Crisis and Opportunity Crisis and Opportunity on College Campuseson College Campuses

Jason Simon, Executive Director

www.evangelicalcatholic.org

A Real-Life Story of Conversion

The Crisis

UCLA’s 2004-2007 Study: Spirituality in Higher Education

Percentage Frequently Attending Religious Services

Freshman: 43.7% Juniors: 25.4%

Almost 1 in 5 stop attending church.

The Crisis

UCLA’s study found that:

Students say they are becoming

less religious and more spiritual

YET…

“my life is filled with stress and anxiety”Increased 16%

“overwhelmed by everything I have to do”Increased 14%

“depressed”Increased 3%

The Crisis Pre-Vatican II Generation

Catholics (66+ yrs old in 2008) attend Mass once a week

45%

Millennial Generation Catholics (18 to 26 yr old) attend Mass once a week

18%

Georgetown’s CARA Study: Sacraments Today (2008)

The Crisis

Roughly 10% of Americans are former Catholics (2008 PEW “Religious Landscape Survey”)

36% of former Catholics say they stopped thinking of themselves as Catholic between the ages of 18 and 29. (CARA 2008)

The Crisis

91% of the Millennial Generation Catholic men have never considered becoming a priest (2008 CARA Study).

The Opportunity

INVOLVED IN PARISH OUTSIDE OF MASS Attended a Catholic College and took part

in the Catholic Campus Ministry (CCM) – 31% VERY INVOLVED

Catholic College but NO CCM – 14% Non-Catholic College but CCM – 72% at

least a little Non-Catholic College and CCM – 54% at

least a little

Most likely to receive ashes and abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent?

18 to 26 year olds that attend Mass frequently

Among Catholics who attend Mass at least once a month, who is most likely to agree that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist?

Pre-Vatican II Catholics (66+ Years)Vatican II Catholics (48 to 65 Years)Post-Vatican II Catholics (27 to 48 Years)Millennial Catholics (18 to 26 Years)

– 85%

– 86%

The Opportunity

WEEKLY MASS ATTENDANCE

CARA Campus Ministry Impact Study

Attended a non-Catholic College but participated in the Catholic Campus Ministry

48%

Attended non-Catholic College and did not participate in the Catholic Campus Ministry

32%

The Opportunity

CATHOLIC FAITH AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF DAILY LIFE

Attended a Catholic College and participated in the Catholic Campus Ministry

65%

Attended a Catholic College but did not participate in the Catholic Campus Ministry

52%

What Students Don’t Want

A Formula Too simplistic and absolute

An Institution Prefer to float rather than identify

A Rescue Plan Don’t fear hell

What Students Do Want

Authentic Relationships Meaning & Purpose Love

Pope Paul VI, “need witnesses not teachers”

Is the Catholic Church in Trouble?

Authentic Relationships

Meaning Purpose

A Formula Too simplistic and

absolute An Institution

Prefer to float rather than identify

A Rescue Plan Don’t fear hell

They want… They don’t want…

Isn’t the Catholic Church in Trouble? NO!

Pope Benedict XVI in the opening paragraph of Deus Caritas Est:

“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction (1).”

The Church needs to focus on facilitating this encounter with Christ through authentic, loving relationships that draw people to Christ in both Word and Sacrament.