Homeschoolers vs. Goliath
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.
At the beautiful, historic Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá, I found the “Care for Our Common Home ministry.” This is an environmentalist group that ties itself to the papal encyclical Laudato Si’. The website says that it seeks to carry out the steps of the Diocese of San Diego’s 2021 “Creation Care Action Plan,” a 55-page document that, in various ways, takes up the cause of “environmental justice.” It claims to “respond to the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth” by outlining ways to reduce energy, conserve water, recycle, buy and share food and reduce food waste, support “clean energy,” protect watersheds and wildlife, and is dedicated to “advocating for the earth and the poor,” among other things.
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Article from LewRockwell
LewRockwell.com is a libertarian website that publishes articles, essays, and blog posts advocating for minimal government, free markets, and individual liberty. The site was founded by Lew Rockwell, an American libertarian political commentator, activist, and former congressional staffer. The website often features content that is critical of mainstream politics, state intervention, and foreign policy, among other topics. It is a platform frequently used to disseminate Austrian economics, a school of economic thought that is popular among some libertarians.
