Father Cuenin's Brandeis University appointment

Father Walter Cuenin's appointment to Brandeis as a chaplain should be, in my opinion, a cause for concern and prayer.

Back in September, I blogged on this article written by Father Cuenin, counseling Catholic parents who don't want to raise their children as Catholics.

"For interfaith couples who have chosen to raise their children within Judaism, problems with regard to not baptizing their children arise because traditions do not die easily. It would not be uncommon, for example, to have a relative, perhaps a grandmother or grandfather, who might be very upset that the baby is not baptized."

As I suggested last fall and insist on now, it could very well be that Grandma and Grandpa want their grandchildren to be...Catholic. It could be that the old geezers are on to something when they consider Catholicism to be the true faith.

I understand that Father Cuenin's intent in writing the article was to reassure parents that unbaptized babies don't necessarily go to Hell. But that's simply not the point. Catholic parents whose kids are students at Brandeis, which is a Jewish school, might understandably be concerned. Not because the school is Jewish! No, but because its newest Catholic chaplain evidently doesn't regard the failure to raise children of inter-religious marriages in Catholicism much of a big deal. In fact, he gives a blueprint on how to deal with those pesky relatives who dare to suggest that it is, in fact, a very big deal.