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 the religious and spiritual lives of their parents.” (from Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, p. 261)

Dr. Smith observes 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. The mission of Strong Catholic Families and Strong Catholic Youth is to place families at the center of the church’s life and mission!

To help support these efforts, the Diocese of Brooklyn is pleased to sponsor the Strong Catholic Families and Strong Catholic Youth Initiative, developed by the National Federations for Catholic Youth Ministry, presented in partnership with the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, the National Catholic Educational Association, and the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers.

Strong Catholic Family & Youth Goals:

 

• Understand the critical role that parents uniquely possess in how that faith is experienced and lived.
• Help parents take ownership as the primary leader of faith within their families.
• Parishes/Schools model that sacraments initiate an individual into a life of faith, not just a moment of faith

Paradigm Shift

 

Are you interested in more information about the process? Click here to download more information

To schedule a session, please contact Christian Rada at (718) 399-5982 or crada@diobrook.org