Bishop urges Catholic educators to help youths embrace their faith

Published: 2008-03-28

INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) -- Helping today's youths grow more deeply in their faith is a key role for Catholic educators, Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Rapid City, S.D., told participants at the annual National Catholic Educational Association convention March 26 in Indianapolis. "How can we pass on the faith in a way that gives the children and grandchildren of today and tomorrow the same experience of God and of Christ and of the church that shapes our hearts?" he asked. The bishop cited a recent study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life that said 33 percent of all Catholic Americans have left the church. According to the study, 10 percent of all Americans identify themselves as former Catholics while 25 percent of all Americans between 18 and 29 have no religious affiliation. The study showed that those who left the church did so mainly from an apathy "that stems from a lack of knowledge about the faith," Bishop Cupich said. He said this lack of faith knowledge stems from the "collapse of the catechetical infrastructure."

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