Are Catechism lessons a priority? (1)

I ask Catherine Pace (The Sunday Times, January 18) not to speak on behalf of all parents and children. For me and my husband and our 13-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter Catechism lessons (duttrina) are not dreaded at all. Our children are more than happy to attend these lessons and we as parents find that they are a continuation of the values we try to instil in our children.

If we genuinely wish our children to remain practising Catholics we have to let them learn what being a practising Catholic really means and the only way to do this is to let them learn from the best source possible. If you want your children to do well in their exams you don't let them skip school, do you?

So maybe we should stop grumbling about a couple of hours a week dedicated to what should be one of the priorities in a Catholic's life - religion - and start appreciating the sacrifices these people make to teach our children and make them better citizens.