A mother wrote to us and reported that at the school, her son’s class first had to listen to nonsense about satanic Halloween from a catechist. Then the English teacher repeated similar rubbish during the language lesson.
“I can understand that the catechist has been instructed by a bishop or some other superior to spout this nonsense, but for a teacher in a secular school to say the same stupid things during an English lesson? I believe she wasted time and should make up for that lesson by teaching the children what she is supposed to. She should keep her dubious beliefs to herself and not misinform children during a lesson where, in addition to vocabulary and grammar, they learn about Anglo-Saxon history and culture. I ask: if a geography teacher believed that the Earth was flat, would they also have to inform the children about it during their lesson?”
We advised the outraged mother to report the matter to the school principal, and we remind the English teacher that the name Halloween is an abbreviation of “All Hallow’s Evening,” that is, the eve of All Saints’ Day. Christians around the world have celebrated the Triduum of All Saints since as early as the 8th century AD. The three-day observance includes All Hallows’ Eve (Hallowe’en), All Saints’ Day (All Hallows’) and All Souls’ Day, lasting from October 31 to November 2. It is a time to remember the dead and the saints.
And what do you think about Halloween?