ministries, such as youth minister, Religious Ed directors, OCIA, music, three diff churches, 100 retreats and much more. Mary, stepmom and great Catholic, joined the family 6 years ago. Len founded the Donna Beckman Memorial Environmental Research Lab, serves still as director. The family income comes through Millennium 3 Real Estate; as broker owner, we founded it as 1999 waned, and honored the Trinity as we moved into the new millennium. Based in Southern California, Len has agents in different counties and continues to put the client and their needs first. Founded Donnel Imagineering in the 80s and Miracle Production Ministries, a teen/young adult traveling theatre group. Served 30 years as board member, part president of the Life Centers of Orange County and continue to support LIFE issues, keeping moms alive and their prebirth kids growing into adulthood.
Postscript: details~
“In September 2024, McElroy issued a policy that banned homeschool co-op groups from using parochial facilities within the diocese, claiming that it “undermined the stability of nearby Catholic schools and lead people to think that the Church is approving and advancing particular alternative schools and programs.” Some criticised this decision, due to it allowing parishes to rent space to non-Catholic schools on a “case-by-case basis”.” Wikipedia
Bishop Pham, from your installation homily: “We will have true social justice only when all sisters and brothers are treated with dignity and respect…” Why not include Catholic home educated families at the table in San Diego and Imperial Counties? Your last line: ” In this day, politics and social interactions shouldn’t focus exclusively on differences, but rather on the common good of the people. All people.” Amen, Roger that!
The last line of the 4 points proclamation is: “As a consequence, home school programs will not be provided designated special access to the parish facilities of the Diocese of San Diego.” How foolish!
As a consequence, we all lose in our ignorance that we need each other while homeschooled kids are fought over by colleges and industry because, well, they can read, write and compute. Like that genius Katherine G Johnson, with a building named for her at NASA. Do NOT fear excellence only fear dumbed down DEI style standards that rob our young and the future, of good Catholic leaders, parents and providers.
Best to you, Cardinal McElroy, like you, I was homeschooled by loving parents from birth. So, was Bishop Pham in a far off country. All we ask is Catholic homeschooling families be treated as well as many bishops treat the criminal aliens, the dysphoric suicidal girl2boy surgical patients and surgeons and fake girls peeking in young girl’s locker rooms across this fruited plain. Equally though separately.
Time for the growing “unforced errors” museum.
The latest “unforced errors” NOT improving our serve in the Catholic tennis game of life: “As a consequence, home school programs will not be provided designated special access to the parish facilities of the Diocese of San Diego.” Put it on the same shelf as the Pfaucinstein medical demonics shutting down schools and those 80 something super prayer warriors wielding their lingua latinam rosaries. Why do we do this to ourselves? We have excellent parish based schools, but also, home based/parish centered schooling that want to be a part of the parish, not pariahs.
Thank you! May this new Eucharistic Renaissance touch the hearts of all those in your care. Cardinal McElroy, you have a good heart…please take this as a gesture of hope.
~Len homeschooled his 11 kids over 40 years, mostly with Donna, a woman who died early at 48 yet had 1400 people at her Holy Family Cathedral funeral. Feeds his family as a real estate broker owner covering Southern California; served on staff from 1980-2012 and continues in parish ministries as well as assisting at home school cooperatives. He is an author, blogs/posts at lifeoutloudest.com; has little time for silly racism victocrats, having 4 beautiful black grandkids among the 23, and a handsome black son in law soon to be a postbirth father (#10 daughter is pregnant with the 23rd due this month). Len contends, unlike the Harvard educated SCOTUS Jumanji Jackson Brown, he knows what a woman is and that the other gender makes two. He is an exhortationist, an encourager not divider, for people to seek Jesus and be the best one can be. Settle never and go Socratic in your discussions for dialogue is the only thing to cure the common stupid.
Comments are welcome especially from bishops and priests, in DC or the other coast, because too many “unforced errors” in our Church can be repaired IF diligence and fearlessness become our standard bearer.
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Errata/ the San Diego 4 point dissertation on banning homeschoolers:
(SAN DIEGO, September 25, 2024) — Within the past year, a number of home school cooperative or satellite programs have approached parishes within the Diocese of San Diego, seeking to establish programs on parish sites. Some of these programs have also sought to establish religious formation or sacramental preparation programs within the parish setting that are dedicated specifically for home school students. This has become a source of tension within the diocese.
Two weeks ago, the Diocese established a new policy on the use of parish buildings for educational programs. This policy was passed by the Presbyteral Council by a vote of thirteen to one and was approved by Cardinal McElroy.
Four principles underlay this policy:
- Catholic teaching makes clear that parents are the first teachers of their children in faith and in choosing the educational setting for their children.
- The historic ministry of Catholic schools lies at the center of the Church’s educational mission. In approaching the question of basing home school cooperatives in parishes, the vibrancy of our Catholic schools takes precedence. It must be recognized that the movement toward housing home school related activities in the parish will inevitably create the impression that the Church is endorsing a parallel educational model without the in-depth educational oversight that the Church carries out in its parochial school program.
- For Catholic children who do not attend Catholic schools, the parish should provide an integrated faith formation program which is normative for sacramental preparation in the parish. All students within the parish should participate in the same program together as a sign of the integrity of the community of faith. The Church blesses all of its children equally and blesses equally all of the choices that parents have made for their children.
- The Diocese supports the decision of a growing number of parents to choose home-schooling for their children. At the same time this support does not include a right for basing integral elements of home-schooling programs in parish settings. Home schooling is not inherently a ministry of the parish.
As a consequence, home school programs will not be provided designated special access to the parish facilities of the Diocese of San Diego.
New Bishop Pham: “As Vicar for Inter-Cultural Affairs, he was instrumental in establishing the annual Pentecost Mass for All Peoples celebrating the ethnic and cultural diversity of the San Diego region.” “On the day of Pentecost, as we heard from the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, people spoke in different languages; and yet, they understood each other. The reason they understood each other was because they listened to each other,” said Bishop Pham in his homily. “Only by listening to the Word of God and to each other, can we be guided by the Holy Spirit to right the injustices created in today’s world due to our human flaws and thus achieve peace,” he said.
If you email a response, please put “Cardinal McElroy and homeschooling” in the subject line to Lenbeckman@gmail.com. In the interest of Socratic dialogue, your ideas are most welcome
updated oct 13, 2025
planned parenthood kill mill. Of course, they do more than just kill prebirth babies, harvest the parts they can sell on the open baby slave market and then relegate the medical waste to the red buckets and the white bucket gets the human remains. Held for Wednesday pickup and shipment via $30 billion in sales Veolia, who also picks up St Joseph Hospital’s red bucket waste as well.
like a zombie and made a wide turn toward the overpass. No need to call Orange PD to report a nasty T-boned SUV or Metro bus.
Let’s hope, for the sanity of this planned parenthood escort who would return to pick up his cleansed sex partner, squeaky clean save for the bleeding and ruptured uterus the death doctor screwed up on…let’s hope he realizes Epstein files are illusory. Killing prebirth kids at kill mills with kill pills and sharp curettes are NOT imaginary pornography. Every dead child, like a dead porn king like Epstein are REALLY gone.
longest digit cruising by the peaceful prayer warriors actually helping moms NOT destroyed their lives by destroying their lifeblood, we can toss foam or plastic rings around his nose-picking statement of indoctrination.
hurting millions and costing billions due to its inaccuracies and fraud suppositions.
This is my concern about our blessed 
Chicago, played by Alex Linz in Home Alone 3. Alex confronted a gun toting ‘elite’ gang of four and staved them off with ingenuity to save a critical ASIC military electronics chip, help his seasoned lady neighbor, saved and the nation. Recall, he alerted the cops that his neighbor was in need of medical attenton.
and quick response by people who care for the kids.
These pastor’s words are echoed: 
Devarim
families of their own. They stood and applauded the man who had given them life. Nicholas Winton didn’t seek glory — he simply chose to act, proving that even one ordinary person can shape history through quiet, courageous kindness.”
lifeoutloudest 