The religious education/faith formation of children
and youth is the responsibility of parents/guardians, pastors, and the
local parish community. The Code of Canon Law supports this direction.
Pastors
of souls especially have the proper and serious duty of seeing to the
catechesis of the Christian people so that, through doctrinal formation
and experience of the Christian life, the faith of the people may be
living, manifest, and active.
The care for catechesis, under the
direction of lawful ecclesiastical authority, extends to all members of
the Church, to each according to his or her role.
Before all
others, parents/guardians are bound to form their children, by word and
example, in faith and in Christian living. The same obligation binds
sponsors and those who take the place of parents/guardians. Therefore,
it is the obligation of the parish leadership to provide religious
education programming for children/young people. There are situations
where some families choose to homeschool their children/young people. It
must be understood that these efforts cannot be done independently of
the parish setting. The following guidelines give direction to such
efforts.
The primary responsibility of parents/guardians for the
education and formation of their children in the faith cannot be
interpreted in an isolated way since the family is an integral part of
the larger ecclesial community. All religious education must be carried
out in a way that builds unity within the Church. Homeschooling must
promote the understanding that being a Christian is not a private matter
of an individual choice but rather of a personal vocation within the
context of the Church lived out in the experience of the parish
community.
Since the pastor has the obligation to know the
intention of the parents/guardians to homeschool their children/young
people, parents/guardians must notify the pastor early in the process.
Parents/guardians are required to follow the guidelines set by the
pastor and must register their children/young people with the parish
director of religious education (DRE)/program coordinator for specific areas of religious education (CRE).
Homeschooling
parents/guardians are responsible for the participation of their
children/young people in the immediate sacramental preparation as
required or approved by the parish, through interviews for sacramental
readiness, practice of sacramental celebrations, appropriate initiation
rites, and retreats. Homeschooling parents/guardians must participate in
parish parent/guardian meetings and parent/guardian preparation
programs for the sacraments.
Parents/guardians have the
responsibility to participate in catechetical formation so that they
will be able to prepare their children/young people for the sacraments,
in collaboration with the parish community.
Local ordinaries are
to ensure that catechists are duly trained to carry out their office
properly, namely, that they have an available continuing formation, that
they have an appropriate knowledge of the teaching of the Church, and
that they learn both the theory and practice of the principles of
pedagogy.
With regard to the sacraments of reconciliation, first
Communion, and confirmation, parents/guardians must ensure that their
children/young people are correctly prepared and connected to the local
parish.
The pastor and either the DRE or the CRE will require a
periodic progress report to be made by the homeschooling
parents/guardians. A form should be developed by the parish to assist in
this reporting. Children/young people must be interviewed by the
pastor, DRE, or designated representative to determine their
understanding of and readiness for the reception of the sacraments.
Since
passing on faith tradition is the responsibility of the whole parish
community, pastors, parents/guardians, and DREs must collaborate to
ensure that the children/young people are appropriately catechized and
prepared for the reception of the sacraments. As parishioners, families
are expected to participate in the parish Sunday liturgy.
The
rights of children/young people to catechetical formation can best be
served when pastors, parents/guardians, and catechists offer formation
appropriate to the level, development, and disposition of the
children/young people.
The parish DRE/CRE should serve as a
resource to the parents/guardians. Approved textbooks and other
appropriate materials must be used in all sessions. The Catechism of the Catholic Church and the General Directory of Catechesis are excellent resources for parents/guardians and catechists. The Directory for Catechesis (New Edition), which is the current guiding document for the universal Church, is available for purchase: Directory for Catechesis (New Edition) | USCCB.
10-13-2021