Our family went through the application process this year, all the way to our interview with the headmaster and our son attending St Monica for a day of classes.
We chose to apply because of proximity to our home, and because we were looking for a good Catholic school for junior high and high school. We had NO inkling that this Catholic school is NOT a normal Catholic school - and we were disturbed by what we found. Since applying to private schools takes up a lot of time and attention, I think this information is important to share.
St Monica was founded and is completely run by a group of far right fringe Catholics who reject mainstream Catholicism in favor of extremist Opus Dei views and practices. Yes, Opus Dei is the intensely secretive and controversial sect of Catholicism that was at the center of The Davinci Code books and movies. They are known for extreme conservative views that go far beyond mainstream Catholicism, including support of fascist and far right movements, self flagellation, and a cult-like control over their members.
I won't go into all the creepy Opus Dei stuff here because you can find all that information easily. I WILL share out firsthand experiences of the one day we spent at St Monica Academy:
- Our 12 year old son was taught that birth control or contraception of any kind is wrong and goes against God.
- The headmaster Marguerite Grimm told us in our parent interview that they once had a gay high school student enrolled who was only allowed to stay in school if he hid his sexuality from his peers and never spoke of it. (Alarmingly, the parents agreed to this arrangement.)
- Our son was taught that it's a sin to marry a non-catholic. I saw this myself on the multiple choice worksheet that he brought home from religion class.
- We learned that one of the student clubs offered to girls is a "pro-life" club dedicated to fighting against abortion access across the board, no exceptions.
- The headmaster told us in no uncertain terms that they do NOT approve of Pope Francis because they consider him to be too progressive.
- When we expressed our discomfort with what we were hearing and divulged that we were a family with progressive views, we were told that the majority of families who attend St Monica identify strongly as MAGA republicans and we probably would not fit in.
Needless to say, we couldn't get out of there fast enough. I only wish I had understood what this school stood for before we spent so much time on the application process and subjected our son to a day of their curriculum. At least it led to some great family conversations about inclusivity and true Christian values. I hope this review helps to alert others. read more