According to a new study conducted by the Pew Research Center, a multiyear decline in Christianity in the United States seems to have leveled off, but the same survey notes that the Catholic Church is experiencing the greatest net losses of believers compared to other religions.
From the research collected, data indicates that for every one person received into the Catholic Church, another 8.4 individuals have left or drifted away.
This is a startling increase in the trend of an almost 25 percent increase from 6.5 Catholics abandoning the practice of their faith for every one person received from a similar 2014 study.
The new Pew survey also shows that only 29 percent of Catholics in the United States attend Mass on at least a weekly basis.
Such stark statistics reflect the enormous challenge that the Church faces as it struggles to embrace Our Lord’s missionary mandate to “Go, make disciples” (Mt 28:18).
While the numbers collected by the Diocese of Madison have been stable as compared to the national average, Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison has been urging our parishes and pastorates to consciously commit to creating a culture of evangelization on the local level.
Since his arrival in our 11-county area of southwestern Wisconsin, Bishop Hying has preached, written, and witnessed to the importance of reaching out to the lost, longing, and lonely with the Good News entrusted by Christ to His Church.
The bishop has continually stressed the need to become competent and confident in sharing the kerygma — the basic message of the Gospel — with family, friends, and all those we encounter in our daily lives.
Our diocesan-wide Into the Deep strategic plan, while ambitious, is slowly showing signs of shifting the focus from maintenance to mission within our local church communities.
The annual October count of Mass attendees showed a slight increase in worshipers, and while the number of Sunday Masses celebrated has decreased to a more manageable amount, the number of people filling the pews has significantly increased.
By recalibrating resources to effectively serve the needs of the faithful, our renewed parishes with multiple locations should be better positioned to address the downturn by engaging and encouraging baptized believers to consciously and creatively live out their sublime vocation as missionary disciples, transforming the world — one soul at a time.
One positive shift in the merging of our parishes has been a broader implementation of Family Faith Formation (Family Faith Formation) for religious education.
Because faith is best taught and lived out in the family, the Church expects parents to be the first and foremost educators of their children.
Rather than focusing merely on individuals, Family Faith Formation integrates the entire family unit into the catechetical process.
When done correctly and including an adult formation component, Family Faith Formation teaches and trains mothers and fathers in the truths of the Catholic Faith, so that they can form their children.
This model provides parents with the tools needed to share the Good News and exposes them to the richness of Catholicism so that their children can effectively be formed into true disciples of Jesus.
Through engaging, easy-to-understand lessons and fun activities, Family Faith Formation brings parishes and families together to learn their Catholic faith with joy and excitement.
This shared learning experience combines religious truth and practice into a family’s everyday life, avoiding the disconnect that often can occur with outdated and ineffective catechetical models.
“Oftentimes, Family Faith Formation takes place on Sunday and is able to incorporate Mass either before or after religious instruction,” noted Michelle Nilsson, director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Diocese of Madison.
“In this way, parents and children are able to be nurtured in the truths of the Faith and be nourished by both Word and Sacrament at the same time,” Nilsson continued.
To boost interest and show support, Bishop Hying and other diocesan staff members have made themselves available around the Diocese of Madison to serve as Family Faith Formation instructors or guest lecturers.
“It is an opportune time to connect with parents and stress upon them the importance of fostering the Faith at home,” reflected Bishop Hying.
While it may take time to turn the current tide of decline, Family Faith Formation is proving to be a most effective way for our parishes and pastorates within the Diocese of Madison to reach and teach souls — one family at a time.
Michael D. Wick is the director of mission for the Diocese of Madison.