catholic in sharon? (low crime, buy, school district)

[maineprep]

my wife and i are both originally from MA and have lived in maine for the past 2+ years. now we're considering moving back to the boston area and are seriously considering sharon. low crime, good schools, nice housing, cute downtown, commuter rail -- all great. the thing is that we're both catholic and i know sharon is predominently jewish. how welcoming is sharon to catholics like us? any advice or personal experiences are welcomed....thanks!

[DarinsMom]

Hi There -

I am a Catholic and I lived in Sharon for 2 years without a problem.

I love the area - the schools, the environment -

Unless you're out there with a huge cross on your front lawn, you should be fine.

Good choice on towns!

[TheWereRabbit]

According to city-data Sharon is 79% catholic. Towns that are considered very jewish are still more likely to have more catholics.

[goyguy]

One of the largest Muslim mosques in New England is located in Sharon. How's that for pluralism?
The Jewish presence in town is definitely felt. On Saturdays, you can see Orthodox individuals traveling everywhere on foot in their traditional dark clothing, the men with untrimmed facial hair and the women in wigs. But for the most part, any "clannishness" between one ethnic/religious group and another is a thing of the past. That's the beauty of public education in America. One of the Catholic kids from Sharon I met while attending UMass would say immediately after introducing himself, "Donovan, that's right, and I'm from Sharon; yeah, yeah, I know." But he thought it was humorous - and so, therefore, did people who met him.
Here's one of my favorite Freudian slips of all time to help illustrate why you shouldn't feel hesitant about relocating there: Some years ago, I was picnicking with a group of friends that included a Jewish couple who lived in Sharon. The conversation veered into the subject of "diversity" in suburbia. Whereupon the "Mister" of the couple piped up, "I've noticed Sharon's gotten more diverse lately, too. I was in Shaw's last week - they've put in a goyim aisle!" The "Missus" theatrically gasped, and smacked him across the shoulder the way a wife can get away with doing. He of course had intended to say "Goya" - for the brand name of a line of Spanish/Hispanic foods - and not the Yiddish slang/slur term for non-Jews. The whole thing flew over everybody else's heads while I cracked jokes about now knowing where I could buy a ham and cheese on rye on Friday nights and so on. They were quick to apologize, blushing deep red, but I waved them off as I rolled on the ground laughing. If they'd not moved away from New England you'd've hardly found better neighbors.

[smarty]

I recently heard of a term "cafeteria Catholic".... pick and choose what to follow

I'm just a cafeteria person... pick and choose my ethnicity.

[AandD]

I was completely FLOORED when I looked at the school calendar for next year. Sharon schools are closed for Yom Kippur. (Of course, I was also shocked that they are closed for Columbus Day and Veteran's Day. WHO does that?) BUT - they are also closed for Good Friday, so it would appear that everyone's holy days are covered.

I moved here in February. I would say that the Jewish community here is prominent and definitely 'separate', but not unwelcoming. They don't leave the playground when my heathen kids show up. They don't cross the sidewalk to avoid us... They are just a little community in the community (Sharon has an ERUV - I had to google that one).

Oh - and I did ask my 7 year old (who was at a Lutheran school in Texas) not to proselytize at school. (I kid, I kid...)

[Atlantica]

Who closes for Veteran's Day?

Tread lightly with comments like that.

Veteran's Day is a day to remember and honor ALL men and women who have made the commitment to this country and served in the armed forces.

Memorial Day is to honor those who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice.

It's important to observe these holidays separately especially during these times where many families have seen their loved ones deployed to active warzones. In my children's school, these holidays were part of the curriculum and special activities were held to commemorate them. It wasn't just a "day off."

[CaseyB]

Private schools can do as they please, but these are Federal holidays so public schools are closed.

[Atlantica]

Casey there is no requirement to close schools on Veterans Day. It is up to the discretion of the state or local school district. I'm not sure why.

[AandD]

The public school we went to in Texas isn't closed for Columbus Day or Veteran's Day. I checked.

And please don't presume to know my feelings on our military. While I did not serve, I choose to serve those who did EVERY DAY. And I take my service seriously.