KEARNY-Many Catholic teenagers exhibit an indifferent attitude toward their religion and most are unable to articulate their faith. These are among the key findings of groundbreaking research by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM), Washington D.C.

Mike Theisen, director of membership services for the NFCYM (www.nfcym.org), led a presentation at the Archdiocesan Youth Retreat Center on Aug. 12 that focused on "The National Study of Youth and Religion: Will Our Children Have Faith?"

In an unprecedented four-year study, Christian Smith, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his colleagues interviewed 3,400 young people between the ages of 13 and 17; of the total participants in the study, 816 were Catholic.

The key findings of the study are highlighted in Smith’s book "Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers." Like most national studies on social and cultural topics, the report offers a statistical snapshot on overall trends; it doesn’t claim  to document specific conditionsin any one area of the country.

Mike Theisen, director of membership services for the National
Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, led a presentation at the
Archdiocesan Youth Retreat Center on Aug. 12, which focused on “The
National Study of Youth and Religion: Will Our Children Have Faith?”

Guests at the forum included Catechetical leaders, youth ministers, teachers and those involved in evangelical efforts throughout the archdiocese. Several members of the audience commented that the study results actually confirmed many of their own fears regarding the involvement of teens in the Church.

One of the major points of the study is that the faith and religious beliefs of the young people mirrors the practices and beliefs of their parents. The findings, therefore, imply that many in the Baby Boomer generation did not pass on religious traditions to their children.

"This study is also about adult faith formation. We have to look at families, parents and church communities in order to keep teens connected. Kids are a barometer for culture and institution of our society and the Church needs to pay attention to them," Theisen said.

However, Theisen stressed that, despite the concerns, there is much potential-and many opportunities-to reach teenagers on faith issue. For example, there are many teens and young adults throughout the archdiocese who are enthusiastic participants at programs and events sponsored by the Youth Retreat Center (see The Catholic Advocate, July 19, June 7, Jan. 25 and Jan. 11).

Young people are not unreachable; they are just apathetic and indifferent, the study suggested. "The field is ripe for evangelization," Theisen said.

Religion is a significant presence in teenagers’ lives, but is not applied to their everyday situations, according to the study. "(Religion) is there, but it is in the background. It does not shape their actions," Theisen explained.

Teenagers are also "happy to go along and get along" according to the study. They attend religious services but are not actively committed. As opposed to characteristics of Generation X and Baby Boomers, who were actively rebellious to their parent’s ideals, the current "Millennial Generation" is just indifferent.

"Have we passed on a passionless faith? Our children are extensions of ourselves and this is the fault of the adults. It is a tough job to be a parent with teenagers but we can’t raise them alone in faith," Theisen stressed. A majority of teens identify themselves as Christian but do not know basic religious language or terms.

The outlook of teens today is described as "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism," a term coined by Smith. Characteristics include the belief that God watches over human life at a distance, wants us to be fair and good to each other and that He is needed especially when resolving problems. This emerging system of thought also includes that good people go to heaven when they die and God wants everyone to be happy and feel good.

In terms of being active in religion, such as participating in retreats, youth rallies, and volunteering, Catholic youth are not faring well. Mormon teenagers are faring best and have the most religious vitality followed by conservative Protestants and African-American Protestants. Catholic teenagers are fifth on that list according to the study’s findings. Theisen suggested Mormons are more spirituality active because "their faith is their culture and their culture is their faith."

Another reason for such low religious vitality in young Catholics is the lack of youth programs and youth ministers at parishes. According to the study, Catholics invest fewer in youth ministers, while only 21 percent of parishes in the United States have a full-time youth minister, which significantly lowers teens’ attendance at Mass.

Catholic teens who are highly religious tend not to engage in atrisk behaviors, the study showed. Being involved in the Church creates more engaged and healthier adolescents. On a more positive note, 76 percent of Catholic youth plan to remain Catholic into adulthood and 39 percent attend Mass at least once per week.

Theisen agrees that some of these findings were disheartening. "Some people are going to hear things that they may not like. It will be messy and challenging, but this is a good thing because now it is time for a change. We have to do something and now we can’t deny it because there has been research done," he said.

There are different steps the youth ministers, parents and Catholic schools officials should take in order to increase youth activity in the Church. "We need to start moving to a different paradigm and at things through a different lens. Church leadership and parents have to acknowledge that a change is required and it will be a long and difficult process, usually taking two to five years," Theisen added.

Working together and collaborating across all levels of ministry is needed so that parents become involved and reinvigorate faith within teens. Understanding that parents are the key to changing the ideas young people have about religion is key.

"We need to be partners with the parents. The parishes could implement family ministry where they work with families during key transition times, for example, if a child leaves middle school and attends high school. The parish could encourage ‘Sabbath time’ where families take time out to be together and encourage deep thinking to enrich themselves," Theisen suggested.