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When we came home and returned to our home parish, our children had been in Catholic schools since either kindergarten or even pre-school (for the youngest).

Our oldest was a Freshman in high school, and we enrolled her in the Confirmation classes. *She* was distressed by the level in her classes--which were geared to the bulk of the students that didn't know things like how many Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and such, not having seen the insides of a church since First Communion (and for those who had, the local norm is not to have an Catechism between!).

It terrifies me to think what would have happened had she not joined me at an EC church . . .

hawk

I really have to second what others have said. I once taught a jr. high/high school class in a Latin parish. This parish Confirms in 2nd grade, so the majority of these kids had received Confirmation. I was amazed... I had two kids, siblings, who obviously came from a family where the faith was practiced. None of the others could name more than one or two of the Sacraments or the 10 Commandments. They didn't have any notion about the basics of the faith. They had no concept of the Trinity, the Divinity of Christ... where do you start with such a group?

One of the things I did that year was take my class on a field trip to my local Byzantine Catholic parish. That was actually what started my journey back to the East after a 15 year absence.

Elizabeth

Lack of knowledge of the faith is a problem across all of Christendom, the problem is not the Church, but the family. The family are the primary teachers of the faith, if they are not, whatever we do in the Church are near meaningless until that person decides to take their faith into their own hands.

To continue thought and discussion about promoting Vocations, the following clip about Catholics on Call, offers food for thought on this subject.



Catholics On Call is a program for young adults seeking insight into life, and wondering what God has to say. It is for men and women, ages 18-30, who may be considering a life of service in the Church...or maybe just looking for direction.