No God in school?

A recent article in thejournal.ie lamented the fact that catechesis is a required course for Catholic schools. It is possible for parents to request their children to opt out of catechesis in some schools, but parents are nevertheless complaining that when this is done, their child is made to feel underprivileged and out of place. Another parent who also requested exemption for his child from the catechism, found this was insufficient because of the prayers, Masses, and other religious activities that are part and parcel of life at a Catholic school.

It seems that people have either forgotten or overlooked the fact that the Church’s primary concern is and always has been the salvation of souls. If any work directed or sponsored by Her falls short of Her raison d’etre and the primary concern becomes something else, it becomes a social work rather than a supernatural one.

Over the course of the history of the Church, when missionaries set out to evangelize different parts of the world, if they were not put to death, they would strive to establish schools to educate the youth. Not only does the discipline and education of a school provide a good foundation for the supernatural truths of the Faith, but it is also much more effective and formative if the children learn to know and love these truths from a young age.

If Catholic schools lay aside catechesis in the name of religious liberty, how is this still be a work of the Church?

The full article cited can be found here