Catholic schools charge parents extra to teach the ethos of the Catholic faith. Unlike other educational institutions, the Catholic school system is independent but runs with the assistance of state aid. If Catholic teachings are not taught (or even worse, twisted or falsified), parents should not pay school fees for the tuition of their children. If you are not getting what you expect for your money, why should you pay school fees? No doctrine, no dollar.

Sadly, the educational and church leaders of the Diocese of Parramatta we entrust the religious education of our children to, are the very ones who are abusing that trust – using your school fees. And they are afraid of being called to account.

1. Bishop Vincent Long is implementing the Leuven Curriculum under Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD) executive director Jack de Groot. This curriculum (in different forms) has already been rejected by Catholic parents three times, when the CSPD (then the CEDP) implemented “draft” religious education curriculums, which led to calls for Bishop Vincent Long's resignation in the Daily Telegraph.

This Leuven Curriculum is fundamentally flawed because:

• It lacks a strong Catholic foundation, compromising the essential element of religious education that our Catholic schools have long provided.
• It challenges the idea that there is such a thing as objective truth (such as the truths found in the words of Jesus about God in the Bible, for example) and instead encourages students to show their distinctiveness and “give shape to their personal identity”
• It fails to integrate fundamental Catholic teachings based on the Bible, scripture, the Sacraments and the catechism of the Catholic Church.

Our children deserve an education that fosters their spiritual growth and deepens their understanding and practice of our faith – and not an education based on academic pseudo-theology and principles which are essentially hostile to the Catholic faith.

2. Bishop Vincent Long continues to defy Pope Francis' instruction (both formally and informally) that Catholic schools are not allowed to teach gender ideology. 

Under the misguided label of "inclusivity" Bishop Long has strayed from what Pope Francis has reiterated and what Scripture teaches: that homosexuality is a sin. And it is wrong to teach it to our children.

Many schools across the Diocese are pushing gender ideology on our children. This is done with the full support of Bishop Vincent Long, who has led the creation of a Diocese of Parramatta LGBTIQA+ Pastoral Ministry Support Group (approved by the Curia of the Diocese of Parramatta). A leaked document explicitly states that the group is set up to "support diocesan agencies, parishes and schools in creating language and realities around being explicitly welcoming and inclusive" and this document was distributed to principals and religious education coordinators for the Diocese. 

What LGBTIQA+ “language and realities” do Bishop Long want to teach to our Catholic schoolchildren? Shouldn’t the language and realities taught to our children be based on the Bible and sacred scripture?

While we support our brothers and sisters in need of spiritual pastoring, indoctrinating our children and pushing gender ideology on our children – using our school fees – is not acceptable.

3. Schools and churches are teaching children prayers, practices and traditions which are not in line with the Catholic faith. One of the more common traditions is an Aboriginal smoking ceremony – a pagan ceremony that is potentially dangerous from a spiritual perspective, as confirmed by priests and exorcists. These smoking ceremonies are also conducted under the guise of "inclusivity" and have been held at multiple schools within the Diocese and even at churches including St Patricks Cathedral.

Another example of Catholic teachings being twisted and perverted in Diocese Schools can be found at Parramatta Marist High School, where students learned the "Aboriginal Our Father". Shouldn't they be learning "The Lord's Prayer" as taught by Our Lord Jesus Christ?

What parents need to do
Multiple emails have been sent to CSPD executive director Jack de Groot, CSPD board members and Bishop Vincent Long regarding parent’s concerns. Despite requests for a response, none has been forthcoming.

Unless parents take a stand through non-payment of school fees, this will get worse. If you are against paying school fees based on the above three points, please sign this petition. 

Please, pass this petition on to any other parents of schoolchildren in the Diocese of Parramatta. Many are unaware of what is being taught (and what they want to teach) to your children. It is indoctrination and abuse, and it is our duty to defend our children against those who would indoctrinate and abuse them (using our own money).