First Things First: Passing the Faith to the Next Generation

Dear Seton Home Study,

After reading a recent Seton Magazine I felt compelled to comment on a couple of articles in the issue. Having started homeschooling with Seton back in 1988, there have been many times that I have sung Seton’s praises!

The featured family article, Guided by Grace, and When You Feel like Quitting are two articles which caught my attention.

Both I can relate to in many ways.

We are now teaching our last of eight children. She is in her sophomore year, and although we have not always enrolled in Seton over these years, I have often bought books from the media catalog and have used the Seton books to integrate Catholicism into our homeschool from day one.

When we started homeschooling we had just moved to Alaska and had met another family who were also using Seton. That was the beginning of a long friendship, as well as many introductions to other Catholic homeschooling families who are now considered the “pioneers” in Catholic homeschooling.

First Things First

From the first curriculum box which arrived at our door containing Rosaries and scapulars, Seton’s example of putting first things first has been the rule of the day. Over the years, people have asked me why my husband and I chose to homeschool.

My answer has always been the same, “for the salvation of the soul.” As John Clark pointed out in his article, “There is only one real failure: Hell.” People have often said to me, “Wow, you must be so organized”, I usually reply with the saying, “My children have learned in spite of me.”

Every homeschooling family is unique in God’s design. The church teaches that the parents are the primary educators of their children and no one has the right to infringe on that God-given gift, given in the Sacrament of Matrimony.

The beauty of the homeschool is the family and all its wonder as we fulfill our roles as parents. Over the years, there have been the many various work schedule changes of my husband and teenagers as they take on part-time jobs, but all of those pieces add to the whole, which is our homeschooling family.

Keeping the Faith

Homeschooling five or more at a time, in addition to a new baby in the house, are just opportunities to see God’s grace in action. They are all opportunities for love! No, you needn’t be super organized, and sometimes those spontaneous opportunities teach the real-life lessons which help children grow and adapt to circumstances.

As children enter the military, college, or religious life (or became parents themselves) I truly began to see the blessings of our homeschool. There is nothing like receiving a video message with a two-year-old granddaughter reciting the Hail Mary for you; that is when I realized God’s grace is all around us, and homeschooling is perfect because I love my children.

Thank you, Seton, for all the dedication you have put into making Catholic homeschooling a reality for so many families and for helping to pass on the Catholic Faith to the next generation.

May God bless you and all those Catholic families and keep fighting the good fight!

In Christ,
Lucy Viens

About Lucy Viens

Lucy is a mother of 8 and grandmother of seven, soon to be nine. She is beginning her thirtieth year of homeschooling. She and her husband Marc have been married for thirty-seven years. They have traveled extensively, beginning with Marc’s military career and now with his airline employment. Lucy has mostly written on her children’s papers over the years but looks forward to expounding on her family's homeschooling adventures, mostly while living in Alaska and now in North Carolina.