Faith helps guide decisions

     Recently it has become a norm in our society to watch students go to college and become disillusioned with their faith. Indeed, it seems that there is an exodus of young adults in the Catholic Church, as has been pointed out in a recent article by Relevant magazine. According to the article 40-50 percent of young Christians fail to connect with their church after high school.

     As emerging adults, we are making a number of decisions about our worldviews, lifestyles and vocations in life. We are making decisions that influence our everyday lives and, for some, faith is not an everyday influence. Some young adults fail to value the importance of their faith and, therefore, they fail to rely on their faith to make these life-changing decisions. But there is good news: about 50 percent of young adults that leave their church do return, according to the article. Young adults make their life-changing decisions while they are in college. But people continue to change, continue to grow. There are consequences that happen based upon decisions made in college, particularly once young adults begin to start a family.

     The article fails to detail why the momentous event of having children impacts a person’s decision to return to their faith. I believe that, for one thing, human beings tend to fall back upon what they know. Despite our vows to never become like our parents, we tend to follow the examples that they set for us. What are our childhood memories? How did our parents raise us? These are the questions that parents begin to think about, and if going to Mass and being involved in our faith with our families is something that was set as an example, chances are it will be remembered.

     In this chaotic world, with uncertainties around every corner, it would be foolhardy to say that everything a young adult has planned will follow accordingly. As emerging adults, we are set out on our own to make our own decisions. Certainly, parents will find it strange that their children drift from the faith; but they must remember that they have set their own examples and that everyone needs to learn from his or her mistakes.

When I went off to college, I had my doubts. I became disillusioned with my faith and stopped attending Mass. I failed to see the importance of spending one hour with God every weekend and I faltered in my beliefs. Apart from my parents, I had no one reminding me to go to Mass and the messages I was hearing were of a very different tune from what I was accustomed to hear. I was a very different person than I am today—and though it has only been a few years since that time, I can see what a difference that period of questioning brought about in myself. Thankfully, my family was looking out for me; my brother encouraged me to seek out a priest to talk about my doubts. And what did I learn? I learned that we must be strong in our faith; I learned that everyone questions and doubts, but we have to arm ourselves with the answers, or at least know where to look for help. But ultimately, it was my family’s example that encouraged me to resume attending Mass and to become stronger in my faith.

     Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York writes a blog almost every day; at the beginning of the New Year, he suggested some resolutions: 1) daily morning offerings; 2) first day, every week, attend Sunday Mass; and 3) first Friday, every month, receive the sacrament of Penance. Human beings learn by doing; in order to learn about our faith, we must live it. For the young adults that question their faith and for the 50 percent that fail to return, we must be examples of our faith—we must be beacons in the darkness, guiding them home. We have to think about why we return to our faith, why we make the daily choice to be a Catholic, and show through our example why we stand as Catholics.

     Heather Bozant can be reached at hbozant@clarionherald.org.