The Sunday School

Wherever there is a Sunday school attached to a parish, whether it be for all the children of the parish, or only for such as do not attend the parochial school, the respective parents are obliged to send their children to it.

The children are bound to attend it up to such an age or such a degree of proficiency, as is fixed by the Pastor.

Parents or guardians should invariably accompany their children when they desire them to be admitted to Sunday school, that the Priest or superintendent may make the acquaintance of both the children and their parents.

Children that have received their first Holy Communion or have been confirmed, p. 72must, as a rule, still attend Sunday school until they have learned a larger catechism and the Bible-History, or have completed such an age as is fixed by the Pastor for their dismissal.

Parents should be acquainted with the teachers of their children. They should visit them occasionally, and make inquiries about their children. They should call upon them, especially when there is any trouble in regard to a child.

The parents must see to it that the children study the catechism during the week, spending some time at it every day along with their other lessons. Do not permit the children to put off their catechism-lesson until the end of the week or even until Sunday morning.

Parents must, moreover, sign the reports that are sent to them from the Sunday school; send a written excuse to the teachers when their children have been absent through any cause, or go in person to explain.

As the Sunday school has but little time accorded to it to accomplish the difficult task of instructing children in such an important and arduous branch of learning as the knowledge and practice of religion, the parents must be extremely particular in sending their children punctually and not allow them easily to miss a single instruction.

Let parents be grateful to the ladies and gentlemen who voluntarily assume the burden of instructing their children. Let them remember that these persons are volunteer teachers without compensation, taken from every avocation of life, often ill-suited to the task they are to perform, but doing, as a rule, the best they can; that they are often tired and worn out on Sunday, after a week’s hard work, and are frequently sacrificing their week’s rest and recreation in the cause of Christian doctrine.

Parents who have the choice of sending their children to a parochial school, where p. 73they are instructed in their religion daily by professional teachers of Christian Doctrine, should be the more easily satisfied with the pains that volunteer teachers take with the children once a week, and should be the more willing to overlook defects, which must necessarily exist under such meagre auspices of imparting Christian instruction.

The average Parish-Priest is very much occupied on Sunday. He cannot easily manage a large concourse of children in as short a space of time, as is usually allotted to Sunday school work, and at the same time do full justice to their religious instruction and training, attend to all their many calls upon him, as well as to those of their teachers and parents.

The average Sunday school must always remain at best a mere substitute and an apology for a parochial school.

Under these conditions, parents must not easily find fault with the Pastor and his staff of Sunday school teachers, but must rather strive to assist them by their own conscientiousness in observing the rules of the Sunday school, in sending their children punctually to its sessions and services, and in aiding the Pastor and teachers by also instructing the children themselves, or at least by supervising their catechism-lessons at home.