Why Homeschooling is How We’ll Heal & Restore America

You may not have realized it before, but by giving your children a Christian homeschool education, you are doing a remarkable duty as a citizen — you are helping heal and restore America. You are giving it hope.

As Servant of God, Fr. John A. Hardon once said:

“Homeschooling in the United States is the necessary concomitant of a culture in which the Church is being opposed on every level of her existence, and as a consequence, given the widespread secularization in our country, homeschooling is not only valuable or useful but it is absolutely necessary for the survival of the Catholic church in our country.”

Now if that quote doesn’t inspire you to give yourself a pat on the back, what will?

The fact is, the crumpled English pages and the small truckload of books crowding your living room, as well as the dozens of unsharpened pencils spilled in the school closet, do stand for something truly, truly great. They are a sign that you, as parents, are laying down your lives not only for the Kingdom of God, but also for your beloved country.

Fighting for America

As homeschoolers, we are as soldiers, not only fighting for the Church Militant, but also for America, the land of the free and the brave.

As Fr. Hardon continues,

“Homeschooling, in our country, is that form of teaching and training of children at home in order to preserve the Catholic faith in the family, and to preserve the Catholic faith in our country.”

By nurturing our children with the secure foundation of a solidly Catholic home education, we are helping to give our country — which is crumbling on many levels — a more secure foundation. Little did we know, but by our very dedication to Catholic homeschooling, we are being courageous patriots!

A Firm Family Foundation

We are also giving a firm foundation to our family — the “cell” of society — which strengthens our nation in amazing ways. Not only that, but we are empowering Mother Church and making her future in America more luminous.

Fascinatingly, Fr. Hardon further continues to help us see why homeschooling has been such a fortress to preserve Christianity, surprisingly, not just since the 1970’s in America, as is commonly recounted, but since the very dawn of Christianity:

“The early Church is normative not only on what we should believe as Catholics but on how we ought to learn our faith and live it. There were not established Catholic schools in the Roman Empire back in the first 300 years of the Church’s history. Except for parents becoming believing, and being heroic Catholics in the early Church, nothing would have happened. The Church would have died out before the end of the first century.”

The great historian that he is, Hardon testifies to the power that a holy home life, vibrant with faith and prayer, can have on the destiny of the world.

Investing in the Young People of Today

This being said, when push comes to shove and we are tempted to give up homeschooling or at least whine about the sacrifices it imposes upon us, let’s remember the powerful impact it is making, and the seeds it is planting in our children’s hearts. If we don’t invest in the young people of today, tomorrow will naturally be hauntingly dark.

As homeschooling parents, we are a people of tremendous influence, whether we feel like we are or not, and whether others deem us to be or not. The time and effort we put into bonding with our children and forming their minds and souls to serve God’s Kingdom will reap more beautiful fruit than we can fathom, for America and beyond.

This being said, now may be the perfect time to re-commit to teaching our children the Pledge of Allegiance, and say it daily with them, and even take the time to teach them long-cherished patriotic hymns.

Together, we can help rebuild our beloved country! I’m in!

About Amanda Evinger

Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Amanda Evinger now lives in rural North Dakota with her husband Michael and their three young children. Together, they have two home businesses, keep a bountiful garden and care take St. Clement's Oratory. Amanda is passionate about being a Seton homeschooling Mom and dedicated homemaker. She also works from home as Senior Writer for Catholic Stewardship Consultants. Although raised Calvinist, she became Catholic in 2001, and then spent several years living with Blessed Mother Teresa's sisters and the Contemplative Sisters of St. John. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from Hope College in Spanish and Theology with minor studies in Creative Writing.