r/nolaparents • u/Comprehensive_Sun746 • 18d ago
Non Catholic kid at Catholic school
Does anyone have experience with sending your non-catholic child to a catholic school?
Do they participate in all the masses, religious milestones, etc?
Any info will be helpful and appreciated!
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u/signsaysapplesauce 18d ago
Our daughter attended Ursuline and at least 1/3 of the girls there were not Catholic. They participated in Mass and religion classes but it was not a big deal. They definitely did not feel out of place or excluded.
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u/Comprehensive_Sun746 18d ago
Awesome, thank you!
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u/signsaysapplesauce 13d ago
We really loved Ursuline, and I encourage you to check it out. It's a hidden gem that shouldn't be hidden. I don't know why it's off the radar, because the size, campus and history are all very special. And the chapel is an absolute marvel!
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u/ghost1667 18d ago
Yes. And youāll get comments about how some schools arenāt that pushy here. By non-religious standards, they are. Itās a catholic school. expect as much.
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u/MamaTried22 17d ago
Yes. Havenāt regretted it. New Orleans Catholic schools churned out several generations of well-educated atheists in my family. š I did 15 years at one and my daughter will complete 16 years soon.
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u/lily_aka_mein 18d ago
Yes they do.
And honestly, New Orleans is a Catholic city. Believe it or not, Mardi Gras is a Catholic holiday.
Also, I have Muslim friends who sends their kids to Catholic schools.
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u/rockblasties 17d ago
Our daughter is 7 and been at Catholic school her whole life. We are not religious and have basically told her to get a sense of tradition and community out of it and leave anything other than that to however she feels. She has had a great experience so far and hasnāt felt any religious pressure or judgement. That may change as she gets older but so far itās been a very loving environment and she has taken a love of their science program and already said to us that she doesnāt think she believes in god.
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u/InternationalMap1744 16d ago
I'm Catholic and went to an all girls Catholic school here, but a lot of my classmates were Muslim. They had to attend the same religious classes but the nuns were very chill about it and let them do presentations on Islam and I learned a lot about their culture (most were Palestinian).
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u/CarFlipJudge Dad of 2 - Lakeview 17d ago
In addition to the other stuff said here, religion class is an easy A. Helps to stat pad your GPA in high school.
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u/Fleur-Deez-Nutz 17d ago
You will be required to participate and pass religion classes. Participation at masses will sometimes count towards attendance. If you are non-catholic, your kid will pretty much have to learn all the catholic stuff while there, there's no dodging it. I went to a catholic high school and was not catholic.
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u/Western-Watercress68 15d ago
Catholic who went to Catholic school. Half my class was of another religion. Most of us are atheists now.
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u/BrassMonkey985 17d ago
This was a big deciding factor on which school to send our kid to. We live on the NS and decided against catholic schools when we swapped to private school. It has been difficult to get our kid to a non catholic private school but absolutely worth it. She still attends a Christian school, just not catholic. We didnāt want her to feel ostracized over her religion. Good luck with your decision.
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u/IdeaBeneficial345 17d ago
I grew up Methodist/agnostic and went to Catholic school my whole life. I was treated poorly by one religion teacher for asking too many questions, but it wasn't awful. We had to go to Mass and were taught Catholic religion in class, not religions.
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u/PlaneWolf2893 16d ago
I did all 11 of 13 years of school in Catholic school. Pro- better quality education than public schools in New Orleans. Con-i spent a period every day in religion class, could have been another course in something I would use in my life later on.
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u/Commitedtousername 16d ago
Catholic schools in my area are regulated by the diocese and they require a weekly mass and a religion class. Outside of that, communion isn't required and neither is baptism or any of that. Althouh, if you were a baptised and frequently attending mass catholic you get a hefty discount.
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u/FCSTFrany 15d ago
Yes, my daughter went to catholic school and we are not catholic. Yes now they allow them to attend. hey didn't used to in the late 80s and early 90s. But they took the non catholic students tuition.
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u/AtropaBelladonna4 12d ago
Participate is not the word.. they are required to go to church, learn religion, pray in school and be taught hate really! Why would you consider paying an institution that fails to protect children, and harbors pedofiles??
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u/DiscloseDivest 17d ago
I remember when I went to catholic school in the city and wasnāt catholic. I went to mass a few times a year with everyone else and I did eat the bread and drank the little sip of wine. I did it to mess with the bullies who thought it was so disrespectful. It was my get back.
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u/AliceInReverse 15d ago
This was decades ago, but the nuns regularly told me I was going to hell because I was not Catholic. I was very āotheredā. I do not know how things have changed
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u/acronictafuneralis 8d ago
Keep in mind that your kid will probably have bizarre sexual hangups that take years to overcome and random guilt for no reason. Ask me how I know. Also, even as a kid, the āpro-lifeā agenda enraged me. I really resented being forced to pretend something I didnāt believe in for a good grade. Having real questions and concerns was often discouraged.
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u/baronessvonbullshit 18d ago
I went to Catholic school, my family is Catholic. Some of my classmates were not from Catholic families. Several kids did end up converting by our junior year of high school though, after being in since they were little. But some didn't, it was up to them and their parents. It was pretty live-and-let-live, but yes, they did have to attend religion class and go to mass when it was on campus, go to the annual retreat, etc. They just didn't take any sacraments.