The recent article relating to the current admissions policy at St Josephs Catholic School in Epsom is a classic example of how all over the country the Catholic faith is being sold as a consumer product rather than a way of life.
As a Catholic myself who in fact attended St Josephs school as a child I am so pleased that this issue has been published to the wider local public making more people aware of this appalling practice which is both an insult to the Catholic Church and society as a whole.
It is well known within the Catholic Church (which has some absolutely fantastic primary schools with exceptional Ofsted reports up and down the country) that parents with small children often pop up out of nowhere in order to attend mass simply with the intention of gaining a place for their child in the local primary school.
It is also well known that many of these individuals disappear from the church community and regular mass congregations as soon as their child's admission has been confirmed - often only returning at Christmas, Easter and First Holy Communion - after which many seem to disappear off the face of the earth all together!
It probably goes without saying that senior Catholic clergy in England and Wales have few concerns with this as the sustained numbers of temporary members of church communities help to boost the declining numbers of mass-goers and practicing Catholics. An equilibrium of numbers is clearly maintained through when parents who have gained admission to the local Catholic primary school through mass attendance at the local Catholic parish stop attending mass and new parents who desire admission for their children to the school enter the doors of the church to begin the appalling process.
The Catholic Church should be a way of life and mass attendance should be through choice but should not simply be a gateway to enable parents to gain admission for their children to the local primary school.
Local schools should serve the local communities and the Catholic Church should be built as a strong worship-orientated body that strives to be inclusive and a home for those who really want to be part of the community, not just the here today, gone tomorrow, brigade of individuals who simply want their children to receive a good education in the local primary school.
Donato Tallo
Epsom
- Send your letters to: letters@epsomguardian.co.uk
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