Is Your Faith Growing? A Guide to the New Evangelization for Today's Catholics

 

Is Your Faith—or Your Family's Faith—Truly Growing?

You weren't always worried about faith. Maybe your child was baptized, received first communion, went through the motions. But somewhere along the way, something changed. Their questions went unanswered. Your own questions were never addressed. The faith felt empty, disconnected from real life.

Or maybe you're in a parish and seeing the same thing happening—fewer people at Mass, young people drifting away, adults going through the motions without understanding why their faith matters.

You're not alone. This crisis is real. And the Catholic Church has a name for the response: the New Evangelization.

What is the New Evangelization?

The New Evangelization refers to an initiative within the Catholic Church that seeks to re-ignite the faith of believers who may have drifted away from the Faith. While evangelization traditionally means spreading the Gospel to non-baptized individuals and those in other religions, the New Evangelization is focused on reaching out to baptized Catholics who are no longer practicing their faith or are experiencing a weakened relationship with the Church.

But it's more than that. It's also about Catholics who were never properly catechized—who were baptized but never really understood what the Church teaches. Children who go through confirmation but don't understand the sacrament. Adults who attend Mass weekly but can't explain their faith to their own children. Teachers and catechists struggling to engage students. Parents terrified their children are losing faith.

The New Evangelization is the Church's response to all of these crises.

What Are the Key Aspects of the New Evangelization?

1. ✓ Re-evangelization of the Baptized: The New Evangelization is aimed at Catholics who may have lost touch with their faith, helping them rediscover a vibrant, living relationship with Christ and the Church. Many are poorly catechized and need to understand the Church's true teachings to comprehend the great depth, mystery, and beauty of the Faith.
2. ✓ Context of modernity: It recognizes the challenges posed by secularism, materialism, and relativism in the modern world. These ideologies often compete with or replace religious belief and practice.
3. ✓ New methods and expressions: The New Evangelization encourages the use of modern means of communication (like digital media) and more engaging, relatable forms of witnessing and teaching the faith to reach people in new ways. We can teach the same truths of the Faith in new and more engaging ways without watering it down at all.
4. ✓ Holistic approach: It involves authentic catechesis, liturgical renewal by frequent reception of the Sacraments in a reverent and traditional manner, community building by forging lasting connections with fellow Catholics, and a deeper emphasis on ongoing personal conversion.
5. ✓ Missionary focus: While directed at revitalizing the faith of Christians, it also extends to those who are marginalized, spiritually lost, or unfamiliar with the faith.

Why Do We Need A New Evangelization?

The statistics are sobering. Only 30% of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing. 10% of all American adults are ex-Catholics. A groundbreaking study showed that 33% of American Catholics are unaware of the Church's teaching on Christ's Real Presence—and an additional 4% deny this central tenet of the Faith.

But it's not just statistics. It's also the adults who never received proper catechesis. It's the confirmation students who can't explain the gifts of the Holy Ghost. It's the married couples who don't understand the sacrament they entered into. It's the teachers and catechists overwhelmed by the task of forming young people in a hostile cultural environment.

The New Evangelization isn't optional. It's urgent. And it requires resources—proper formation, clear teaching, engaging methods, and support for families, teachers, and parishes.

3 Reasons Why Young People Leave the Catholic Faith (And How Adults Struggle Too)

The overall reasons why those who were raised in the Catholic Faith fall away can generally be aggregated into three categories:

1. ✓ Those Who Deny or Doubt the Church's Teachings
2. ✓ Those Who Experience Serious Life Challenges or Doubts
3. ✓ Those Who Do Not Feel Connected with the Faith

Those Who Deny or Doubt the Church's Teachings

We must regularly ensure that we are teaching the fullness of the Catholic Faith and doing so in a way to combat the errors of modern society. Young people must be taught by word and by example that grave evils (abortion, contraception, same-sex "marriage") violate God's law, harm the person, and derogate personal dignity.

But this applies to adults too. Many Catholics were never properly taught what the Church actually teaches on these matters. Adults need formation as much as children do.

Those Who Experience Serious Life Challenges or Doubts

When someone is going through difficult challenges in life or experiencing doubts about the Faith, they should have recourse to prayer. The Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration, the Mass, and daily prayers should be foundational. Parents need formation on how to cultivate this in their families. Teachers need resources to help students during doubt. Adults need guidance on deepening their own prayer life and relationship with God.

Those Who Do Not Feel Connected with the Faith

The Faith must not be something we only practice on Sunday mornings. We must regularly practice fasting and abstinence as a family. We should go to Mass more often than only Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. We must make time for the daily Rosary as a family. We need to ensure that our children make friends with other children at the parish and attend parish gatherings. Being Catholic is not just something you can choose to do or not do—it's a way of life that should permeate everything.

And this applies to adults who were poorly formed. They need community. They need to understand how their faith connects to their daily life. They need formation and support.

Online Catechesis Is Part of the New Evangelization

While the Faith never changes, the manner in which we teach it has always changed. The Church did not dismiss the printing press as a "Protestant tool." Neither should we dismiss the Internet and digital media. The Internet is a tool that can be used for good. Parishes have resources at their disposal to use technology to teach the Faith in new and engaging ways that reach people where they are while never compromising on the integrity of doctrine.

Research backs this up: The U.S. Department of Education found that students who took all or part of their class online performed better on average than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction. Children in religious education will also perform better with quality online resources.

Children want to learn and be challenged. The discipline in a secular classroom should carry over to religious education. Children should have regular activities and homework—including frequent reception of the Sacraments, the practice of prayers and pious devotions, and ample opportunities to share what they learn. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves and to feel connected to a community. Online education, done well, provides this.

What's Your Situation? Find Your Path to the New Evangelization

Every family, every teacher, every parish is different. Find your situation and discover the resources and courses that can help:

CatechismClass.com Is A Response to The New Evangelization

Our programs have been used since 2004—we are the oldest running online religious education provider. Our founder, Fr. James Zatalava, launched our comprehensive children's programs and expanded from there. We are different from other online religious education programs because we are one of the most comprehensive.

We have everything: online K-12 programs, RCIA classes, adult continuing education, marriage preparation, baptism preparation, confirmation prep, quinceañera prep, catechist training, NFP classes, and more. No one else offers the breadth of services we do for the Faith.

Our courses have the endorsement of many US Bishops and theologians, including Dr. Scott Hahn. CatechismClass.com has the highest support any online Catholic organization can have. We have a bishop as our official advisor and many priests and theologians who have endorsed our work and courses.

Explore Our Complete Course Catalog

Whether you're a parent, teacher, parish leader, or an adult seeking deeper faith—the New Evangelization is your path. Begin today.