“Since parents have given children their life, they are bound by the most serious obligation to educate their offspring and therefore must be recognized as the primary and principal educators. This role in education is so important that only with difficulty can it be supplied where it is lacking. Parents are the ones who must create a family atmosphere animated by love and respect for God and man, in which the well-rounded personal and social education of children is fostered.”
I am frequently amazed at how seriously many parents take this responsibility which God has given them. Some parents have clearly made the formation of their children in the ways of the faith the absolute top priority in their lives. I find this to be especially true among most of those in the home schooling community…
…I cannot emphasize this point strongly enough. Far too often, it seems that parents hand over the responsibility that is primarily theirs to Catholic school teachers or parish catechists. These are there to assist the parents and augment the education, faith formation, and example that the children receive in the home, within the family…
…The bottom line is that the primary responsibility of parents is not to get their children into the best schools and universities so that they can be “successful” in the world. Their primary duty is to do everything within their power to help get their children into heaven, plain and simple. That is what the Lord will be interested in at the end of our life, and that is what parents solemnly promised before Him on the day of their children’s baptism.
I thank parents from the bottom of my heart for taking this responsibility seriously. I fully realize that it is a very challenging task to raise children in this current cultural climate. You do the best you can, recognizing the free will God gave your children, and trusting that the seeds you have planted in the home will bear fruit one day in the faith lives of your children. God bless you, and please know that you are in my prayers!
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