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Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, Diocese of San Diego

By Emily Finley, Crisis Magazine, Oct. 1, 2024

Emily Finley holds a PhD in Politics from The Catholic University of America. Find her on Substack at https://efinley.substack.com/.

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.

What is interesting about the recent statement in the San Diego diocese banning homeschoolers from using parish facilities is that it opens with, “parents are the first teachers of their children,” yet it concludes with, “homeschooling is not inherently a ministry of the parish.” If parents are the first teachers of their children, shouldn’t that all-important and sacred duty be a ministry of the parish?

Perhaps I am confused about what “ministry” means. We are all aware of the usual sacramental ministries, the Knights of Columbus, and the traditional spiritual ministries, but what are the others? I went to the websites of a few parishes in San Diego. I’ll list a few of my findings here to give you an idea of what the parishes in that diocese do support as ministries. …

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