Session Number 1: Who are we? Trends in the Catholic Church nationally and locally Session Number 2: What is our future? Passing on the Faith – Catholic Education Session Number 3: Where do we begin? Anatomy of a Parish

Trivia Question # 2 The St. Louis Archdiocese is the 40 th largest diocese in the U.S. Where do we rank in terms of children in Catholic full-time school?

Trivia Question # 2 The St. Louis Archdiocese is the 40 nd largest diocese in the U.S. Where do we rank in terms of children in Catholic full-time school? 8th

The Future of Our Church Passing on the Faith to Our Future Generations

National research finds that millennial adults (ages 20-32) who attended Catholic schools are seven times more likely to attend weekly Mass that those who did not. (Source: Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University, June 2014) Why Catholic Schools? 94% of our current archdiocesan priests attended a Catholic elementary school; 92% attended a Catholic high school. (Source: Office of Pastoral Planning, Archdiocese of St. Louis) 2015 ACT test averages for Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese was 24.8, which places us in the 99 th percentile among all school systems in the state. (Source: ACT, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)

Catholic Elementary and Secondary Education has been on a steep decline for decades

Reasons for the Decline in Catholic Education Costs Program Concerns (quality, gifted, special needs, etc.) Decrease in Commitment to the Church Fewer Catholic Children

There has been a gradual decline in the number of births in our Archdiocesan area since 1990

However, baptisms have been declining faster than births Catholic “market share” of births has been on a steep decline since 1950

The Decline in Baptisms is a national “problem” Births are actually on the rise nationally – birth rate is down, but big increase in child-bearing age women, immigration National baptism “market share” looks the same as St. Louis but may actually be worse.

Decline in baptisms means fewer Catholic elementary school age children 37% of St. Louis Catholic elementary school age children are in Catholic schools Nationally, only 15% of Catholic elementary school age children are in a Catholic school.

An increasing percentage of our children receive Catholic education in parish schools of religion

Stabilizing enrollment in urban/north county schools has been enabled by enrolling an increasing % of non-Catholic students

Despite the increasing percentage of Catholic kids receiving Catholic education in PSR, even PSR enrollment is declining.

PSR Enrollment is a “Conundrum” When you look at this chart, does anything strike you as interesting?

PSR Enrollment is a “Conundrum” PSR enrollment has a big “bump” in 2 nd grade – the First Communion year PSR enrollment has another bump at either 7 th or 8 th grade – the Confirmation years. Some PSR parents are simply “checking off” the sacramental box. PSR enrollment would be 3,300 higher this year (1,500 at kinder- garden and 1,800 at 1 st and 3 rd through 8 th grade if their children went to PSR every year.

What about Home School? Perhaps 2-3% of our Catholic elementary school age children are home schooled There are some public school students whose parents home school them for religion Who are the Home School families? Very committed to raising their children in the Catholic faith Frequently large families who cannot afford Catholic education

Where did YOU Go to High School?

The Life-Cycle of This Year’s Catholic High School Freshmen Archdiocese of St. Louis ( ) High School Freshmen 2,943 Baptisms (2001) 7,488 Catholic School 1 st Grade ( ) 3,367 PSR 1 st Grade ( ) 2,288 Un-churched / Families Leave the Church/Home-School 2,073 Catholic School 8th Grade ( ) 2,908 Children Leave Catholic Schools 459 Some to PSR Some Opt out of Catholic Education or Leave the Church 2,232 Non-Catholic 8 th Grade from Public/Non- Cath. Etc. Schools Leave Full-Time Catholic Educ Non-Catholic Children 240 3,127

Our Declining Number of Baptisms Eventually Works its Way to High School 32% of Catholic high school age children are in Catholic high school Percentage has been fairly steady for more than 30 years Nationally, only 12% of Catholic high school age children are in a Catholic school.

We know what our Catholic high school future looks like for the next 14 years – because most of our students have already been baptized. If we maintain a 32% “market share” of Catholic high school age students and maintain a constant percent of non-Catholic students – in 14 years, we will have 1/3 fewer students That will mean 1/3 smaller schools or 1/3 fewer schools or some combination!

We have also offset enrollment declines by increasing enrollment of non-Catholic students

The Challenge of Catholic High School Education Tuition! Tuition! Tuition! High Schools Average All 3,484 6,835 11,570 Private 4,436 8,248 14,468 Diocesan 2,726 5,595 8,825 Parish 1,508 3,429 3,555

But What About the Other 68% ? “there has been an alarming decline in the number of high school students attending public schools who receive Catholic instruction” Archbishop Robert Carlson “Go and Announce the Gospel of the Lord” A pastoral letter on evangelization 1% of Catholic High School age children are in PSR

But What About the Other 68% ? 32% of our High School age children are in a Catholic high school 1% are in PSR What a sad state we as a country would be in if 2/3 of our children ended their academic education with the 8 th grade! What a sad state our church is in when 2/3 of our children end their religious education with the 8 th grade!!

The Religious Education of Our Youth is a Major Challenge Facing Our Church We are not reaching enough children with full-time schools or PSRs Tuition is becoming an obstacle in both our elementary and high schools Our younger parents are not as committed to the religious education of their children as their parents were