"It is...Our will that Catholics should abstain from certain appellations which have recently been brought into use to distinguish one group of Catholics from another. They are to be avoided not only as 'profane novelties of words,' out of harmony with both truth and justice, but also because they give rise to great trouble and confusion among Catholics. Such is the nature of Catholicism that it does not admit of more or less, but must be held as a whole or as a whole rejected: 'This is the Catholic faith, which unless a man believe faithfully and firmly; he cannot be saved' (Athanasian Creed). There is no need of adding any qualifying terms to the profession of Catholicism: it is quite enough for each one to proclaim 'Christian is my name and Catholic my surname,' only let him endeavour to be in reality what he calls himself." -- Pope Benedict XV, Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum 24 (1914)

Saturday, March 15, 2014

OECTA and the further destruction of Catholic education

Catholic Insight

Published: Friday, March 14, 2014, 5:00 am | Author: Terry McDermott 

In a move that can only elicit shock and anger in faithful Catholics, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA) has announced they will march in the WorldPride Parade in Toronto this year after a motion was passed at OECTA’s recent annual general meeting. A rationale attached to the motion reads: “Registering for, and marching in the WorldPride Parade is a visible symbol of solidarity with one of the most marginalized groups in the Catholic community.” Thank you to LifeSiteNews for bringing this scandal to our attention.

This move is a blatant assault on the Catholic Church from the very people who are supposed to be teaching our children about the Faith. In truth, no one should be surprised at this development because our Catholic schools are not really Catholic at all.

This latest development continues the meteoric destruction of publicly-funded Catholic schools in Ontario. The seed of this latest affront can be traced back to the introduction of the religious textbooks currently used in Catholic primary and secondary schools. The Born in the Spirit textbooks used in primary schools are woefully negligent in teaching the fundamentals of the Catholic Faith. The Fully Alive family life program, a euphemism for sex education class, does not teach modesty and chastity but contributes to the desensitization of our children in sexual matters. The textbooks used in high school are no better. In grade eleven, our children learn about world religions when they don’t even know about their own. In the primary and secondary grades, most teachers teach their personal interpretation of the Faith instead of faithfully teaching the Magisterial teachings of the Catholic Church.

Furthermore in 2013, Gay-Straight Alliance clubs were introduced by our Catholic school boards. The supposed reason for the GSAs is to stop bullying of homosexual students. While bullying of any student, including homosexual students, is sinful, GSAs by their very nature advocate the acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle. That is unacceptable in a Catholic school.

It’s time for faithful Catholics to take back our Catholic schools. Publicly- funded Catholic schools are broken beyond repair. The rot has reached to the core. It’s time to establish parochial schools that are authentically Catholic.

Our bishops need to take a stronger position in the religious education of Ontario’s children. Concerned Catholics need to be able to look to the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario, lead by His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins (President), to ensure that our children are properly formed in Catholic teachings.

End the secularization of Catholic schools. End the widespread dissension that is destroying the faith of our children. We must speak up and defend the Faith. We must be a unified force for Truth and the future of Catholic education.

This development affects all Catholics, whether or not we have children in publicly-funded Catholic schools. We are all part of the same Catholic family and what happens to some of the family has major repercussions for all of us.

Make your voice heard. Write to OECTA, the bishops, and Cardinal Collins. Ask your parish priest to speak out against this latest assault on God’s natural laws.

Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario
10 St. Mary St., Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario M4Y 1P9
Phone: 416-923-1423
Fax: 416-923-1509

Contact the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario online here

Cardinal Thomas Collins, President
Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario
Phone: 416-934-0606, ext. 609
Fax: 416-934-3452
archbishop@archtoronto.org

Contact OECTA online here.

                        
James Ryan, President                            Kevin O'Dwyer, Past President

1 comment:

  1. OECTA is Catholic in name only. The default life operating system of OECTA is secularism, not Catholicism. It (OECTA), like simple simon, will go as the world goes. I wonder how long will Catholic school boards continue this Catholic charade.

    ReplyDelete