Many Catholics leaving the faith by age 10

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In Australia we have 20-25% of the schools being Catholic.

No child should leave a Catholic school without knowing the deep relationship between Christian thought and western science, including the Christian history of western literacy, schools, universities, monasteries and hospitals.

Every student should know about scientific Catholic clergy such as Boscovich, LeMaitre, Mendel. Steno, Oresme, Buridan, Copernicus, Albert Magnus, Roger Bacon, Pope Sylvestor II etc etc.

Every student should know of scientific Catholic laymen like Pasteur, Da Vinci, Volta, Lavoisier, Galileo, Lamark, Dumas, Ampere etc.

The inability of Catholics to counter the false dichotomy of Religion or Science is the flashpoint issue which causes many (mis)educated people to leave the faith.
 
“Bored at mass” is a mere symptom of the problem.

The real problem is that children are not being taught how to pray. They think prayer is about emotions, about “feeling” God.

Prayer is hard. Prayer requires effort, some training, and spiritual guidance. And unfortunately, many parents do not teach it to their children because they themselves have never been taught: the blame, sadly, falls on our clergy’s failure to catechize the Catholic faithful.

If a person is praying at least 30 minutes a day, recollecting his mind to God, gradually growing in holiness, he doesn’t leave the faith.
 
In Australia we have 20-25% of the schools being Catholic.
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The real problem is that children are not being taught how to pray. They think prayer is about emotions, about “feeling” God.
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*The real problem is that they are not being taught full stop.
At the local Catholic primary school (in Aus), a new parish priest
held up a Holy card in front of the grade six class and said
he had 25 cards to give away to the first 25 students who
could name the person on the card. Not one student answered him.
He took the card down to the children to make sure they could see it.
The Priest was shocked and decided to try the next class down.
by the time he had covered the whole school he still had 2 cards left.
He said that every teacher was embarrassed and wouldn’t look at him.
You could forgive this if it was an obscure saint or such,
but sadly, the card was of our Blessed Lord.

Why are they leaving???
I don’t think any of them were ever apart of the Church.
They were not taught the basics. (not just the 10 year olds)

The Priest had the teachers bring the children down to the Church
once a week and he taught them about the faith and showed them
what happens in the Mass and why it happens.
Every child in that school can now name the holy family & their favourite saint.*
 
I think at that age parents assume the school is teaching the faith and school expect parents to teach the faith. I remember being around nine and my mother being shocked that I didn’t know the name of the Pope, no one had ever taught me.
 
Sometimes as a parent you think you’ve done your best. You’ve had the kids at Mass every Sunday, you’ve taught them their prayers, you’ve made sure they received the sacraments, and then one day you talk to your baby’s fiancée who tells you they are meeting with her Lutheran Pastor to plan their wedding and you mention the Catholic church and she says, “Oh, Nathan is Catholic?? He never told me that.” And that’s when you realize that no matter what you did, the kids are going to do what they want.
 
These last two posts hit it on the head.

The parents are not teaching their children for the same reason we can’t get anyone to teach catechism classes. They don’t know the faith themselves!
We lost a treasure (here in the U.S.) when we lost the teachings sisters.

Children today are treated like adults. Given many choices. One of the choices they make is to NOT attend catechism classes, and the parents are so overbooked themselves, they are relieved to not have to take them.

We reap what we sow.

And people are talking about the restored order like it’s a wonderful thing. If that notion takes off, you will see kids in the U.S. stepping away from the faith after First Communion. Age 8. As there will be nothing compelling their parents to bring them any further.

Education is never boring if done correctly.
Witness this priest someone mentioned. He made the faith come alive.

Everyone reading this thread, please pray fro the Sunday school teachers, catechists, and DRE’s.
They have a difficult job unravelling what the kids have learned from the secular world about what is right and wrong, what is permitted, and what is not good for their soul.

Lets pray we all get the support (pastoral and parental) that we need to make a difference.
 
My friend was a teacher in a formerly Catholic school (we no longer have Catholic schools in our province). She was teaching a segment on Easter and everyone was naming things that had to do with Easter. One non-Catholic kid said, “Jesus,” and a Catholic kid looked at him and said, “Jesus? What’s he got to do with Easter?” There’s your sign.
 
I was brought up in a Catholic family, went to a Catholic school.
We were fed a theological syrup of “making choices in life” and “your values are up to you.”

The difficult stuff was never mentioned, such as the rigorous demands Jesus placed on the faithful: the absolute requirement of forgiveness; charity to the point of self-deprivation; prayer and constant vigilance; love for your enemies; constant repentance for sin; chastity and humility.

The Devil and Hell were never mentioned. Too scary, I guess. Even today, students are taught that everyone goes to Heaven because “Jesus has gone to prepare a place” for them. Never mind the “repentance” bit; under the new sanitized teachings, everyone goes to heaven, no matter what.
Purgatory is almost forgotten as a Catholic belief.

In schools, too much time is spent gazing at crucifixes and coloring pictures of Mary in light blue. There is almost no focus on the resurrection, which surely must be the cornerstone of Catholic faith.

Catholic education is now a bunch of buzz-words and meaningless platitudes.

Is it any wonder young people don’t care for it? There’s nothing to care about.
 
pianistclare said:
These last two posts hit it on the head.

The parents are not teaching their children for the same reason we can’t get anyone to teach catechism classes. They don’t know the faith themselves!
We lost a treasure (here in the U.S.) when we lost the teachings sisters.

Children today are treated like adults. Given many choices. One of the choices they make is to NOT attend catechism classes, and the parents are so overbooked themselves, they are relieved to not have to take them.

We reap what we sow.

And people are talking about the restored order like it’s a wonderful thing. If that notion takes off, you will see kids in the U.S. stepping away from the faith after First Communion. Age 8. As there will be nothing compelling their parents to bring them any further.

Education is never boring if done correctly.
Witness this priest someone mentioned. He made the faith come alive.

Everyone reading this thread, please pray fro the Sunday school teachers, catechists, and DRE’s.
They have a difficult job unravelling what the kids have learned from the secular world about what is right and wrong, what is permitted, and what is not good for their soul.

Lets pray we all get the support (pastoral and parental) that we need to make a difference.
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Yes and amen.
 
Phemie said:
Sometimes as a parent you think you’ve done your best. You’ve had the kids at Mass every Sunday, you’ve taught them their prayers, you’ve made sure they received the sacraments, and then one day you talk to your baby’s fiancée who tells you they are meeting with her Lutheran Pastor to plan their wedding and you mention the Catholic church and she says, “Oh, Nathan is Catholic?? He never told me that.” And that’s when you realize that no matter what you did, the kids are going to do what they want.
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😦

I was discussing this recently with an older gentleman. He and his wife were very involved with parish ministry. Mass every Sunday, Catholic school. Two sons, both left the church.

I believed having a dad who was religious helped keep the children in the faith. I guess not.
 
pianistclare said:
These last two posts hit it on the head.

The parents are not teaching their children for the same reason we can’t get anyone to teach catechism classes. They don’t know the faith themselves!
We lost a treasure (here in the U.S.) when we lost the teachings sisters.

Children today are treated like adults. Given many choices. One of the choices they make is to NOT attend catechism classes, and the parents are so overbooked themselves, they are relieved to not have to take them.

We reap what we sow.

And people are talking about the restored order like it’s a wonderful thing. If that notion takes off, you will see kids in the U.S. stepping away from the faith after First Communion. Age 8. As there will be nothing compelling their parents to bring them any further.

Education is never boring if done correctly.
Witness this priest someone mentioned. He made the faith come alive.

Everyone reading this thread, please pray fro the Sunday school teachers, catechists, and DRE’s.
They have a difficult job unravelling what the kids have learned from the secular world about what is right and wrong, what is permitted, and what is not good for their soul.

Lets pray we all get the support (pastoral and parental) that we need to make a difference.
Click to expand...
Your point is good regarding parents who don’t pass the faith on to their children.

It’s harder to figure out how it happens to kids who were raised in the faith.

I’m just thinking about a number of people that I know who really had strong faith and were good examples. Their kids don’t practice.

The fact that these kids are 10 and saying they are atheists is disturbing.
 
Mary_Gail_36 said:
Your point is good regarding parents who don’t pass the faith on to their children.

It’s harder to figure out how it happens to kids who were raised in the faith.

I’m just thinking about a number of people that I know who really had strong faith and were good examples. Their kids don’t practice.

The fact that these kids are 10 and saying they are atheists is disturbing.
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Much of it is due to the fact people teach like they were taught.
They teach rules, platitudes, and believe this or else you’ll go to hell.
Kids just don’t buy it.
They want the truth, not sugar coated, they don’t want to read out of a book, they don’t want to color, they don’t want to sit around eating pizza. They want someone in front of them discussing the truth of the faith who appears to be convicted of it!!! Who says “that’s a good question, but before I take a stab and answer incorrectly, let me find out for you!” And follow through. They want to know how this works into their lives. Not something to memorize.
Relational ministry. Relate to them, to their problems, relate the Gospel message to remedy what they are going through.
There are a lot of well intentioned people who teach Sunday school., Most of them hardly know what they are saying. They are winging it. We can’t afford this with our children. We need catechists who will continue their studies, attend seminars, go on retreat, have a close relationship with their priest so that that they can better serve.
No one has time. That’s what they tell me. I don’t have time. I don’t know enough, and I can’t be bothered to study or learn. I hate kids,. I don’t want to stand infront of anyone, I think that’s YOUR job.
Nope.
No it’s not.
It’s the job of parents first and foremost. Then it’s my job to supplement it and flesh out what they know.
I went to Catholic school with beautiful Sisters of Charity. I barely remember what they taught me. But I saw their devotion. I saw their love of the Eucharist, and more importantly, I saw mama on her knees every day at 3 pm. I saw her crying during the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. I remember my mother, not afraid t o show her faith. Not afraid for anyone to see her devotion. I remember once , as a teenager, saying I thought the Eucharistic miracles were kind of creepy. Mama spun around “How DARE you! This is Christ in the Eucharist, giving us His very body and blood for OUR salvation. yours and mine! Never mock the Eucharist!”

Believe me, I never did, because I never thought about it that way. Until some young person encounters a person of REAL FAITH…in whatever form, whether by service to the needy, by ministry in the church, or by sheer devotion and love in Adoration…they won’t “get” it. And they won’t be satisfied with teachers who are just winging it.

Sorry for the rant. I just feel so passionately about it.
Peace to all,
Clare
 
Mary_Gail_36 said:
😦

I was discussing this recently with an older gentleman. He and his wife were very involved with parish ministry. Mass every Sunday, Catholic school. Two sons, both left the church.

I believed having a dad who was religious helped keep the children in the faith. I guess not.
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I think if the kids get enough Scripture, Catechism, and Sacraments, they might go astray as teens or young adults, but they have a sort of road map and a decent chance of coming back when they are old enough to ponder the meaning of life. Pray and hope!
 
Clare, you are right. Parents and religious education teachers need to do more. We reap what we sow. 😦
 
Beryllos said:
Clare, you are right. Parents and religious education teachers need to do more. We reap what we sow. 😦
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It’s a matter of priority.
Where do we as Catholic place out time, effort, and priority?
Something each individual must answer, and answer for.

So sad when a parent comes to my office and cries…they just “can’t’ imagine where their kids got these notions.”

No one to refute those notions, for the most part. 🤷
The parents of our LifeTeen group have no idea that their kids are totally fine with much of what passes for good life choices that just aren’t. They just don’t know. They just don’t have conversations about it. When they find out? It’s often way too late.
 
A very long time ago, a great number of Churchmen “went political”, and they taught the parishioners and the children that “gospel”. The only thing that really mattered was being “socially responsible”, which meant voting for whoever promised to tax the amorphous “rich” the most (which some politicians were willing to do) and “helping the poor” (which the politicians are not willing to do).

And so, there’s no content in what the children are taught, either in the schools or by their parents.
 
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