Considering Catholic Homeschooling?

This article may be helpful...

Introduction

For parents contemplating homeschooling their children, it can be a scary endeavor. In order to make the right decision for your family and to take this big step, parents need to prepare themselves. The best way to prepare is through prayer. One has to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. He will help. It is also a good idea to read as much as one can on the subject of Catholic homeschooling.

As a starting place, the following quotes and prayers are offered to assist new Catholic homeschooling parents and their families.

Prayer for Mother Seton's Intercession

Lord God, You blessed Elizabeth Seton with gifts of grace as wife and mother, educator and foundress, so that she might spend her life in service to your people.
Through her example and prayers may we learn to express our love for you in love for our fellow men and woman. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-From the Roman Missal

Quotes by Catholics

"He who is faithful to God is faithful to his country and to his family, and the more the fear of God animates the citizens of a country, the greater and the more respected will the nation be. Moreover, as it is said that nations are formed on the knees of the mother, it follows that the more the mother is venerated in the family, and the more she herself conforms her conduct to that sublime model that we have in her, who, repairing the faults of Eve, raised the status of humanity, so much the greater will be those future generations who will form the glory and the prosperity of their country. These principles...you should teach in your school, because as educators, you must not only form good Christians, but good citizens for the State, which we wish to be great and respected."
...Mother Frances Cabrini in a letter to the daughters in her Community.

Education

An educator was once asked by a mother of a child of five years of age, at what age she should begin educating her child. His answer was that 'it it already five years too late.'"
"It is a great fallacy for parents to believe that the education of their children depends on the school. The school is not the primary educator, but the secondary; its authority to teach the children is delegated by the parents, the right inherent in the father and the mother. Nor is the school ever a substitute for the parents."

"In the definition of education it was observed that the purpose of education is to enter into contact not merely with enviornment but with the totality of environment, with an end to explaining the purpose of life. But the purpose of life cannot be understood without God, nor can any one enter into contact with the whole of environment unless he enters into relationship with God, in Whom we live and move and have our being."

"We are in a condition of society where the school has replaced Church in education, and we are coming to a condition where the State will replace the school. Such is always the logic of history; when the family surrenders its rights, the State assumes them as its own. In order to avoid that condition, the new order must integrate in some way religion to education."

"Unless a man's will has a purpose and it is a good one, education will do nothing for him except to forify his own egotism."

"The prime purpose of education is the making of aman, and it is impossible to make a man without giving him the purpose of being a man."

"Modern education makes no distinction between error and sin, it teaches that what we call evil is only an intellectual error."

"Never before has there been so much education and never before so little coming to the knowledge of the truth. We forget that ignorance is better than error."

"Our so-called liberal and progressive educators who denied the reality of guilt, did not, as they promised, relieve man from the shackles of 'medieval morality'; but they did relieve the person of his responsiblity and therefore of his freedom."

"If a little boy loses his temper and inslults his father, he is not told that he is at fault; our progressive educators would not warp his mind by speaking of wrong--they blame it on his naughty ductless glands. Today nobody is wrong; they are anti-social or have bad tonsils."
...Bishop Fulton Sheen

TO PARENTS

It is very important that children learn from their fathers and mothers how to love one another--not in the school, not from the teacher, but from you. It is very important that you share with your children the joy of that smile. There will be misunderstandings; every family has its cross, its suffering. Always be the first to forgive with a smile. Be cheerful, be happy.
...Mother Teresa of Calcutta

PARENTS
"The parents have been appointed by God Himself as the first and principal educators of their children...their right is completely inalienable"
--Pope John Paul - (Familiaris Consortio 40)

School and the Holy Spirit
When a child goes to school, he takes his soul with him. What he learns will have an effect on whether he saves his soul, and how he fulfills the purpose for which God made him."

"St. Paul says, 'Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.' Thus, going to school involves God every hour and minute and second, and everything a child learns that is truth, he learns with the help of the Spirit of Truth. That is why going to school has a particular relation to the Holy Spirit."

"Parents can teach it all, if they want to. There is no shortgage of doctrine to teach or grace to help with the teaching. There are the Gospels to read and apply, discussion groups to attend, pastors and nuns and libraries and literature within reach of a phone call or a postage stamp. There is the Mass, the sacraments, the prayers of the universal church offered for all her members, the love of God and the help of the Holy Spirit. There are the tremendous graces peculiar to the vocation of parenthood, given especially to help with this most important duty of all. We are not in this think alone. God is in it more than we are. All that is necessary is to understand that it must be taught, and to pray for the grace to do it."

Every child once he reaches the age of reason should automatically pray to the Holy Spirit..."Please, Holy Spirit, help me in school today."
...(excerpts from We and Our Children by Mary Reed Newland)

Upcoming Homeschool Conferences

The 10th annual Chaplet Homeschooling Conference in New Jersey will be held on Saturday, April 25th. http://www.chaplet.org/Conference.html

Schedule of Events

The itinerary for the conference allows visitors plenty of timeto browse the merchandise, chat with vendors, listen to our speakers, attend a workshop, break for lunch, and even attend Mass. Refreshments will be available during the conference.

8:00am Traditional Latin Mass

9:00am ~ 5:00pmHomeschool Conference

5:00pm Traditional Latin Mass

Click here to view a partial schedule of events

We are excited to announce our 2009:

Conference Guest Speakers

This all-day event includes guest speakers from our area, and also from around the country to enrich and enlighten us.

Tim Ferris, Kolbe Academy: “The Value of a Classical Education”

Danielle Bean:Catholic Author and Homeschool Mom

Maureen Wittman:Catholic Author and Homeschool Mom Subject: Her new book “For the Love of Literature”

Scott Woodruff, HSLDA Staff Attorney:Subject: “Homeschooling With Confidence”

Soon to come: details on our speakers’ talks

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The IHM Conference is in June, the 12-13th http://www.ihmconference.org/national/ EWTN'S Raymond Arroyo will be speaking this year along with...

Fr. Andrew Apostoli of EWTN, Fr. Philip Chavez, Fr. John DeCelles,Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, Fr. Robert Levis of EWTN , Fr. Stephen McGraw,Fr. Luke Sweeney, Fr. Matthew Zuberbueler, Dr. Mary Kay Clark,Dr. John Cuddeback, Dr. Ray Guarendi, Dr. Catherine Moran,Mr. Dale Ahlquist of EWTN, Mrs. Carole Breslin, Mrs. Laura Berquist, Mrs. Rebecca Dussault, Mr. Michael Kalscheur,Prof. Brendan McGuire, Prof. Joseph Pearce,Mrs. Virginia Seuffert, Mr. James Stenson,and Mrs. Elizabeth Yank! A football field of vendor tables make this a not-to-miss event.

The support and information at both of these power-house conferences are a years worth of encouragement for homeschooling families! If you can't make it, they sell conferences tapes. :)

Books helpful to Catholic Homeschoolers

Links to some of the BEST reading materials and support for Catholic homeschooling.

Catholic Homeschooling - best for supporting Papal documents

Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum

Teaching Tips and Techniques

Homeward Bound by Scott Hahn's wife, Kimberly

Real Learning

Haystack Full of Needles

Designed to Fail

A Catholic Homeschool Companion

Mater et Magistra Magazine

Keeping it Catholic

For the Love of Literature

Saintly Resources

Catholic Mosaic

A Year With God

PACE - Character education

A Catholic Homeschool Treasury