Lately there has been much discussion — and confusion — about a new study of Catholic college students, showing dramatic declines in faith practice and fidelity after four years at certain Catholic colleges and universities.
Debate has centered on the question asked on the Register’s website: “Is There a Catholic Education Crisis?”
Of course there is. And the new report from Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) reveals the worst news yet about the state of Catholic higher education.
CARA’s study of 34 colleges and universities finds that, while 16% of Catholic students become more pro-life by graduation from a Catholic institution, nearly twice that number (31%) become more pro-abortion. On homosexual “marriage,” 16% of Catholic students move toward Catholic teaching, but 39% abandon it. About one in eight Catholic students leaves the faith altogether.
Now that’s a crisis!
And it gets worse. While Catholic students tend to move even farther from the faith at non-Catholic colleges, the choice of a Catholic college is not a significant factor when demographic variables (age, sex, family wealth, etc.) are taken into account.
In other words, Catholic students at all types of colleges are falling away from the faith in dramatic fashion … and choosing one of the Catholic institutions in CARA’s study appears to have pretty much the same impact on a student’s faith as does choosing a public or secular private institution.
So why are some media questioning whether there is truly a crisis in Catholic higher education?
CARA deserves much of the blame for how it interprets — spins, really — its own data. For instance, CARA’s concluding sentence states that there is no “secularizing trend among Catholic students attending Catholic colleges.”
Really? Twice as many students turn away from the faith on issues like abortion and homosexual “marriage” as move toward the faith, and 12% of all Catholic freshmen leave the faith by graduation. That’s not a secularizing trend?
Presumably, CARA meant to repeat the more nuanced claim made earlier in its report: After considering demographic variables, it could find no evidence “that Catholic colleges and universities are systematically making students ‘less Catholic.’” But this, too, is a flawed conclusion.
CARA’s analysis compares the impact of Catholic and non-Catholic institutions, which appears to be equal. But to claim that the institutions in its study have no impact at all on a student’s faith, CARA would have to compare Catholic students to young Catholics who do not attend college.
Frankly, it seems preposterous to hold dissenting professors and the typical campus culture blameless for students’ loss of faith. Nevertheless, CARA suggests that Catholic educators are nearly powerless to encourage faith in a highly secular culture.
“Holding Catholic colleges and universities to an unrealistic standard to think they can beat back the broader culture forces and be completely successful is unrealistic,” said CARA researcher Mark Gray to the Register.
I suspect that CARA’s findings would hold up for most Catholic colleges and universities, but one would expect much different results among students at the sincerely Catholic institutions recommended in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College.
While students at wayward Catholic institutions leave the faith, equally large numbers of students at some of the Newman Guide institutions are answering God’s call to become priests and religious. The contrast is stark.
Anyone who has met the graduates of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Christendom College, Thomas Aquinas College or any of the institutions named in our guide cannot possibly accept that Catholic educators today have no hope of bringing students closer to Christ.
For 17 years, the Cardinal Newman Society has known there’s a crisis, and we have worked to both expose the problems and to solve them. The CARA study demonstrates the great need for research that proves the stark contrast between The Newman Guide institutions and secularized universities. We are pursuing grants now to fund this research and set the record straight.
Recently, I have been telling people that the outlook for Catholic higher education is improving — that the Vatican and bishops are urging renewal, and Catholic educators are increasingly inclined toward a mission-centered approach that focuses on student development. I still believe this is true.
CARA has simply helped prove the dismal failure of many Catholic colleges and universities. The success of sincerely faithful institutions will continue to point the way forward.
Patrick J. Reilly is president and founder of The Cardinal Newman Society, a national organization to help renew and strengthen Catholic higher education.
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This is a shame and need to change. Pray and pray hard…
Let’s be honest here: Our attitudes toward Gay people are shaped by how well we know them personally. 30 years ago most Americans didn’t know people who were Gay. 50 years ago the mere mention of the term “homosexual” aroused feelings of fear and disgust, visions of drooling sex maniacs lurking in the bushes. But TODAY most Americans are aware of friends, co-workers, and family members who are Gay, and with that knowledge has come increasing acceptance and support. It’s a trend that is not going to reverse itself. Granted, not all Gay people are saints, nor are all Straight people paragons of virtue. But younger people are coming to the realization that it’s better to invite Gay people to a place at the table rather than pushing them to the societal fringe, and that Gay people are just as capable of conducing their lives with decency and humility as anyone else.
There seems to be too much comment on kids leaving the faith and too little looking inward. The Church (actually those who run it) have failed to evangelize. How many Catholic Churches have any evangilization program that meets the needs of the young?
Kids are not interested in having dogma shoved down their throats, they need to have a valid reason to stay in the Church. Not the standard “come to church or you will burn in hell.”
The liberal end of the church accepts everything, therefore excepts nothing. The conservative end shouts out dogma and seems even mean spirited, often turning off everyone.
Georgetown law school “was”, but now is “not” Catholic. That couldn’t happen, but it did. The whole school and many more like it are on that same path to “is not” Catholic. That means they run on a competitive self-love pride that says “We prepare our students for all the best that this world has to offer. That’s Catholic? No, that’s secular and it’s Jesuit—minus the Ignatian Excercises. With notable exceptions it appears these excercises that guided their “ways and means” for centuries have been thrown under the bus—as the saying goes—today.
Most of the so called Catholic Colleges should be closed and sold. The money could then be used to keep Catholic elementary and high schools open. There are only about a dozen true Catholic colleges left.
It is my observation that many of the “Catholic” institutions of higher education that have a higher level of secularization among their students tend to be Jesuit institutions. I guess that the Pope’s pastoral conversation with the Jesuits fell on some deaf ears.
Thank you for this follow up to the initial article based on the CARA findings. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I started to read it. I couldn’t believe it was printed here. Whew! Thank you for clarifying this terribly important issue!! I recently taught for our Catholic grammar school, and was truly saddened by the secularization of its overall spirit.
I think the title “Catholic” should be removed from any university that does not conform to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Some of these so called “Catholic” Universities teach much that is contrary to the faith and this does terrible damage to young minds and rebellious hearts. If our Bishops don’t start acting with courage soon, many more young souls will be lost.
Time for Catholic Universities to turn away from secular thinking. Since there is no salvation outside of the Catholic Church time to get our ducks in order. The Cardinal Newman Society was a life line for me when I was in a secular college. God Bless them.
I too was a fallen away college student. I attended a secular university but returned to my faith with more devotion that I originally had when I left. I would be interested to see what the “return to faith rate” is for people who attend Catholic colleges vs people who attend secular collges. I consider my “break” a blessing. It was during this time that I experienced and saw first hand exactly how empty and sad a life without God truely is. I think this “falling away” for young people at this point in their life is natural but, not all do fall into that trap. It is a time when young people stuggle to establish thier identity as an independant adult away from thier family. My realization was that I was no one without God. Maybe not everyone will come to that conclusion as quickly as I did but I think the better the foundation the better the chances of a “return”. I would still love to send my children to a Catholic university.
Okay Chuch gay people are nice but they cannot reproduce children which is what marriage has been structured around for a long time. As soon as marriage moves away for the welfare and benefit of children you no longer have the best interests of the common good.
Chuck,
True, there is nothing wrong with inviting a homsexual to the table as you put it…but as Fr. Corapi says"they have to be like the priests and religious…celibate”. Living the lifestyle, ie. having sex with someone of the same gender is where the sin lies.
Anna
I attended on the of Catholic Universities recommended by the Cardinal Newman Society (Franciscan.) While there were some great theology classes, the spiritual outreach or activities for the unprivileged was lacking. I’m not rich, I funded 100% of my college education through hard work (I also graduated at the top of my class.) I found that because I had to work 15-20 hours a week to afford FUS, I was automatically excluded from the core of Franciscan’s campus ministry, that is households (basically super Catholic sororities/fraternities.) The woman’s households require you to attend at least 20 hours of activities A WEEK! My financial aid package was routinely mis-managed (they would forget to add in my government grants.)
I think that going to a school surrounded by privileged, spoiled, immature Catholics really turned me away from the faith. Sorry to burst your bubble, but my sister who went to a secular state school grew in her faith 10 times more than I did at Franciscan.
Blame the parents and home parishes / pastoral leaders, not the colleges.
I think ideally, you have a secular college with a GREAT outreach by the Newman Center/Catholic campus ministry. In this way, you are IN THE WORLD, but supported by ministry true to Catholic teachings. Then the truth of the Catholic church will shine like a light in the darkness.
Unfortunately, many of the campus ministries are not true to the church, one in point being at Ohio State University. My daughters went there, and I could not get the priests to even ADDRESS the pro-life issue!!!!!
We need to pray for these campus ministries, and do all we can to get them to be true to the Church’s teachings.
I was a devoted Catholic in high school, being very involved running the youth group, participating in various mission trips, and making sure I lived the way any good Catholic should. Then I went to a college which was not religiously affiliated, and I made a few mistakes. Regretfully, I went to the Newman Center for support and guidance. Instead of being welcoming and open, fellow Catholics shunned me and made me feel less of myself. I was horrified at how I was treated, and I left the Church, though I still maintain all the ideals. Everyone makes mistakes, and many people will stray, but until the Church as a whole practices what they preach and welcome and accept people who admit their mistakes, and gives meaningful support to help prevent future sins, this “crisis” will never end. The Church, especially on college campuses, needs to learn how to be inclusive, not exclusive
Elizabeth-I’m sorry you had such a negative experience with the Newman Club. Why did you give up? They are not ‘the Catholic Church’ but flawed members like all of us. I had the same experience when I was living in Italy with some members of ‘Catholic action’ - a youth group - they seemed rather elite but just a few - the rest were open and engaging and rather fun to be with while being serious about their faith and about helping others. The Catholic faith is not founded on ‘Newman groups’ but upon Jesus Christ who forgives all and welcomes all back as in the parable of the Prodigal son…as long as we are sorry for how we offended God and others and restore our relationship in confession,then God has already welcomed us back…but we all need human support so I will pray you will find that support group…but to leave your faith and the sacraments you need -especially Christ in the Eucharist, will only cause you to drift further and further away…turn to the Lord, make your peace with Him in confession and then receive Him in the Eucharist - remember He said that if we do not eat His Flesh or drink His Blood we can have no life in Him…and many left Him at that saying, knowing it would be very hard…but, as you know, nothing worth having is easily come by…pray and listen in your heart for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I will pray with you and for you - in Christ.
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