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Do You Think Homeschooling Contributes To Religious Vocation?


LightofMary

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I wonder what you think of this? More and more people are choosing to home school their children. DO you know of anyone who was homeschooled and entered religious life?

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cmotherofpirl

[quote name='LightofMary' date='25 February 2010 - 07:46 PM' timestamp='1267141582' post='2063016']
I wonder what you think of this? More and more people are choosing to home school their children. DO you know of anyone who was homeschooled and entered religious life?
[/quote]
I think it of course depends on the values instilled by the family in question, just because you homeschool doesn't mean you are a good parent. Its a perfect way to hide child abuse from authorities. With that caveat however, I think homeschooling could indeed go far in fostering vocations in children, because they can be surrounded by faithful loving family members and friends and their exposure to the garbage offered in many public schools minimized.

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At the same time, just because you've been homeschooled doesn't mean you're going to have the call. I'm of the opinion that if God really wants you, He's going to let you know regardless of the circumstances. My chaplain felt his call while working as a bartender. :hehe:

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txdinghysailor

I think that homeschooling generally lends itself to helping someone discern the right vocation. Whether that's to the religious life or not depends on the person, and on what God wants for them. But I think that homeschooling makes people more open to religious vocation.

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brightsadness

I was homeschooled and it was good. I had the type of positive experience
CMom described. I think the nurture of the homechurch and extended church family is foundational in my life of faith. I am currently discerning a religious vocation which is not what anyone, including me, might have expected. Especially during my college years.

Edited by brightsadness
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homeschoolmom

My pastor is the former vocations director of our archdiocese. I have to think that he thinks it does-- he atteneded the Catholic homeschool convention every year since I started attending (until he became our pastor and got too busy... :sadwalk: )

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No, I don't think homeschooling really plays a big part in the vocations boom. Most of the religious I know (and I know a TON of them, literally, partly because I used to be one) were not home schooled. I was, but I was not in the majority.

And as a side note, many of the religious I know did not come from good families, either. A lot of them are kind of black sheep. The religious vocation is really a phenomenon that draws many people to God who would not otherwise come close to him (i.e., through family members who are religious). Yes, good families nurture their kids to follow their vocation, but a lot of people find their vocation to the religious life without having had that advantage.

Edited by Totus Tuus
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This is part of the results shown in the CARA study on Vocation and Religious Life: http://cara.georgetown.edu/

73% Raised Catholic

73% Attended Catholic School

50% Attended Parish Based Religious Education

14% (1 in 7) born since 1982 were homeschooled.

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Ephrem Augustine

I was not homeschooled. I went to Catholic elementary school. I went to non-Catholic public high school. I went to public community college. I still ended up in religious life.

I was baptized as a baby, and put off confirmation until I was eighteen.

But who is to say that public school, home school, or even catholic school will result in a vocation.

What about minorities?

If you look at the population of Philippino Catholics in the US its like four percent, and then vocations is like seven percent. If you look at the population of Vietnamese Catholics in the US its like five percent, and then vocations are like twelve percent. I think if Religious Catholics had more outreach to minorities in this country that would increase Vocations, considering some of these groups are already intensely devout.

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laetitia crucis

I've known several Sisters that come from really good (and big) Catholic families that homeschooled their children. I suppose I'd say it just really depends on the parents. After all, they are truly the first catechists in a family. If they form their children well in the faith and practice this faith devoutly as well, then it seems only natural that discernment of one's vocation would be part of that upbringing, right?

I remember asking my bishop about the whole "vocation crisis" and what he thought could be one of the issues contributing to this. One of the really interesting things he said was, "Growing up, all throughout school, especially in Catholic schools, it was just a natural progression of thought that many of us young men went through. It was completely [i]normal[/i] to discern if God was calling you to the priesthood. It was spoken about in classes, in families, and among friends. However, now there just isn't that exposure and open communication. Many don't even know it's an option to discern. This is something we need to work on."

In homeschooling, it seems that if vocations are looked upon positively, the environment to even spark that initial discernment is there. A homeschooled young person perhaps is more likely to at least think about the possibility of a vocation compared to someone that has never been exposed to the idea, especially in a welcoming environment.

Anyhoo.. I guess all I"m trying to say is that, yes, I have personally known homeschooled religious, and yes, I think homeschooling can contribute to vocations. :hehe:

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[quote name='Ephrem Augustine' date='25 February 2010 - 10:20 PM' timestamp='1267154405' post='2063101']
I was not homeschooled. I went to Catholic elementary school. I went to non-Catholic public high school. I went to public community college. I still ended up in religious life.

I was baptized as a baby, and put off confirmation until I was eighteen.

But who is to say that public school, home school, or even catholic school will result in a vocation.

What about minorities?

If you look at the population of Philippino Catholics in the US its like four percent, and then vocations is like seven percent. If you look at the population of Vietnamese Catholics in the US its like five percent, and then vocations are like twelve percent. I think if Religious Catholics had more outreach to minorities in this country that would increase Vocations, considering some of these groups are already intensely devout.
[/quote]

I agree. God gives the vocation to religious life to anyone He chooses. But normally He works around natural means like family life, upbringing, environment, an event, etc, to sow the seed. But He is free to choose otherwise.

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I know a homeschooling phamily with phive girls, and at least phour of them are considering religious vocations. In fact, two have already entered...
That being said, I don't think the homeschooling was a major phactor. The phamily pushes vocations. Personally, I'm afraid the girls are almost afraid [i]not[/i] to enter a community - or at least apply. They have been raised very sheltered, and the parents are resisting the idea of sending them to college.
That's one extreme. In all the other homeschooling phamilies (and there are several in my parish) marriage and large phamilies is definitely the more prefered vocation.

Edited by FSM Sister
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JMJ
Several FSSP guy and Benedictine of Mary Queen of Apostles were homeschooled. I look at it as that in a homeschool house, major distractions are gone, ie; dating cliche's, prom gossip, who an have sex first groups, and a menagerie of other things, quite frankly. Yeah, you still have sibling rivalry and household problems, but it is much more toned down, and there is a moral fiddler. For me, I have much more prayer time, and I am enjoyinh being with my family for the last few years.

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