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A PARISH SCHOOL
St. Frances de
Chantal School
is a parish
school and
therefore a
vital part of
the overall
mission of our
parish, which is
to preach the
gospel of Jesus
Christ and to
help make the
kingdom of God
present in our
community. A
primary way we
do this is
through the
worship life of
the parish,
especially the
celebration of
the Eucharist
and the other
sacraments of
the Church.
All learning
that takes place
in our school
occurs in an
environment that
is shaped by the
Gospel message.
We teach our
children about
our Catholic
faith and also
about the
responsibilities
we assume by
virtue of our
baptism to live
out our faith.
An important
part of that
responsibility
is to
participate in
the celebration
of the Eucharist
every Sunday and
holy day of
obligation.
The Eucharist,
which celebrates
the dying and
rising of
Christ, is
central to our
Catholic faith.
Jesus left us
the Eucharist as
a source of
nourishment and
strength to
enable us to
live our
baptismal
commitment.
Jesus tells us
in St. John’s
Gospel that he
is the Bread of
Life and that
“unless you eat
of the flesh of
the Son of Man
and drink of His
blood, you do
not have life
within you.”
When we do not
regularly
participate in
the Eucharist,
we cut ourselves
off from the
very source of
our spiritual
life. When our
children do not
participate,
they are missing
a crucial part
of their
religious
formation.
Parents are the
primary
religious
educators of
their children.
The school helps
to reinforce the
values that
children learn
at home in the
context of
family life. We
certainly
instruct
children about
attendance at
Mass, but that
message must
come first and
foremost from
parents and be
reinforced by
the example of
regular
attendance at
Mass by the
parents
themselves.
Parents who do
not make it
possible for
their children
to attend Mass
each week are
being negligent
and are not
being faithful
to the
commitment they
made on the day
of their child’s
baptism to
insure that
their child will
learn and live
the faith to
which they were
baptized.
We call upon our
parents to take
most seriously
the obligation
we have as
Catholics to
attend the
weekly
celebration of
the Eucharist
and to work
along with our
school in
instilling the
importance and
value of the
practice in the
lives of their
children.
Children in our
school who are
not of the
Catholic faith
are encouraged
to worship
regularly in
their respective
faith traditions
and will be
required to
participate in
all liturgical
functions that
take place
during the
school day.
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