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Dear Friends and Benefactors,
At this time of year, as the
children are filled with the excitement of a new school year, our thoughts are
filled with one of the more important aspects of life; the proper education of
our children. Indeed down through the ages various Popes have expressed their
concern for education and have often reminded parents of the gravity of their
obligation to attend to the Christian education of their children not only in
Catholic schools but also at home.
A beautiful home may be
constructed from without; but a happy home must be built from within. Only the
parents’ love for their children can create the atmosphere of a true home, and
this love must be nurtured by the proper Christian training of the young. Since
the young absorb much from their atmosphere, the atmosphere in good Christian
homes needs to radiate Christian goodness and peace. Just as a mold into which
hot metal is poured determines the shape of the article desired, so does the
atmosphere or character of a family, or home, determine the formation of the
child’s mentality and morals. Their minds become stamped with what strikes their
young powers of observation. Exhortations to be good do not remain with young
people as long as do actual examples of Catholic living. Living with Mammon
speaks louder to them than merely hearing about God.
Consistent Catholic practices in
the home go far toward establishing young people in Christian doctrine and
morals. Parents must be solicitous to instill in their children from their
earliest years a holy fear of God and true Christian piety. They should foster
love by true devotion to Jesus, the Blessed Sacrament and the Immaculate Virgin
Mary. Good statues and holy pictures make our Lord and His Blessed Mother at
home in the hearts and lives of growing boys and girls. Simple daily prayers and
religious practices, such as the family rosary, have a profound bearing on the
formation of that total Christian environment which is so fruitful in the
production of Christ-like character in youth. These practices also help to
form the conscience, which is the guiding principle for all morality and good
order; without it license takes root and thrives, leading to all sorts of evil
doing and disorder. (The Popes on Youth, p. 232)
They will help children to
obtain the proper reverence which their state of dependence demands and which is
one of the most difficult problems facing parents in raising children. If in the
family this reverence is lacking, the effects will spill over into social and
public life; as is evident in society today.
Children must also be taught
their duties, told about them, and exhorted to them; this is a continual, never
ending part of family life. Parents cannot escape this watchfulness; it belongs
to the married life and cannot be separated from it. Once again the example
speaks louder than words.
Thoroughness is another point
that ought to claim much attention on the part of parents. Children ought to be
taught to finish what they begin, to do well what they are supposed to do, to
take pains in perfecting as far as they can what duty demands of them. If they
do not form good habits of being thorough in small things they will not be so in
the big things later in life.
There is also the question of
honesty. Parents should not wait till the child has gotten into a habit of
dishonesty, but should warn of it beforehand and correct it immediately whenever
it occurs, exhorting to honesty, and suggesting both natural and supernatural
motives. What is especially required in the sense of honesty is justice, giving
to each man and above all to God their due.
This formation by and in the
family is so important. Pius XII speaking to parents said:
Those parents merit much from
the Church and society, who, conscious of their great responsibilities, exert
themselves to become the first educators of their children; by word and
example inciting to every Christian doctrine and showing their children how to
practice their faith in their ordinary lives. But those parents who do not
feel this responsibility and do not regulate their lives by the norms of the
gospels, think only of religion as some accessory thing or as something which
may easily be tossed aside.
The education and formation of youth may at times seem
overwhelming to parents but they must keep in mind that God’s assistance to
carry on in this most noble task is assured them through the grace of the
Sacraments. This grace, which is nothing less than the participation of the
divine nature, is what gives man true nobility, as Tobias says to his young
wife: "We are the children of saints" (Tob.8:5).
So let us all take courage and
continue striving to form our children into truly noble Christian souls so that
we can have truly Christian families. This should be our goal. For the truly
Christian home is the vestibule, which leads to Christ’s heavenly mansion, where
families will one-day dwell with the Holy Family.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. John D. Fullerton
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