Catholic Religious Transmission
The following article was published in the Church Life Journal, of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, part of the University of Notre Dame:
Religious Transmission: A Solution to the Church's Biggest Problem
The regular text below summarizes the article, often directly quoting to give the flavor of the author's comments. The boxes give my analysis and review of the article.
The Catholic Churches Biggest Problem???
Pew has recently done a fine study of Catholic Identity that I have reviewed in my post: In the Pew Study about 20% of adult Americans responded that they are Catholic when asked about their present religion. However, another 9% of American adults say they are “Cultural Catholics.” They responded “yes” if they considered themselves Catholic in any way (ethnically, culturally, or by family ties) however they had already said that Catholici8sm was not their religion. Another 9% of Americans identify as being “Connected to Catholics," They replied “yes” if they have a Catholic parent, spouse or partner or had ever attend Catholic Mass. However, they do not identify as Catholics religiously nor as Cultural Catholics nor as Former Catholics. Finally, another 9% of American adults say that are “Former Catholics” They were raised in the Catholic faith but no longer consider Catholicism as their religion nor are they Culturally Catholic nor are they are Connected to Catholics. These four mutually exclusive categories of adult Americans, [Religious Catholics (20%), Cultural Catholics (9%), Connected Catholics (9%), and Former Catholics (9%)] add up to 47% of the U.S. Population. That is almost half! This should profoundly influence how religious Catholics think about Catholicism in America and how religious Catholics practice evangelization. These statistics imply that Catholicism has a huge potential to influence Americans that is not limited to those to who say Catholicism is their religion. Catholicism in America is a "big tent" religion not simply in theory but in reality., It is a profound mistake to think of Catholicism as a smaller sectarian religion, e.g. those who go to Mass weekly, set apart in contrast to the rest from America. |
The Article Limits Catholic Identity to Those Attending Mass Every Sunday!
Checking the “Catholic” box on a survey is a pretty low bar as a measure of Catholic commitment. Perhaps a more salient question is how many of those raised Catholic still participate in Mass every Sunday. In 1973, about 34% of all those raised Catholic were attending Mass weekly (or more often) when they were surveyed as adults. By 2002, the number had fallen to 20%. By 2022, it had plummeted to 11%. We are losing nine out of ten cradle Catholics.
The Pew Article reviewed in my post above on Big Tent Catholicism also gives Note: this data does not include those who were raised Catholic but no longer identify as Catholic! Mass attendance: 28% attend at least weekly, but 40% seldom or never attend Confession to a priest: 23% confess at least annually but 47% never confess, However, at the other end of the spectrum only 13% of American Catholics do NOT do all three observances. The largest share of Catholics (74%) fall somewhere in the middle of this spectrum of observance. They may pray. They may attend Mass. They may go to confession. But they don’t regularly do all three (pray daily, attend Mass weekly and go to confession annually). Much time and attention have been given to increasing Mass attendance. That has likely fallen on deaf ears since 40% of those who identify religiously as Catholic seldom or never attend. As we shall see, most have lost interest in our parishes. However, 50% of Catholics pray daily, almost twice as many as those attending Mass weekly. These Catholics they have not lost interest in God! If we want to get their attention we need to start where they are, i.e. praying daily. Bishop Malesic in his pastoral letter urges all Catholics to spend at least fifteen minutes of prayer a day in personal prayer. He considers this as essential to creating a flourish apostolic Church in the diocese. |
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The Pew Article asked those who identified Catholicism as their religion what they viewed as the essentials of Catholic identity. Personal Relationship to Christ (69%) followed by Devotion to Virgin Mary (50%) Working to help poor and needy (47%). Institutional Catholic settings may be helpful for these highest ranking essentials but are necessary. Clearly most Catholics think of their religion as a personal matter that has to do first of all with their relationship with God and prayer, but also their relationships with others, especially the poor and needy. Receiving the Eucharist(46%) Getting married in the Church(40%) the Leadership
of Pope (33%) and Apostolic Tradition (32%) either require institutional settings
or are more likely within Catholic institutional settings. Institutional
aspects of the Church are important but their lesser ranking explains why
many Catholics do not see membership in a parish and weekly Mass as very
important Being part of a parish (30%) and Ethnic festivals (26%),strongly associated with parishes. are not essential for most Catholics Pilgrimages(9%) usually have institutions associated with them. One can easily see how many Catholics could maintain a Catholic identity without much parish or institutional involvement, and also why many people can become Cultural Catholics, and connected Catholics who find some aspects of Catholicism attractive with parish or institutional involvement. The bottom line here is that religion in American is strongly personal not simply institutional. If institutions (parish, schools, dioceses) want to involve Catholics they need to emphases personals aspect as has been done with the Bishops Letter: one's personal relationships with God in prayer, developing one's own spiritual support network, knowing one's own spiritual story, and one's specific mission in life. |
The Article Blames Parents for the Decline of Catholicism
Modern life in the United States presents many obstacles to faith, and Catholic parents are, for the most part, failing—failing to effectively hand on a life of faith to their children. Much is known about what parents can do to more successfully hand on the Faith to their children, and we can therefore make some well-informed judgments about what parishes should be doing differently.
Predictors of Successful Religious Transmission
Both parents have the same religious identity. Available data indicates that children of two Catholic parents are more than twice as likely to retain their Catholic identity, as compared to children with a Catholic parent and a non-Catholic parent.
The parents’ marriage is intact. Family break-ups are hard on intergenerational religious transmission. Cradle Catholics with parents who remain married are around 1.67 times as likely to retain their Catholic identity, as compared to cradle Catholics with divorced parents.
The parents live their religion and their religion is important to them. More generally, children pick up the beliefs of their parents more reliably when children see their parents engaged in relevant CREDs, Credibility Enhancing Displays, (behaviors performed by the person making a claim—behaviors which indicate that the person making the claim really does believe it) But the American Church is a “CRED-depleted” church in many ways. Rosaries, pilgrimages, novenas, Eucharistic processions, abstinence from meat on Fridays—such devotions and religious practices, when engaged in by parents, play a powerful role in communicating credibility to children. But these devotions are less widespread than in the past.
Parents talk with their children about religion. It is one thing for parents to practice the faith themselves; it is an additional thing for them to have religious conversations with their children, and doing so has an independent positive effect for religious transmission.
Parents provide both warmth and structure, and children form secure attachments to their parents. Parents who have good relationships with their children pass on their worldview more effectively
Blaming the Kids Themselves
Thus far, we have mentioned factors focused on parents. But of course what kids are doing is crucial too. Individuals are more likely to retain the religion of their childhood and youth when: (and of course if the kids don't do the following things their parents are to be blamed)
As younger teenagers, they considered religious faith important in everyday life.
As young children and younger teenagers, they were religiously active. This means reading Scripture and personal prayer as well as Mass attendance and other forms of engagement with a congregation.
They attended Catholic high school.
They had many faith-supportive peer relationships, especially as they moved into adolescence and young adulthood.