“I sent my children to Catholic school from kindergarten through college, and now they don’t practice the faith.”
It’s painful as an educator to hear these frequent reports from frustrated parents, yet unsurprising when, for decades, we stopped making any serious attempt to pass on the faith. The publishing of The Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992 marked a turning point, inspiring a new generation of textbooks and faith-filled religious educators. Sadly, however, the drift away from the Church has continued. Something still isn’t clicking.
Pope Benedict XVI identified what we’ve been missing during an address to educators at the Catholic University of America in 2008.
“While we have sought diligently to engage the intellect of our young, perhaps we have neglected the will,” he told those gathered.
It’s not simply enough to give young people information about the faith, no matter how good it may be, without helping them to respond to it and live it out. Among many other influences, faith stands as one more choice to sort out within our individualistic sense of freedom. Pope Benedict urged us to prioritize helping students to encounter Christ and live in relationship with him:
First and foremost, every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth (cf. Spe Salvi, 4). This relationship elicits a desire to grow in the knowledge and understanding of Christ and his teaching. In this way, those who meet him are drawn by the very power of the Gospel to lead a new life characterized by all that is beautiful, good and true; a life of Christian witness nurtured and strengthened within the community of our Lord’s disciples, the Church.
Engaging the will means inviting young people to choose a relationship with Christ and to commit to life in communion with him within his Church.
To thrive, the Christian life requires support, found both in relationships and concrete habits that shape and express faith. The historian, Robert Lewis Wilken, therefore, has argued that “nothing is more needful today than the survival of Christian culture, because in recent generations this culture has become dangerously thin” (“The Church as Culture”). By culture, he meant “the ‘total harvest of thinking and feeling,’ to use T. S. Eliot’s phrase—the pattern of inherited meanings and sensibilities encoded in rituals, law, language, practices and stories that can order, inspire and guide the behavior, thoughts and affections of a Christian people.”
It might seem exaggerated to put that much stock in culture, but it boils down to “live it or lose it.” To follow Pope Benedict’s insight about engaging free will, we need more than isolated choices to sustain faith. We require robust communal life and compelling means to express and sustain the decision to follow Christ.
We generally conceive of education as a process of receiving information and skills to live a successful life in society. More fundamentally, however, it is a process of initiation into a way of thinking and living that includes information, skills, and much more. It entails more than schooling, for education imparts a sense of identity, belonging, and purpose.
Understood in this broader sense, it should be easier to understand why education, Catholic schools included, often meets frustration. We are facing a general breakdown of education because we are not initiating young people into a compelling communal vision and mission, leaving them to succumb to the influences of media and technology. Suffering from existential confusion, we’re unsure of who we are and lack the support to rise above these challenges.
The current school model is insufficient to initiate young people into the Christian life. Without a broader, communal approach to formation, mere academic instruction falls short. The Church actually developed her own educational approach in the ancient world through the baptismal catechumenate, a process of formation that generally encompassed three years. It entailed personal formation through the role of the sponsor, focused on conversion of mind and heart, and integrated converts into communal life. It involved instruction and much more, serving as an apprenticeship for life with Christ at the center. Its pedagogy follows God’s own teaching in the Bible as a gradual, personal, communal, transformational, and embodied process of learning.
For these reasons, the Church has proposed the baptismal catechumenate as the model of all catechesis for an effective means of handing on the faith.
Petroc Willey has recently explored the Catechetical School of Alexandria, the greatest center of Christian teaching in the early Church, in his book Light from Alexandria: Recovering a Vision of Christian Paideia for Education and Formation (Angelico, 2025). The catechetical school contained some of the greatest luminaries of the day, such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Didymus the Blind, who served as lead teachers, and St. Athanasius, who studied there. The “central purpose of the school [was] to teach the core Christian doctrines and the Christian way of life to those wishing to be received into the Church” (122).
More broadly, this “transmission of doctrine, of paideia, is best understood as the handing on of Christian culture, which includes the learning of all of the practices involved in Christian living and the expression of Christian life and belief in and through what one makes and how one acts” (134). The school integrated a robust teaching of the liberal arts and an effective process of personal formation within a hostile pagan culture.
Given the current challenges of Catholic education, it may seem odd to look to the Church’s original, ancient model of education. The catechumenate, however, appears to be structured to make up for what we lack: an engagement with the will and initiation into culture as a way of life. Some catechetical experts, such as Dr. Willey, have explored its significance for religious education, but it is time to examine it as a model for Catholic education as a whole.
If we take seriously the deep connection of the liberal arts, which teach us how to think, and Christian formation, ordered toward transformation in Christ, we may find that our formation will begin to take root, helping to form lifelong disciples.
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I think Catholic school education works most effectively when the school complements what takes place in the home. If the home is clearly a place where the faith is practiced i e. through regular prayer, reading of Scripture, family discussion about the upcoming Sunday Mass readings, frequent family reception of the Sacrament of Penance, works of charity done as a family and attendance at Mass on weekdays when possible, then the Catholic school education is adjunctive to the passing on of the faith. Catholic school alone is a very poor transmitter of faith.
Yes! How many priests say that their vocation was largely formed through the family praying a daily rosary together.
That’s really no more than saying that priests tend to come from committed Catholic families. But we already knew that.
steveb: The point being that unless you come from a committed, practicing Catholic family,it’s not very likely that a Catholic school education will insure perseverance in the faith. But, we all don’t necessarily know that, do we?
We read from Pope Benedict XVI in 2008: “While we have sought diligently to engage the intellect of our young, perhaps we have neglected the will.”
Two supporting points:
FIRST, about “the will” and immediate relevance of Augustinian theology (and our Augustinian Pope Leo XIV…), this: “…Therefore, it is no monstrous thing partly to will a thing and partly not to will it, but it is a sickness of the mind [!]. Although it is supported by truth, it does not wholly rise up, since it is heavily encumbered by habit. Therefore there are two wills, since one of them is not complete, and what is lacking in one of them is present in the other” (Confessions, book 8, Ch. 9:21).
SECOND, about Augustine’s “sickness of the mind” versus real Catholic education, Georges Bernanos shows us our present moment: “The modern world will shortly no longer possess sufficient spiritual reserves to commit genuine evil. Already . . . we can witness a lethal slackening of men’s conscience that is attacking not only their moral life, but also their very heart and mind, altering and decomposing even their imagination . . . The menacing crisis is one of INFANTILISM.” (Interview with Samedi-Soir, Nov. 8, 1947, cited in Hans Urs von Balthasar, “Bernanos: An Ecclesial Existence” [San Francisco: Ignatius, 1996], 457, caps added).
We cannot encounter Jesus or pass on the Faith in this watered down Jesus loves the little flowers message. Also, when i was growing up in preVatican era, priests and religious had a big part in our Catechism program. I want to at least see all references to God, Jesus, Holy Spirit in capital letters again as it used to be. He, Him, in capitals so all would know the dignity and honor owed to the diety!
My late husband and I, after several years of frustration with the public school system in our city, sent our children to a private country day school (that traditionally had been known a school that only wealthy children with very wealthy parents (industrial magnates, “old money” families, etc.) could attend (our daughters earned scholarships), but at that time, the school was admitted “regular” families if the children tested “intelligent.” (Wealthy does not always equate with “intelligence!”)
This school was tough–7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m, 10 classes, mainly college-prep–and this included an extremely good Latin department that took the teens to regional and national Latin quizzing–at which the students usually medaled!). There were also numerous clubs and activities (e.g., sports and theater) that met after school, sometimes until late in the evening.
My daughters loved this school and received the kind of education that made their college and their entering a good career that earns an adequate (or better) income a breeze.
The school did not teach any kind of religion (other than in history and philosophy), and it was definitely not faith-based. Rigorous debate was encouraged, as long as it stayed civil. I think the children, including both of our daughters, benefited from this.
As for the parents–in spite of the great wealth that many of them possessed and the public influence that many had in our community and even in the U.S., they were the friendliest, least-“stuck up” parents that my late husband and I had ever met! Surprise!–rich people actually care for their communities, and they don’t ignore intelligent and creative people just because they aren’t as rich.
Interestingly–the kids who transferred out of that school (mainly because of the workload!) generally went to …the city’s Catholic High School, which also had a reputation for academic excellence. BUT…
…that school had a reputation for being a good place to lose your virginity.
???!!! WHAT GIVES?!
My point is…there are “Catholic schools” and there are CATHOLIC schools! After my kids had graduated from high school and went to college, one of them attended a Calvinist college—during which she basically lost her faith until her father and I converted to Catholicism, and then she found a great Catholic church in her college town, entered RCIA, and converted. Our other daughter was already attending a Catholic college (Jesuit), and didn’t convert until after her daddy died years after she graduated (she and her husband converted, and baptized their baby son Catholic).
Just because a school is “Catholic” doesn’t mean it’s teaching and living Catholicism that is engaging the minds and hearts of the students. And just because a school is “secular” doesn’t mean that it’s a sub-standard school that denigrates or discourages religion.
It varies considerably Mrs. Sharon & we can only speak from personal experience. Some private schools do have good reputations & others not so much. We had a country day school in our former diocese that had a terrible scandal of sexual abuse & hazing going amongst the students. The story made it into the newspapers it was so disturbing.
Some Catholic schools are more serious than others about transmitting Faith & values. It takes families, dioceses, parishes, & schools all working together to achieve that. Sometimes Catholic parochial schools are just seen by parents as a cheaper option than private schools.
The Catholic school truly needs to be a community, not only of students and teachers, but more broadly of families and parish. More attention needs to be be spent on character development-initiating opportunities for service to others. Exposing our students to virtuous role models such as the lives of the saints. Mentoring students on a more personal level ( the whole sex scandal has made us step back too much) and help our youth become more service minded. Help them to consider a possible vocation in the Church as a first choice. In order to truly evangelize them we should expose them to more opportunities to except Christ as their personal savior ( we could learn a lot about this from some of our separated brethren)- like NET, Steubenville, Focus etc. More work trips to expose them to the needs of the marginalized. By giving they will receive so much more and will learn to become better givers. Education is so much more than knowledge and skills and the preparation for a lucrative career. A well rounded education should include a hands on exposure to various cultures, character building experiences, opportunity for guided self reflection and evaluation,and dedication to Christ, the Church and service to others. These are just a few random thoughts. Much more could be said.
Contemplating our calling for labor, leisure and love as presented below could be applied to lower education as well.
Our experience as teachers of PSR, and from what we see in our parish school is that the parents are not regular Mass attendees, if they attend at all. The faith will not get passed down through lay teachers, many of whom are not even Catholic in our school, if the parents are not practicing the faith in the home. It’s very discouraging to the teachers who care. The children would tell us they were in so many sports there was no time to go to church over the weekend due to games. Very sad.
Transform Culture in America has been part of Benedictine College for several years through Benedictine College’s mission “Transform Culture in America” by modeling community in an age of incivility, spreading faith in an age of hopelessness, and committing to scholarship in a “post-truth” era. https://transforming.benedictine.edu/
Take a look and see how you can incorporate what Benedictine College is doing into your homes, schools and especially your family. This is for everyone and please explore and engage.
One thing that would promote the teaching of our faith to children would be a return to the TLM. The TLM does not adhere to the “Jesus loves the little flowers” paradigm Marlene Foreman cites. I was raised in that post-VII program and it is no wonder that very, very few of my classmates even identify as Catholic today. We were robbed of being taught the fullness of our faith, a fullness that I only discovered once I started attending the TLM. Our formation in parochial school in the 1970s was dismal. I cannot but believe that if we exposed our children to uncut Catholicism via the TLM (reverence, solemnity, chant, beauty) it would go a great way to restore what’s missing in Catholic education. JMHO.
It’s one way for sure.
I definitely agree Mr. Meynier that “Catholic Lite” is not what attracts young people or what retains them. I’ve always felt cheated when I consider the beautiful Catholic traditions that were celebrated in my parents’ & grandparents’ eras & that have mostly been lost today. Traditions & a shared identity are what holds a community together.
I love the TLM & used to sing weekly in the Schola. It’s pretty much the only place I’ve found Catholic community consistently being practiced. But I just can’t do the conspiracy narratives that have arisen in the local TLM community since the Latin Mass was suppressed.
I can tolerate eccentricity & occasional weirdness but I don’t do anti-Semitism. It’s a line I refuse to cross. It grieves me to find that still active & medieval blood libels myths alive & well in the 21st century. I took a pause from our local TLM after they began following narratives from people like Fr. James Mawdsley & Candace Owens.
And to be fair, this is just as much a problem with the Left & the heterodox. Their conspiracy narratives just look a little different.
I really believe that orthodox Catholics need to take ownership for the troubled history we have with anti Semitism & not be afraid to deal with it honestly. Our church was founded by Jesus Christ & it can withstand the brokenness of its followers.
But don’t we all know pious families with intense devotional lives whose grown children leave the Church? Tolkien, for one example.
Indeed. But what does that have to do with anything?
In past societies, religion was central to the common life of the community. Now it is, at best, peripheral. We should not suppose that this is because people have become less ardent believers. Rather, we should recognize that people largely adhere to and practice the faith of their community because it is the faith of their community, and the practice of that faith cements their place in that community. History shows us countless cases of conquerors bringing a new religion, and most of the conquered acquiescing to it with little protest. The martyrs are generally in the minority.
If children leave Catholic schools and cease to practice their faith, it is perhaps not so much because the schools have failed to teach them the right things, but because they have entered into a society that does not practice the faith, and they therefore, mimetically, adopt the behavior of the people around them just as they mimetically practiced the faith in a society where everyone around them did so.
It seems improbable to me that schools will be able to do much to prevent this initial falling away. What they may be able to do, and should perhaps strive to do, is to do what Chesterton described in one of the Father Brown stories, to put a hook in them with a thread that will let them roam to the end of the earth and yet bring them back with a twitch upon the thread.
See The Catholic Thing, Aug. 15, 2025 – The Sharp Decline of Catholicism in the U.S. – which will take you to:
City Life Journal – Religious Transmission: A Solution to the Church’s Biggest Problem, Aug. 12, 2025.
I am a catechist in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. Thus Montessori-based program helps very young children up to age 12 begin to fall in love with the Good Shepherd – to know Him and to understand what is happening during the Mass. This beautiful program is growing throughout the country. Catholic educators need to learn about and embrace it and bring it to their parish and/or school!
“Fundamentally, education entails more than schooling; it is a process of initiation into a way of thinking and living that includes information, skills, and much more.”
Yes. But Catholic schools must close because they have become too expensive for the poor.
Catholic schools don’t need to close their doors but they do need to become more resourceful & flexible in the 21st century. Like public schools, parochial schools are following a 19th century classroom model. With technology & all the educational options it offers we can have hybrid virtual/classroom instruction, cottage schools, Catholic curriculum for homeschools -you name it.
State education vouchers, parish stewardship programs that provide Catholic education to everyone who participates regardless of income level or number of children-these are things that should be promoted also.
It’s not the 1800’s or 1900’s anymore. Teaching nuns & brothers are in very short supply. The number of school age children will be decreasing demographically. We have to be more creative & come up with solutions that work for the present day.
Catholic schools should not be defined by the “education” they purport to provide but by the “formation of young Catholics.” My grandchildren attend a Catholic elementary school in northern NJ where I’d guess no more than 30% of the students are Catholic and, of these, probably 10% attend Mass on Sunday. Their Catholic school might be providing education but they certainly are not FORMING Catholics.
We had one parent proclaim that the only reason our local church was around, was because of our school. We also had one that complained about the increasing tuition and fees, yet posted on social media about their trip to Disney world. hmmm.
He’s right in that the church cannot accept the poor, huddled masses and treat all the same for a Catholic Education. Our parish there’s barely any altar servers and a good portion of the collection goes to support the school, yet the parents don’t attend mass.
What is our obligation?
The Magisterium is very clear that at least a simultaneous priority is Adult Formation. Only then with parents and adults who are role models can Catholic Education of youth be truly effective. For the argument and rationale, see Adult Formation of the Laity: The Catechetical Priority, Homiletic and Pastoral Review, November 27, 2024
https://www.hprweb.com/2024/11/adult-formation-of-the-laity-the-catechetical-priority/
Re Paul Turnley above (8:29 a.m.) – Amen. We now have two+ generations of poorly-catechised adults. These are our children’s parents and teachers. They need serious help yesterday.
Slightly off topic but maybe not.
Sometimes I read CWR’s flashback columns. I find they often help explain how we got to where we are today.
Case in point – today’s article, printed with the recent comments section, “Fifty Years of the ‘Great Society’s, by Russill Shaw, Jan. 8, 2015.
There is nothing mystical in the failure of Catholic education throughout the world. This is just another of the disastrous catastrophes spawned by the flawed Vatican II experiment.
It wasn’t a flawed Vatican II but flawed Catholics who used Vatican II as an excuse to exercise their own individualistic hedonism by throwing their lot in with a culture that was becoming anti-religious. The year 1965 was the year Catholicism was being rendered threadbare by secularists in the Church. It continues to this day.
DiogenesRedux. Vat II did not change any basic teachings. Because of that, many religious, priests and laity were greatly disappointed that they were still excluded from many of the societal changes of that era in history – particularly in areas of marriage, the role of clergy’ sexuality and the differences between man and woman. They saw themselves as the only ones to whom “the Spirit of Vat II” had spoken. I think you have your first sentence above back to front.
The Path of Love is alive & well & much, much larger than a single church or religion despite the effort of Roman Catholic clergy to claim direct lineage from Christ to Pope Leo XIV. Practice of Love and service to our fellow human beings is what Christ showed us by example. We are to imitate him to the best of our ability not just follow rituals however sacred we hold those rituals to be. Expand your notion of what constitutes the Catholic church… universality…not sectarianism.
Yoteech: Sounds like you preach a lot of atheistic humanism. Question: why do you frequent a Catholic website?
Yoteech, you are looking through the spyglass in reverse. Catholic means universal. Those who depart the Catholic Church are the very sectarians you decry.
WHERE DO WE FIND THE MAN WHO IS THE SUCCESSOR OF THE “ROCK” TH MAN WHO WAS GIVEN FULL BINDING & LOOSING AUTHORITY BY OUR LORD JESUS.
THAT IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT.
COME RIGHT IN YOUR THINKING
It’s kinda like Vat II scattered the sheep.
My daughter went to Catholic school 1st thru 12th grade. I would not do it again. In grade school if they had a short school day religion class would be dropped. The other subjects were taught.
In high school there was not Catholic religion class. They had to take world religion class. All the various religions were taught but no Catholic instruction.
If you don’t teach what Catholic means don’t be surprised when they leave the church. The parents and the school have to work together to teach and implement the prayers and practice of being Catholic. When you go to a Catholic school you expect to learn Catholicism. When the religion is not taught then why bother with claiming a belief that was not taught.