by Deacon Dana Nearmyer
Research from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Life Teen and Georgetown say that 15-33% of Catholic kids remain Catholic.
That same research and many others say that much can be done to greatly improve that number.
An external label/sticker of Catholic can easily fall off and be disregarded, but a deeply rooted relationship with Jesus and his bride the church will weather extreme storms.
Several studies have found that children 13-15 are making critical decisions about their long-term affiliation to the Catholic Church.
With those data points in mind, I propose that our kids need opportunities of significant interior engagement from conception to age 15 with Jesus and the Catholic community. This is a high impact zone, and parents are the most impactful players.
Research says that percentages likely rise from the 33% if families:
• Go to Mass. When one parents goes to church (50%). When it is a priority for both (75%)
• Make going to Mass meaningful
• Make before and after Mass positive
• Have adult church friends invest in your kids
• Read the Bible and discuss
• Pray at meals, bedtimes and family stress points
• Create family environments where conversion is likely
• Participate in retreats/environments where conversion is likely
• Model deep prayer (Neurologically, adolescents do what parents do, not what parents say to do.)
• Ask about their prayer life
The 2024 study titled “Future Faithful Families Project” was done by CARA at Georgetown University and found that children who grow up in a warm and affectionate home — spending time with their family in fun, prayer and service to others — are more likely to remain Catholic as adults.
• “Families are effective in passing on the faith to the next generation to the degree that the children felt that the faith was a source of warmth in their homes.”
• Children understood their parents to be open to hearing and talking about the children’s doubts and struggles when it came to faith.
• “Authoritative without being authoritarian”
• Catholic schools, youth groups and other ministries — while very important — are “secondary and supportive” to a strong faith life within families.
• The church has long taught and emphasized that a parent’s role in fostering the faith of their children is “original and irreplaceable.”
• Most often those who remain Catholic and weekly Mass attenders attended Mass every Sunday with their parents as children.
As parents, our mission is to nurture a personal connection with Jesus and the Catholic community in each of our children. The Holy Spirit is tugging on each of their hearts.
