As our parish faith formation/religious education programs and processes have gotten into full swing with the school year, I have been reflecting on what students in elementary, middle school, and high school need and want regarding their faith formation.
Most parishes put the focus of religious education on children and youth. "They need to know their Catholic faith so that they don't walk away from the Church." Yet, youth and young adults, regardless of how many years they participate in regular religious education programs, still fall away from regular religious practice or when they marry, they share in their spouses' non-Catholic faith practices. So what is a parish to do?
If you ask children and youth what they want to do in religious education, they will, in most cases, say, "Have fun! Play! Be with my friends!" They are in school 7-8 hours each day, so another classroom experience just turns them off. They are being pumped with information all day long, so more information may just get lost in the brain files.
In my opinion, what children and youth most need with regard to faith formation are activities that help them to develop (1) Identity, (2) Relationship with God, (3) Relationship with family and friends, (4) Participation in community.
Young people long to know who they are and how they fit into the world. Parish communities need to provide them with activities that will encourage them to realize their strengths and abilities and how they can best use those strengths and abilities.
Young people want to know what it means to be Catholic. Parishes need to provide opportunities for them to ask questions about what we believe and do and why we do what we do. Why is it important to go to Church every weekend? What is the purpose of the Sacraments? How do Bible lessons fit my life and affect me in the 21st century?
Young people want to be with friends and family. They want to be accepted for who they are and fit in with the larger community. Parishes need to provide students with opportunities to socialize and have fun with friends. They also need to engage families together in meaningful conversations and activities.
Young people need to share their gifts and talents in service to others. Parishes need to engage students in community service, in individual, small group, and large community processes of giving and serving others.
We need to continually improve our faith formation and religious education processes in order to help children and youth explore their Catholic identity, relationship with God and others, and grow their talents and abilities in service to others.
