By Fr. Rolf Tollefson
In this week’s leadership blog, I’d like to talk about a very, very common occurrence happening in the Catholic Church these days. Young people are leaving the Church in high numbers. You and I could argue for hours about why this is happening, and I suppose we both would be right in the final analysis! There are many, many factors contributing to this phenomenon. Very frequently, I hear a distressed soul on the other side of the confessional screen lamenting how their children have all left the faith. How can we keep our kids Catholic? Allow me to share with you just a couple of the things we are doing at St. Hubert to support your critical role as parents as the primary educators and formators of your children.
We have invested in a new staffer, Corey Manning, who comes with many years of experience in working with college students in FOCUS, the Fellowship of College and University Students. He is the one who recently designed the Catholic care packages we handed out to college students returning from Christmas break. (Corey would be very happy if parents sent him the address of the college your child is attending so as to send Halos and other e-publications to your young man or woman who is attending college this fall).
Corey will also be complementing the work of the (to be hired) new youth minister who will be the primary contact with our high school teens. Corey will especially be discipling 11th and 12th graders.
In addition to these efforts, St. Hubert Catholic School gives our children many, many hours of religious instruction than is possible in Wednesday night faith formation classes. St. Hubert Catholic School incorporates faith and prayer into the classroom each and every day, complementing the work parents are doing at home to teach the faith.
Fr. Aric has put countless hours of time into his work as parish youth minister in senior high and Edge (junior high) programs for the past year and a half , but the time has come for him to learn more about what it means to be a pastor (and I think he will be an excellent pastor someday). Please take a moment to thank Fr. Aric after Masses this weekend!
There is no magic formula to keeping your kids Catholic, and sometimes even despite the best efforts from parents, children stray from the faith. The best you can do to keep your kids Catholic is to live your faith every day with your kids, attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day, pray for them and with them, and surround them with peers and friends who make faith a priority in their lives.