Welcome to
Our Group
HO
-PE
“God is light; In him there is no darkness...”
[1 John 1:5]
Welcome to our San Diego Catholic home educators' website.​​
Here you will find all information, media, and updates regarding the new
San Diego Diocesan Policy prohibiting Catholic homeschool co-ops from meeting
on parish properties.
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Scroll on for listings.
If you have an article or media link to share, please email links to the Administrator.
Why Are We Here?
The Catholic home educating communities of San Diego were surprised to suddenly find themselves greatly impacted by a new Policy published by The Diocese of San Diego regarding its Parish and Schools Usage and Facilities. While the Policy specifically impacts homeschool co-ops which have been welcomed by their pastors to use parish facilities, in reality the Policy impacts every Catholic home educating family in Diocese due to the apparent misunderstanding and misinterpretation of what precisely Catholic home education is and how it fulfills Catholic teaching and Canon Law.​​
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With this website we seek to:
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Centralize information including policy, statements, articles, media, and comments by respected voices in Catholic academia
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Offer guidance issued by pastoral leaders
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Share mutual efforts
Events
September 18, 2024
A group of Catholic co-op families were emailed by their pastor which read in part:
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A new policy from the Diocese of San Diego was announced on September 18 which directly affects the homeschooling community in our diocese. It’s not entirely clear when and how this new policy is to be implemented, so I’d like to encourage you toward a holding pattern for the time being. Let us join in prayer for our diocese and its leaders so that we may foster listening and communion. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done…”
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We later discovered that while the announcement was made on September 18th, the Policy Handbook shows the date of Item #33 as September 1st.
San Diego Diocesan Policy Handbook
Parish and Schools Usage and Facilities Policy
Item #33, 09/01/2024
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The purpose of parish facilities is to celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ and to serve the needs of the Catholic community. This includes the teaching mission of the Church.
Parish run schools and religious education programs are the primary means by which the Church accomplishes its teaching mission for children and young people.
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he use of parish facilities by charter schools, home school programs, or private school programs is prohibited, both because such usage can undermine the stability of nearby Catholic schools and lead people to think that the Church is approving and advancing particular alternative schools and programs.
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If a parish has a closed school building which is creating economic hardship, rental of the school to a non-Catholic educational program or school will be considered on a case-by-case basis with approval by the Bishop, always emphasizing that there are no conflicts in its mission with Catholic doctrine and that such a rental will not harm neighboring Catholic schools.
September 24, 2024
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Clarification was requested of the Curia by a Catholic school administrator and home educating parent. This is the response he received:
I write to acknowledge your message and thank you for taking the time to articulate your question.
Family co-op groups that exist to provide education that would otherwise be provided by a public school, a Catholic or other private school, or even a charter school, are included in what the policy considers a Home School Program.
A parochial ministry that exists only to supplement what is provided by any of the above, not replace it, would not fall within the purview [of] the policy.
In Christ’s peace,
ROD VALDIVIA
Vice Moderator of the Curia
September 26, 2024
The Catholic Diocese of San Diego website is updated to now include a link to this statement on its home page:
Cardinal's Statement on Home School Use of Parish Buildings
Within the past year, a number of home school cooperative or satellite programs have approached parishes within the Diocese of San Diego, seeking to establish programs on parish sites. Some of these programs have also sought to establish religious formation or sacramental preparation programs within the parish setting that are dedicated specifically for home school students. This has become a source of tension within the diocese.
Two weeks ago, the Diocese established a new policy on the use of parish buildings for educational programs. This policy was passed by the Presbyteral Council by a vote of thirteen to one and was approved by Cardinal McElroy.
Four principles underlay this policy:
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Catholic teaching makes clear that parents are the first teachers of their children in faith and in choosing the educational setting for their children.
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The historic ministry of Catholic schools lies at the center of the Church’s educational mission. In approaching the question of basing home school cooperatives in parishes, the vibrancy of our Catholic schools takes precedence. It must be recognized that the movement toward housing home school related activities in the parish will inevitably create the impression that the Church is endorsing a parallel educational model without the in-depth educational oversight that the Church carries out in its parochial school program.
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For Catholic children who do not attend Catholic schools, the parish should provide an integrated faith formation program which is normative for sacramental preparation in the parish. All students within the parish should participate in the same program together as a sign of the integrity of the community of faith. The Church blesses all of its children equally and blesses equally all of the choices that parents have made for their children.
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The Diocese supports the decision of a growing number of parents to choose home-schooling for their children. At the same time this support does not include a right for basing integral elements of home-schooling programs in parish settings. Home schooling is not inherently a ministry of the parish.
As a consequence, home school programs will not be provided designated special access to the parish facilities of the Diocese of San Diego.
Articles
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It is apparent that there is real division in the Church; banning the homeschoolers from church property has revealed that division far more than allowing them to use the space ever could have.
September 23, 2024
San Diego diocese bans homeschool group on parish properties
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Reposted by: CatholicCitizens.org; Catholic Culture; California Catholic Daily; Catholic Canada; HotAir; Christian Forums; Clerical Whispers; ThePatriotLight; Salvation & Prosperity;
September 27, 2024
Cardinal McElroy's diocese of San Diego orders homeschool groups removed from parishes
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Reposted by: ComlicitClergy.org; Free Republic;
Media
Commentary
September 27, 2024
Dr. Peter Kwasniewski
posted on Facebook while linking to The Pillar article
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Dr. Kwasniewski is a Catholic writer, speaker, publisher, composer, and former Professor at Wyoming Catholic College
September 27, 2024
Thomas W. Carroll
posted on LinkedIn while linking to The Pillar article
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Mr. Carroll is the former Superintendent of Schools, Archdiocese of Boston
​"The Pillar again has highlighted the tremendous contributions of homeschoolers in the future of the Church. If anything, I think they underestimate the impact of homeschooling on vocations.
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As many Catholic schools continue to become increasingly secularized, they will become a less important source of vocations. Wish-washy Catholicism doesn’t inspire vocations. It’s as simple as that.
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Lots of existing priests attended Catholic schools in the lead up to discerning a vocation, but many of these were schooled in an earlier era when Catholic schools were way more Catholic. Thus the exploding homeschooling movement ultimately will become a much larger source of new vocations than Catholic schools.
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I have been sounding the alarm about the watering down of Catholic schools for two reasons: one, lukewarm Catholic schools will not reverse the current stats of 86 percent of kids raised in Catholic families walking away from their faith by age 18; and, second, lukewarm Catholic schools don’t produce vocations.
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If we don’t fix this problem, there will be no Catholic Church in a generation. The warning signs are VERY obvious. I am amazed that few in the Church are taking this seriously.
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Thanks to The Pillar for their excellent reporting."
September 25, 2024
Thomas W. Carroll
posted on LinkedIn while linking to The Pillar article
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Mr. Carroll is the former Superintendent of Schools, Archdiocese of Boston
"I avoid the internecine battles within the Church like the plague, but the San Diego Diocese’s decision to kick homeschooling families out of parish space is too much. See The Pillar’s excellent reporting below for the details.
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At the same time homeschoolers are being kicked out of diocesan space, the Diocese of San Diego - according to The Pillar’s reporting — is willing on a case by case basis to rent out Catholic buildings to non-Catholic organizations.
The policy also overrides the ability of individual priests to take a different approach.
The Diocese of San Diego’s anti-homeschooling decision reflects a noxious strain within some in the institutional church to look down their noses at home schoolers - even though homeschooling families are doing a much better job raising faithful families than most Catholics and are a major source of future priests and religious sisters.
Similarly, those who attend the Traditional Latin Mass also are under attack by some within the Church.
I point this out as someone who doesn’t attend TLM masses — nor did I homeschool my children.
I spend most of my time recruiting faithful college graduates to serve as witnesses to our faith by becoming teachers in Catholic schools. Some of the most faithful people I have met in my life are homeschoolers or TLMers.
Homeschoolers often don’t send their children to diocesan schools because they correctly perceive that many diocesan Catholic schools are no longer very Catholic. The institutional Church should fix that problem before treating homeschoolers so shabbily.
Similarly, critics of TLMers should attend some TLM masses and realize that there is a huge and enthusiastic youth movement that craves the traditional sacred liturgy and is turned off by kumbaya music and ugly sterile 1970s church architecture.
Both movements have energy because some elements in the Church are not listening to them or addressing their needs — instead treating them like outcasts.
50 percent of children raised in Catholic families lose their faith by age 13 and a staggering 86 percent by age 18.
With that alarming failure rate as a backdrop, I am not sure why San Diego has decided to pick on devout Catholic families who are open to having lots of children and are earnestly attempting to ensure they remain close to God.
Lots of American bishops elsewhere understand this well. The Diocese of San Diego should reverse this policy.
Please reshare this post if you agree with me."
September 27, 2024
David Wither
posted on LinkedIn while reposting Mr. Carroll's comment of September 25th.
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Mr. Wither is the Past Board President, St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation
Well stated! From my own experience I can only surmise that this decision and resulting actions can only be driven by a fear of change and a crisis of leadership. Our whole education system is going to have to change to prepare our children for their future not our Baby Boomer past. In my own community we have a local battle over a school levy that would run for 37 years, that is until 2062. What is unfortunate is that most people react to the fear created by the lack of any vision (and leadership) for how things are going to change. Home schooling is just one option among a number of other viable options to traditional "in person classroom" education. The these alternative options are only going to get better and better and will continue to shift the shrinking student population away from traditional local public (and private) school systems. I hope your efforts to recruit more young people (strong Catholic young people) can link to organization like Young Catholic Professionals, Mission Driven Catholics and Tepeyac Leadership to help our Church leaders to develop a transformational leadership plan and delivery system that can take our Church into the world where our young people live. God bless you and your work.