NEGLECT OF THE CATHOLIC HOME

Home Essential to our Schools
Sir,—lt was good to read the pastoral of Bishop Flynn, the article of Miss Cahill, of Fr. Rorke, S.J., reminding us of the importance of Catholic homes and families: that children should imbibe religion at home and that fathers and mothers should rear and nurture the spiritual life of their children by good example and oral teaching. Recently, you published many letters about the leakage. The root Sir.—I would like to thank you cause was variously named : the for your recent leading article absence of youth clubs, girl guides " Faith in a Sea of Secularism," and boy scouts; the catechism itand for Fr. Rorke's" Give Children self, the methods of teaching same, Back to their Parents."
etc., etc. Only, who will teach us what Thank God in your issues you to teach our children. and how?
are reminding us of the institution I am a convert. married to a nonof the Pamily, the natural basis of Catholic and the mother of three society, a basis supernaturalised by young sons. Two are at school, the Sacrament of Matrimony. We but not Catholic schools. I do try have been spending and continue to teach them to pray, and I do to spend millions of pounds on try to get them along to Mess on school buildings, while meanwhile Sunday—not an easy job. But 1 true Catholic family life has been am a lazy Catholic myself and yet declining. In any big city many I do want to bring them up to love " very Catholic " children have God and practise their Faith. "lapsed " while still at school and do not even make their Easter duties, despite valiant efforts by priests and teachers.
Another Mother
I always buy THE CATHOLIC HERALD when I go to church now. Will you continue to try and include •articles which will help willing but rather weak mothers like myself to foster the Faith in our children ? Will you tell us of books which we can read to the children Will you, finally, continue to inspire us and rouse us from our apathy?
U. T.
The cause of this lies in the homes of the children—one parent a non-Catholic and the Catholic not practising. Mixed marriages are taken for granted—even when the Catholic party has not been practising for years.
Sunday after Sunday at some stated time. there is a sort of mass Baptism of the children of good Catholics, of had Catholics, of Catholics married outside the Church — children whose older brothers and sisters attend nonCatholic schools, never enter church and cannot even say the Hail Mary. These are the seed of present and future leakage.
Would it not help if priests refused to eccept the application for a mixed marriage when the Catholic is already lapsed; would it not help if priests refused to baptise children of whose Catholic rearing and schooling there were no moral certainty or even hope? Perhaps gradually, after a first nominal loss, we could build up truly Catholic homes and teachers in our schools would teach children who catch " religion from the good example of father and mother.
When we have good Catholic homes, the money on schools will be well spent—not before !
A Midlands Parish Priest