If You Send Your Child to Catholic School,Then Bring Them to Mass

Catholic education is a gift - a sacrifice parents make to provide their children with a foundation of truth, virtue, and the love of Christ. But the classroom is only half the story. If we’re truly serious about forming strong Catholic families and raising children to know and love God, then we cannot stop at the school gate. We must return, as families, to the heart of Catholic life: the Sunday Mass.

Faith Without Worship is Incomplete

You might ask: isn’t a Catholic school enough? It’s not. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear: “The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s life” (CCC 2177). Mass is not just a requirement, it’s where heaven touches earth, where families are fed by the Word and the Eucharist, and where children learn what it means to be part of the Body of Christ.

Catholic school plants the seeds. But without weekly Mass, the soil is dry. Without a living relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist, faith becomes just another subject, rather than the reason for living.

The Data is Clear: Mass Matters

A study from CARAVAN/Equinox Research found that children who attend religious services regularly are more likely to report higher levels of happiness, forgiveness, and purpose later in life.

Harvard University echoed this in a 2018 study, finding that young people raised with regular religious practices are significantly less likely to suffer from depression or engage in risky behaviors like drug use, early sexual activity, or delinquency.

Just as importantly, families who attend Mass together build stronger emotional bonds. The National Study of Youth and Religion showed that teenagers who worship regularly with their parents are more likely to retain their faith into adulthood. Catholic school without Catholic worship leaves a dangerous spiritual gap.

What Scripture Tells Us

The Bible makes the call clear:

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:25).
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8).
Jesus Himself said: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).

Sending our children to Catholic school is a noble choice, but what does it teach them if we skip the very Source and Summit of our faith on Sunday?

Lead by Example

Children imitate what they see, not just what they hear. When parents prioritize Sunday Mass, children learn that faith is more than rules or rituals - it’s a real relationship with God. They see that God is not just an idea, but a Person we come to worship and love in community.

What You Can Do Today

Start fresh this Sunday - bring your family to Mass, no matter how long it’s been.
Talk about what you experienced - the readings, the homily, and the Eucharist.
Pray together afterward, even if it’s simple. Faith isn’t a switch, it’s a habit.

If you’re already investing in Catholic education, finish the good work by making Mass the foundation of your week. Your children deserve not just a Catholic mind, but a Catholic heart.

And they will thank you for it one day. Not just for the school, but for showing them where real grace is found - in the Holy Mass, together, as a family.