Did Maria Montessori fall away from the Catholic Church? If so, did she come back to it?

Question

Someone told me she left the Catholic Church and I wanted to find out more. She wrote the book, "The Mass Explained to Children", (amongst many other books!), so I was just wondering.

Answer 1

She was a devout Roman Catholic.  Never fell away.  (In those days Catholics didn't "fall away."  <grin>

Answer 2

She remained a Catholic her whole life.

The story you're probably thinking of is the "God with no hands."  It's used in the elementary years to get children to imagine what happened at the beginning of the world.  It's a wonderful story and has nothing against Catholicism at all.

You might want to google it.  I tried looking a little bit, but could not find it.  If I find it sometime, I'll post it on my blog.

Answer 3

Maria Montessori stayed Catholic her whole life, yet as most people she did question her faith at certain points. You see at the time Maria was developing her educational philosophy the Catholic Church was not a proponent of evolution. For Maria, a devout Catholic, this was a tough. Being a scientist she believed in evolution. Eventually she came to the same conclusion that the Catholic Church has- that Catholicism and evolution are not incompatible. The Great Lessons (One of the foundations of most Montessori programs) in their original form shows her ability to meld the two quite clearly. http://www.peacefulpathwaysmontessori.co...