School Prayer and Moral, Social Values

Kathleen Hendrix deceives both herself and the reader by suggesting that her 16 years in Catholic schools has made her “something of an expert on prayer in school.”

Many of us who make our way daily in the secular world find prayer (the seed of which was planted in our souls by such decent persons as the Catholic nuns whom she regards so lightly) as a vital and energizing experience. The older we grow, the more we come to be astounded at its unfathomable depths and its meaningful place in our lives. Although I am over 60 and spent 20 years in the Catholic school system, I would not be so self-assured as to advise your readers that I am an “expert”--nor even “something of an expert”--as far as prayer is concerned.

JEREMIAH JOSEPH FLANIGAN

Los Angeles