In his book, What Do Our Children Know About Their Faith? (NCEA, 2010), respected researcher  Dr. John J. Convey of Catholic University compiled data gleaned from the Catholic adolescents who took the ACRE  (Assessment For Catholic Religious Education) in 2004-2005.

Fifty-five thousand eighth and ninth graders in Catholic schools and 8,500 in parish religious education programs from 101 dioceses completed ACRE Level 2. More than 23,000 eleventh and twelfth graders from Catholic high schools and 1,100 from parish religious education programs from 79 dioceses completed ACRE Level 3.

Here’s what Dr. Convey found from the data.

Religious Knowledge: Eleventh and twelfth graders (24,000 students, 95 percent of whom were in Catholic high schools) showed a more accurate knowledge of the faith than those in eighth and ninth grades (63,500 students, 86 percent in Catholic schools).

A large majority of the students see the Bible as the inspired Word of God, understand the centrality of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, see God as the source of Creation still active in the world, and know that wisdom and courage are Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

They recognize the Marks of the Church, the importance of parish life, the purpose of a

Sacrament, and the nature of Holy Communion and the sacrament of marriage.

They identify Mass as the most important act of worship for Catholics, and they correctly named the duration of the liturgical year. These students also show an understanding of sin, the social teaching of the Church, and reasons for fasting.

Inspiring—and it shows us that religious education is making an impact. But there’s a flip side to the data:

• 15 to 20 percent of  the eleventh and twelfth graders tested think that Jesus was a man who became God.
• 40 percent think the Immaculate Conception celebrates Mary’s virginity.
• 26 to 31 percent think that the type of prayer you pray on behalf of others is called “adoration.”
• More than 25 percent believe that conscience is based on what a person feels is right or wrong.
• 50 percent say that true freedom means deciding for yourself what is good and evil.
• Moral conversion leads to an attitude of “live and let live” (25 percent), seeking others’ approval for doing God’s will (21 to 24 percent), or no further need to change (16 percent).
• 45 to 55 percent understand the function of the Magisterium.
• 35 to 45 percent understand “preferential option for the poor”
• About 1 out of 3 do not know the meaning of Paschal Mystery.
• 1 out of 3 from Catholic high schools and half of those in parish programs do not know when the Gospels were written.
• That same number do not understand our use of the term Tradition.
• Most do not have a basic knowledge of Church history and less than half understood the term ecumenism.
• 30 percent do not know conditions for annulments.

Sobering statistics. Clearly, we need to reach out more effectively to young people, to connect faith to life.

The satisfactory level of religious knowledge for ACRE is set at 64 to 86 percent correct responses. Overall, 79 percent of eighth and ninth graders and 70 percent of eleventh and twelfth graders in Catholic schools met satisfactory expectations. 44 percent of eighth and ninth graders and 50 percent of eleventh and twelfth graders in parish religious education met satisfactory expectations.

Those in Catholic schools scored higher on faith knowledge than those in parish programs.

Those in parish high school religious education programs showed higher average agreement on all Catholic beliefs, perceptions, attitude, and practices than those in Catholic high schools (there was no statistical difference in lower grades).

In general, percentage of agreement with Catholic sentiment declines as age increases. Decline is more evident among those in Catholic schools.

In addition to religious knowledge, the ACRE data reveals that:

• More than 90 percent of all Catholic youth view Jesus as their Savior and friend.
• 90 percent believe that God really does listen when they pray.
• 95 percent believe that God still loves them even when they sin.
• 80 percent believe that Jesus understands them and say that their relationship with Jesus really helps. (almost 90 percent of eighth and ninth graders)
• 86 percent would like to learn how to get closer to God.
• 85 percent say that being Catholic is important to them.
• Two-thirds attend Mass (students were not asked how often they attended).
• 80 percent say they take time to think about whether their actions are right or wrong.
• 72 percent say they have a responsibility for making the world a better place.
• Two-thirds say that abortion is wrong under any condition.
• 55 percent say they want to wait until married before having sex.
• 75 percent say it is okay for a couple to live together before marriage.
• 46 percent say their family prays together at home.
• Two-thirds talk about serious issues with one or both parents.
• 80 percent say that gathering for family meals is important to their family.
• 84 percent are glad to be in their school or parish religious education program.
• 80 percent say that a religion teacher has had a positive influence on how they think and live.
• 77 percent say they belong to an excellent parish and 88 percent say the parish cares.

The numbers tell an interesting story. They tell us that religious education is making an impact, but that there’s much more work to be done.