They are not hard to pick out at daily Mass. They are the parents with the procession of children following them down the communion line. The number of families choosing to homeschool has been steadily growing over the last 10 years. The most common reason given for choosing to homeschool is the desire to provide religious or moral instruction, hence, the increase of children attending daily Mass.
With parents wanting to give their kids the best religious and moral education, you might expect Catholic homeschoolers to have plenty of support from their parishes, but unfortunately this is not always the case. One of the challenges homeschoolers have is finding a location that will allow them to gather for their different activities. With the parish facilities closed to them, oftentimes homeschoolers end up feeling disconnected and opt for online support groups where they can connect with other families. Some might even seek secular or non-denominational Christian support groups; but for most Catholic homeschoolers the need to connect with other Catholic families is a priority that they may have trouble meeting.
This is the reason Families in Support of Catholic Home Education (FISCHE) was founded. For the last 10 years, FISCHE has been working to bring Catholic homeschooling families together as well as helping to build relationships at the parish and Diocesan level. Through this collaboration, it has become increasingly clear that the homeschoolers who receive support from their parish have the largest homeschooling community. However, because these parishes are few and far between and Catholic homeschoolers are scattered throughout the Diocese, new or prospective Catholic homeschoolers may not know where to go for support—until now.
2012 Blessing Mass
On March 9, 2013, FISCHE is hosting Inspiration Catholic Homeschool Conference. With participation from the Diocese and local homeschool groups, Inspiration hopes to bring Catholic homeschoolers and those considering homeschooling together into one inspiring event. There will be a great line-up of speakers and a large variety of curriculum, shared by Catholic homeschoolers themselves. Inspiration’s mission is to inspire, encourage, and unite Catholic homeschoolers from the Diocese of Austin and surrounding areas as well as to provide resources for continued support.
For more information on Inspiration Catholic Conference, please visit the website www.inspirationconference.org.
::Becky lives in Pflugerville with her husband Tony and 8 of her 11 children. Together they homeschool 7 of their kids and enjoy studying and teaching Theology of the Body. Becky is the owner and coordinator of FISCHE. You can follow her blog at Becky’s World .::
