Strong Catholic Families: Strong Catholic Youth
Partnering with Parents to Bring Home the Faith!
The recent research on passing on our faith is clear: Parents matter . . . a lot!
Consider this statement from Dr. Christian Smith, principal researcher for the National Study of Youth and Religion: “The best social predictor, although not a guarantee, of what the religious and spiritual lives of youth will look like is what the religious and spiritual lives of their parents do look like. (from Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, p. 261)
Dr. Smith also makes the following observation about the Catholic Church: “It appears that the relative religious laxity of most U.S. Catholic teenagers significantly reflects the relative religious laxity of their parents. (from Soul Searching, p. 216-7)
Our call to action is clear: If we want to more effectively engage our young people in faith, we MUST focus our energies on engaging their parents. Strong Catholic Families: Strong Catholic Youth embraces a renewed emphasis:
Toward ultimately placing families at the center of the church’s life and mission!