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Parents lash out at priest who told children there's no Santa Claus
Parents in Santa
Fe Springs in California have castigated their priest for telling children under
10 years during Mass that Santa Claus does not exist.
When one child asked who eats the milk and cookies left out for Santa, Fr Reuben
Rocha told them that was the work of their parents.
"I believe they've taken some of the innocence out of her childhood, and I'm
very upset,' said parent Rick Martin, whose daughter attends kindergarten.
"After she got home, I tried to very gently find out what she was thinking about
Christmas, and she said she still believes in it. But she doesn't believe in
Santa Claus, as an institution, anymore.'
The school acted quickly to mitigate Rocha's comments, said Tod Tamberg,
spokesman for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which oversees the county's
Catholic private schools.
Fr Rocha reportedly issued the written apology.
School Principal Margaret Alvarez phoned the parents of each student who
attended the Mass, notified them of Rocha's comments and prepared them to answer
questions their children might have when they got home, Tamberg said.
"There's a time and place for everything, and this was not the time or the place
or the age group to be talking about the true meaning of Christmas, at least in
terms that young children cannot understand,' Tamberg said.
"This was not anything planned or known about beforehand. (Rocha) doesn't have
permission to tell kids of that age that information. It's not his job or his
role, and I know he regrets it now,' Tamberg added.
Martin said teachers told him most of the students did not appear to be upset by
Rocha's pronouncements. Some seemed frazzled, mostly because they couldn't quite
comprehend what Rocha was trying to tell them.
"Now my daughter doesn't believe in Santa Claus. She sees him, and she knows
it's a costume. What happens when we go to the mall this year? It'll just be a
costume to her,' Martin added. "I've just been let down by this whole deal.'
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