New Study Shows How Young Catholic Parents Pray And Practice Faith In The U.S. As Pope Prepares For World Meeting Of Families In Philadelphia

EASTON, Mass., Sept. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Young Catholic parents in the U.S. infrequently attend Mass and tend not to enroll their children in formal religious education, but do believe in the sacraments and pray regularly, according to  two new special reports from a study conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate and released today by Holy Cross Family Ministries.

The study comes just as Pope Francis prepares to make his first trip to the U.S., during which he will address the World Meeting of Families, the world's largest Catholic gathering of families. This year marks the first time that the World Meeting of Families will take place in the U.S.

"We continue to see a more individualized approach toward faith and prayer for young Catholic parents and families," said Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C., president of Holy Cross Family Ministries. "The findings of this survey indicate less focus on formal religious community yet a strong desire for more prayer. As we seek new ways to reach these families, it is incredibly important to understand how and why they pray and how they integrate faith into their everyday family life. The Holy Father's visit to the U.S. provides us an opportunity to talk about how we can help families come together and be strengthened through prayer."

The unprecedented study, Practice of Faith in the Catholic Family, provides an in-depth look at Catholic parents between the ages of 25 and 45 – members of the Millennial Generation or Generation X. Its key findings include: 

• While nearly half (49 percent) of young Catholic parents consider their faith to be either the most important part of their lives or one of the most important parts, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) attend Mass no more than twice a month, with nearly a quarter (22 percent) rarely or never attending. Thirty-seven percent of young Catholic parents attend Mass almost every week or more frequently. 
• More than eight in ten parents say it is 'somewhat' or 'very' important for their children to celebrate the sacraments of communion and confirmation, yet more than two-thirds (68 percent) do not have their children enrolled in formal Catholic religious education, an essential step to celebrate the sacraments.
• Young Catholic parents are likely, however, to engage frequently with their faith through prayer. Fifty-nine percent pray at least once a week, and another 10 percent pray almost every week. Yet they are likely to pray on their own: 76 percent of young Catholic parents prefer to pray individually, while 7 percent prefer to pray as a family. Although many Catholic parents do not pray with their family, they most often pray for their family, with 83 percent of parents stating they 'always or most of the time' pray for the well-being of their family. Additionally 71 percent express that prayer is essential to their faith, and Catholic parents are most likely to pray during: times of crisis (67%), feeling anxious (59%) and feeling blessed (54%).   

Holy Cross Family Ministries has been serving families for more than 70 years. The ministry helps families pray through face-to-face events as well as with many forms of media. Its planning for reaching contemporary families will be rooted in the survey data.

"There are many surveys that provide insight into what Catholics think about family issues. This is the first poll that allows us to understand how Catholic families are practicing their faith today," said Mark Gray, principal investigator for the poll. "There are results that should concern the Church. At the same time, Catholic families remain deeply connected to their faith through prayer. The challenge for the Church is to bring that commitment back into parish communities and Catholic schools."

For more information on Holy Cross Family Ministries: www.HCFM.org

SOURCE Holy Cross Family Ministries

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http://www.HCFM.org