Keeping the FAITH
As numbers attending the traditional Sunday Mass dwindle, demands for spots in New Zealand’s Catholic schools are through the roof. Deena Coster reports.
Although he is a man of faith, Father Simon Story can still feel dismay.
As a senior Catholic priest in Taranaki, families approach him for the religious endorsement required to get into a Catholic school. However, come Sunday morning Mass, those same families are often nowhere to be seen.
‘‘It definitely is disheartening when parents seem to think that attending a Catholic school is all that is required to demonstrate a Catholic faith.’’
He believes attendance at church on Sunday is at the core of Catholic life. ‘‘When people miss that key point, it’s definitely disappointing.’’
But it is the increasing reality. ‘‘By far, the majority of Catholics don’t practice their faith anyway,’’ Father Story admits.
While Christianity, including Catholicism, remains the largest overall religious grouping in New Zealand, 2018 Census data says about 48.2 per cent of Kiwis, or 2.2 million people, report they don’t have a religion.
This represents a massive increase in non-believers since 2001, when the same figure sat at 29.6 per cent.
However, demand for spots in Catholic schools remains high, with waiting lists in place for some.
Catholic schools have maximum set rolls and only a small percentage of their students, usually about 5 per cent, can be accepted as ‘‘nonpreference’’.
Principals manage enrolments into Catholic schools but students need a preference certificate signed by a priest or bishop as part of the process.
Some of the criteria for preference includes a child being baptised or preparing to be, that at least one parent is Catholic and the child’s participation at school could lead to the parents having the child baptised or that one, or both parents, are preparing to become Catholic.
The New Zealand Catholic Education Office (NZCEO) says about 8.5 per cent of primary and secondary students in New Zealand attend at the nation’s 237 Catholic schools, which equates to about 70,000 students.
NZCEO chief executive officer Paul Ferris says there is no data which outlines how many students are turned away from a spot within the Catholic education system but the demand was high.
Making sure the enrolment rules are adhered with is governed pretty tightly too.
He says schools that have more students than agreed to are referred to NZCEO by the Ministry of Education to take action.
‘‘Our office contacts the proprietor to support them in developing a plan to bring that number back to the agreed number.’’
So why the gap between the appeal of a Catholic education and those who actively practice the faith?
The largest proportion of Catholic school students live in Auckland. A spokeswoman for the city’s diocese says there ‘‘certainly is a discrepancy between the proportion of active Catholics and those demanding entry to our schools’’.
But it is in no way a new phenomenon.
She says it was ‘‘quite complex’’ to understand why non-participating Catholic parents want an education steeped in the faith for their children.
‘‘There are many reasons why the practice of a person’s faith may have become dormant. Yet many have not lost their faith, and still want the values they hold dear to be part of their children’s formation in an increasingly secular society in which selfinterest and lack of respect and tolerance for others are becoming more prevalent.’’
She says when there are long waiting lists for Catholic schools, parents know priority is given to those who take their religion seriously and are actively engaged in church life.
‘‘Our Catholic primary schools are closely associated with the local parish and it is quite common for parents who are not engaged with the Catholic community to return to active participation as a result of their involvement with the school and the parish community.
‘‘There is also the matter of giving example to their children, who are very aware of the pretence and hypocrisy involved when parents don’t practice what they preach.’’
Father Story, who is based in New Plymouth, says patronage of Catholic schools in Taranaki such as Francis Douglas Memorial College is strong.
‘‘We do hear that parents often like a smaller size of school and therefore classroom. They like the family feel that Catholic schools offer.
‘‘I think parents pick up on that. They like that and want that for their children,’’ he says.
When he talks to parents he reiterates that baptism is a choice to take on the Christian life and faith and that parents agreed to support their children on that pathway.
‘‘If there is some disingenuous motivation behind it, it’s not really for me to make a call on that.
‘‘It comes down to their own integrity and authenticity as a person.’’
He does not think an ‘‘interrogation’’ of their intentions is appropriate anyway and he found that Catholic school enrolment can actually provide a gateway for some families back into the church. ‘‘Definitely there would be a large number of families included in that bracket.’’
In a written response to a series of questions on the topic, a group of five New Plymouth Catholic principals acknowledged their schools were experiencing roll growth.
It is their view the Catholic population is increasing nationally, influenced by ‘‘a broadening multi-cultural population in Aotearoa/New Zealand’’ who come to the country with a strong faith tradition.
It’s a similar trend seen in Auckland, where families from the Philippines, India and the Pacific are boosting the Catholic numbers there.
The Taranaki principals say that at a parish level, the Catholic identity is not always clear.
‘‘Some identify with the church and seldom or never attend. In a similar manner, the demand for schools is an identification with Catholic values, but not necessarily in a traditional way.’’
Parents have ‘‘different motivations’’ regarding their choice of school for their offspring.
‘‘The majority of parents want to do something good for their children. They want to give them something of value that they also possess. For families that have drifted away from the church, baptism of their children is often the way back to the parish through the school,’’ the principals say.
As Catholic schools are ‘‘communities of faith’’ it was not unusual for families to be attached to a school and not the parish, but
it was also important not to presume a person can engage theologically, emotionally and psychologically beyond where they are able to do so.
‘‘Therefore, the ultimate goal of the school is not to put ‘bums on seats’ – it is to evangelise.’’
Father Story says part of the solution to boosting numbers turning up at Mass lay with the church congregation itself.
‘‘I think the Catholic community needs to be more welcoming and inclusive of people who are not used to the church culture.’’
He sees music and hospitality as two ways to help make the church relevant to newcomers.
It is hard to discount the social change communities across the world have undergone over the decades and the influence this has on people’s view of religion, coupled with the Catholic Church’s own widely publicised sexual abuse scandals, its patriarchal structure and longstanding, negative stance on issues like abortion.
‘‘You can agree or disagree with the church about its moral teachings but in the end it’s secondary (to a person’s relationship with God),’’ Father Story says.