Where are the 6.6 million? : a statistical survey of Catholic elementary and secondary formal religious education 1965-1974 "Wke,'i~e. cue. .. . c ' °*- ^ 4 WHERE ARl^lT THE 6.6 MILLION? A STATISTICAL SURVEY OF CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY FORMAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 1965-1974 UNITED STATES CATHOLIC CONFERENCE Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/whereare66millio00para WHERE ARE THE 6.6 MILLION? A STATISTICAL SURVEY OF CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY FORMAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 1965-1974 by Msgr. Wilfrid H. Paradis, J.C.D., Ph.D. Associate Secretary Office of Research, Policy and Program Development Department of Education United States Catholic Conference and Andrew D. Thompson, Ph.D. The School of Religious Studies The Catholic University of America Washington, D.C. 1976 Publications Office UNITED STATES EATHOLIE EONFERENEE 1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.E. 20005 BeacESfisd WHERE ARE THE 6.6 MILLION? A Statistical Survey of Catholic Elementary and Secondary Formal Religious Education 1965-1974 For several years it has been evident that registration in Catholic elementary and secondary schools has been decreasing in dramatic proportions. Less generally known, although suspected by many, is the fact that attendance at out-of-school formal religious education pro- grams has not been rising in ratio to the decline in Catholic school attendance. In fact, while there has been a slight rise in CCD enrollment at the elementary level, from 36.1% in 1965 to 39.9% in 1974 (+3.8%), the fall in Catholic high school registration has been accom- panied by a simultaneous decrease in registration at out-of-school formal religious education programs at the secondary level. While Catholic high school attendance went down 10.5% between 1965 and 1974, during the same period CCD enrollment dipped from 35.4% to 20.9% of the total number of Catholic secondary-age students, that is by 14.5%. The cumulative effect over a period of 10 years of these changes in Catholic elementary and secondary school education and in out-of- school formal religious education at the same levels is illustrated in the following table. 1965 Elementary 1974 Elementary 1965 Secondary 1974 Secondary Attending Catholic School 4,491,953 (46.5%) 2,599,227 (26.0%) 1,090,401 (28.2%) 920,516 (17.6%) Attending CCD 3,486,902 (36.1%) 3,988,950 (39.9%) 1,369,751 (35.4%) 1,093,184 (20.9%) Receiving No Formal Instruction 1,677,752 (17.4%) 3,419,406 (34.2%) 1,412,346 (36.5%) 3,208,628 (61.4%) 1965 TOTAL 1974 Elementary & Secondary Elementary & Secondary Attending 5,582,354 3,519,743 Catholic School (41.3%) (23.1%) Attending 4,856,653 5,082,134 CCD (35.9%) (33.4%) Receiving 3,090,098 6,628,034 No Formal Instruction (22.8%) (43.5%) 1 In summary, the number of Catholic elementary and secondary age children and youth not receiving formal religious education rose from 3.1 million in 1965 to 6.6 million in 1974. This increase of well over 100% more than doubles the number of those not in formal pro- grams. Of the 6.6 million, over 3.4 million are at the elementary level and 3.2 million at the secondary. This might well prompt the question: Where are the 6.6 million? Source of these statistics Before going into an interpretation of the statistics and charts in this survey, it is necessary to discuss both their source and their reliability. First, there are three kinds of statistics in this study: 1. The num- ber of Catholic infant baptisms; 2. The number attending Catholic elementary and secondary schools, and; 3. The number attending Catholic elementary and secondary out-of-school formal religious edu- cation programs (CCD). The statistics of all three kinds have been taken from Kenedy’s The Official Catholic Directory for the years covered by this study. In fact, this Directory is the only source of information for national statistics on the number of Catholic baptisms and the number of Catholic children and youth in out-of-school formal religious education programs. The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) has been gathering statistical data on Catholic elementary and secondary schools, including attendance figures dating from 1967. The NCEA information was compared to the Kenedy Directory data. The results of this com- parison are mentioned below under the accuracy of the statistics. Accuracy of the statistics The accuracy of the Kenedy Directory statistics of each of the three kinds require separate consideration. 1. Number of baptisms. As mentioned, this Directory is the only source of information on the number of Catholic baptisms performed yearly in this country. They have been a regular feature in the Directory only since 1943. There are no reliable national figures available anywhere before that time. These baptisms, as currently reported by the parishes and dioceses to Kenedy, cover the first 10 months of the current year and the last 2 two months of the previous year. 1 This is necessary because the dead- line for reporting to the Directory falls before the end of the calendar year. Within this framework, the statistics on baptism can be considered highly reliable. The vast majority of parishes in the United States keep accurate baptismal records. 2. Catholic school statistics. The accuracy of the figures, in Kenedy’s Directory, for those attend- ing Catholic elementary and secondary schools was verified by comparing them to the statistics gathered in the National Catholic Educational Association data bank. 2 The statistics did not vary by more than one percent, and for certain years they were virtually identical in both re- ports. Consequently, the figures for Catholic schools can also be consid- ered to be reliable for the purposes of this study. 3 3. Attendance at out-of-school formal religious education programs. The reliability of statistics for baptisms and Catholic schools does not extend in the same degree to attendance at Catholic out-of-school formal religious education programs. There are several reasons for this. A few need to be mentioned. The first is the difficulty of gathering such information in what is gen- erally a very fluid situation. In some cases, these programs are either poorly organized or non-existent, particularly for junior high students and, even more so, for high school students. In these circumstances, either no figures are available or they are arrived at by estimate rather than by actual count. It can also be surmised that the figures given to the diocese by the parishes and subsequently reported to Kenedy on the number of stu- dents in elementary and secondary out-of-school religious education courses generally represent the time of optimum attendance and not the participation at the low points of the year, for example, around the holidays, in late winter and during spring. This surmise is encouraged 1 Catholic Schools in Action. Notre Dame Press, South Bend, Indiana, 1965, page 31. 2 These statistics appear in six booklets published by NCEA beginning in 1970. The figures given cover the years 1967-68 to 1974-75. In 1975, NCEA began publishing these statistics in collaboration with the Curriculum In- formation Center, Denver, Colorado. 3 It is interesting to note that, on occasion, the NCEA reports corrected figures given in previous publications when better information became available. 3 by the fact that the Kenedy statistics are gathered in November, gen- erally a time of best attendance. In short, the statistics on attendance at out-of-school formal reli- gious education programs are most likely the most optimistic figures possible, representing in some cases the highest level of attendance and in others the number of those eligible for the programs rather than an actual tally of those who attend. Assumptions made in the study Several assumptions were made in the preparation of this study. These are explained in Appendix A. Only one needs to be mentioned here. That assumption is that the infants baptized in a given year entered elementary school six years later and began high school 14 years after the baptism. For example, a person baptized as an infant in 1950 is assumed to have entered first grade in 1956 and ninth grade in 1964. It should be mentioned that the total Catholic elementary and secondary age population 4 for each year for 1965 to 1974 was estab- lished by adding all the baptisms occurring from 6 to 17 years prior to the year under consideration. 5 These preliminary considerations should facilitate an understanding of the statistics in this study. Elementary level formal religious education From 1965 to 1974, the total Catholic elementary age population grew from 9,656,607 to 10, 007, 583. 6 During that same period, however, there was a dramatic loss of Catholic elementary school population and only a minor increase in the percentage of students attending formal out-of-school religious education programs (cf. Table Four, column two). During these years, Catholic elementary school enrollment plunged from 4.5 million to 2.6 million, a loss of approximately 1.9 million. Meanwhile, as indicated above, the Catholic elementary school age population rose by slightly more than 350,000. 4 Cf. The first columns of Tables One, Two and Three. s Cf. Table Nine. 6 The peak year was 1971 with a potential elementary age Catholic population of 10,548,216. This figure then began to decrease each year and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. 4 This increase in the number of students no longer attending Catholic school was not proportionately reflected in CCD participa- tion, for during that period attendance increased by only 500,000, that is from 3.5 million to 4.0 million. In summary, between 1965 and 1974, the number of elementary- age Catholics not receiving formal religious education in one mode or another rose from 1.7 million in 1965 to 3.4 million 10 years later, an increase of 100%. Those receiving instruction dropped from 8.0 million to 6.6 million, a decrease of 1.4 million. Table Four and Table Five present these statistics in the form of percentages. During the 10 years under consideration, enrollment in Catholic elementary schools decreased from 46.5% to 26.0% of the total population of that age group (down 20.5%); out-of-school formal programs rose by a small 3.8% from 36.1% to 39.9%; and children receiving no formal training nearly doubled, going from 17.4% to 34.2%. On the average the Catholic elementary school population has gone down by 2.05% each year for 10 years, CCD has gone up by 0.38% and the number of those receiving no formal religious instruction has risen by 1.68%. The statistics show that the changes have not occurred as evenly as the averages might indicate (cf. Table Eight). The most difficult years for the Catholic schools occurred from 1966 to 1971, with 1967 and 1968 appearing as the worst years with an average loss of about 3% per year. The years since 1972 have been better with losses of 1.89%, 0.97% and 0.61%. The greatest increases in CCD were in 1966, 1967 and 1968, with gains of 0.93%, 1.03% and 0.76%. The last two years, 1973 and 1974, were the least encouraging with decreases of 0.67% and 0.06%. The greatest increases among those receiving no formal religious in- struction were during the years 1967 through 1971. During that time the gain was on the order of 2% per year, with 1969 indicating an increase of 2.69%, the highest for any year since 1965. A reflection on the elementary age statistics These statistics invite reflection on the impact which the decrease in Catholic school attendance and the gradual increase in the number of elementary-age children not receiving formal religious instruction will have on the future. Will this trend continue when these students enter secondary school? If so, will it be at the same rate as it has over the past 10 years? (cf. below) Or will it stabilize because the dropout has 5 already largely taken place at the elementary level? Annual surveys will be needed to observe and evaluate what is happening in elementary and secondary religious education. Secondary level formal religious education One of the notable features of the Catholic secondary school-age population has been its increase by slightly over 1.3 million between 1965 and 1974, from 3.9 million to 5.2 million. 7 Another has been the parallel increase in the number of youth not receiving any form of formal religious instruction (cf. Table Two). The latter rose by 1.8 million, from 1.4 million to 3.2 million, exceeding the growth in population by about 0.5 million. This large loss in the total number not receiving formal religious instruction cannot be attributed to a decrease in Catholic high school enrollment. In the period under consideration, registration dropped by only 169,885 students, from 1,090,401 to 920,516. The growth in size of this age group and the decrease, albeit small, in Catholic high school attendance did not result in a growth of CCD. On the contrary, attendance at out-of-school programs went down by approximately 0.4 million (1.4 million to 1.0 million) (cf. Table Two, column 3). In summary, by 1974, the total number receiving some mode of formal religious instruction decreased from 2.5 million to 2.0 million (—0.5 million) and the total not receiving any form of formal education increased, as has been noted, from 1.4 million to 3.2 million (+1.8 million). Tables Four and Six interpret the secondary age statistics in terms of percentages. From 1965 to 1974, Catholic high school enrollment decreased by 10.5% (from 28.1% to 17.6%); attendance at CCD pro- grams went down by 14.5% (35.4% to 20.9%); and the number not participating in formal out-of-school instruction rose from 36.5% to 61.4%, that is by 24.9%. The changes for high school varied considerably from year to year, as they did for the Catholic elementary age population. For example, the steepest losses in Catholic high schools occurred in 1967 (1.5%), 1969 (2.22%), 1970 (1.55%) and 1971 (1.75%). Losses in 1973 and 1974 were held at 1.0% and 0.2%, suggesting a possible end of this down- ward trend (Table Eight). 7 This increase in the Catholic secondary school-age population, accord- ing to the Kenedy baptismal statistics, will crest in 1976 and gradually decrease until the 1983 population just about matches the 1968 figures. 6 During those 10 years, the percentage of high school students attending CCD decreased every year except in 1967 when there was a gain of 1.4%. The greatest reversals were in 1968 (2.4%), 1969 (3.2%), 1970 (2.3%) and 1973 (3.2%). In 1974 the annual loss was relatively small (1.9%). The increase in the number of youth receiving no formal Catholic religious instruction also varied from year to year. Highest increases were in 1969 (5.4%), 1970 (3.9%) and 1973 (4.2%). By 1974 the increase had been narrowed to 2.0%. In short, over the 10 years under consideration the number of youth receiving no formal instruction went up each year. The percentage of dropouts from 1965 to 1974 totaled 24.9%. Combined elementary and secondary statistics A detailed analysis of the combined statistics for elementary and secondary age levels would not add a great deal to an understanding of this survey. For these statistics, the reader is referred to Tables Three, Four, Seven and Eight. It is sufficient to note that the total number of Catholic elementary and secondary age children and youth not receiving any formal religious instruction has grown from 3.1 million in 1965 to 6.6 million in 1974. Of these, 3.4 million are at the elementary level and 3.2 million at the secondary. In terms of percentages, the combined total not receiving any formal instruction has gone from 22.85% to 43.52%, a negative change of 20.67%. In 1974, 34.17% terminated their formal religious instruction before the end of elementary school and 61.44% before graduation from high school. 8 Some unanswered questions This study leaves a whole series of unanswered questions. Some of these will be discussed here. 1. There is a need, as mentioned several times, to verify the accuracy of the statistics available in Kenedy’s The Official Catholic Directory on attendance at Catholic elementary and secondary out-of- school religious education programs. 2. It would also be essential to know when the students drop out of these programs. For example, how many are baptized and never 8 This does not take into account the students that may have resumed Catholic education in college. 7 receive any formal instruction, how many drop out after first eucharist and first penance, how many terminate at the end of the sixth grade before entering junior high, how many continue until confirmation, etc.? This detailed information would need to be gathered if there is to be effective planning to meet current religious education problems and needs. 9 3. It would also be important to know where the increase in the past 10 years of 3.5 million elementary and secondary age Catholics not receiving any formal religious education is coming from. Some have conjectured that the bulk of children and youth leaving Catholic schools either never register or fail to persevere in the less rigidly structured CCD programs. Others surmise that former Catholic school students do join formal out-of-school programs and that the biggest share of the loss can be attributed to those who traditionally register for these courses. Stated briefly, in what proportion are former Catholic school students and longtime CCD pupils causing the 3.5 million increase in persons not receiving any mode of formal religious instruction? 4. This survey is basically statistical and descriptive and does not enter into the causes of this phenomenon among children and youth. To what extent is it associated with the decrease in Mass attendance, with permissive parents who allow their offspring to make their own decisions, with the changes brought about by Vatican II, with the secularization of religious values and attitudes, with the resentment at the closing of Catholic schools, with the lack of confidence in out-of-school religious education programs, with changing life styles, with the breaking up of Catholic ethnic ghettos, with the effects of more secular education, with the upward mobility of Catholics, etc? No substantial progress can be made, it would seem, until the causes are known and taken into serious consideration in proposing remedial action. 5. Finally, a good case could be made for a complete scientific and in-depth evaluation of contemporary elementary and secondary religious education in the light of the mission of the Catholic Church, the cate- chetical goals of the Church in this country and, especially, the needs of children and youth. In all likelihood, the final text of the National Catechetical Directory, now in progress, will provide the norms for an evaluation of that kind. 9 The Office of Research, Policy and Program Development, Department of Education, USCC, has already begun a study on the best ways to collect the data mentioned under 1 and 2. 8 Conclusion This survey has demonstrated that the number of Catholic elemen- tary and secondary age children and youth not receiving any formal religious instruction has grown from 3.1 million to 6.6 million in the 10 years between 1965 and 1974. This is a massive increase of 3.5 mil- lion. Among the 6.6 million not receiving formal religious education in 1974, 3.4 million were at the elementary level and 3.2 million were of high school age. These figures, as has been pointed out, are very likely the most optimistic possible and probably minimize the true dimensions of the problem. Among the reasons for this supposition are the probable report- ing of the most favorable CCD statistics by pastors and dioceses and the undetermined number of non-Catholics in Catholic elementary and secondary schools. (Cf. Appendix A, point 2.) This survey should not be a terminal point, the gathering of infor- mation for its own sake. Rather, it is hoped that it will, at a minimum, trigger the following: 1. The establishment of a systematic process for the gathering of information on statistical trends in Catholic elementary and secondary religious education, including knowledge of when these young people withdraw from formal religious education programs 10 (cf. points 1, 2 and 3 above under “Some unanswered questions”); 2. A determination of the causes, using scientific methods, for these defections from Church-sponsored religious instruction (cf. point 4 above); 3. A study of the effects of youth ministry in relation to religious education (cf. Appendix A, point 4); 4. An in-depth evaluation of all aspects of current religious educa- tion programs as they affect children and youth using the National Catechetical Directory as the norm (cf. point 5 above). A few examples of areas needing investigation are: — the relationship of the religious attitudes, values and habits of parents to the attendance of children and youth at religious edu- cation programs (is the child the victim rather than the cause?) — the effectiveness of classroom style religious education 10 Ideally, the statistics for out-of-school programs should be for each grade and include as much information as presently gathered from Catholic elementary and secondary schools. 9 — the number of years required for good religious education (with variables) — the effectiveness of religious education textbooks and materials — the value of pre-school religious education and family education — the impact of religious education given to the parents — the effectiveness of new style programs for youth — retreats, days of recollection, weekend programs, etc. — the attraction of youth to the Children of God, Hare Krishna, the Jesus movement, transcendental meditation (TM), Scientology, etc. All pertinent prior surveys done both by the Conference and out- side the Conference (NORC, Gallup, Harris, DeVries, CARA, etc.) will be studied and taken into account before initiating new research on the subject under consideration. 5. Undoubtedly the most productive approach to the problem would be for each diocese to conduct its own study of the four points men- tioned above including the design of its own programs. Consequently, each diocese is highly encouraged to begin an organized and sustained effort to resolve its own problems concerning religious education of children and youth. Successful programs could then be shared with other dioceses in this country. A course of action such as this will give the Catholic Church a better understanding of the situation and, it is hoped, place it in a posi- tion to do something effective about improving the religious instruction of children and youth. 10 UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEMORIAL LIBRARY l-LB U 1 1979 ATTENDANCEAT C0J^LUB"*RVVERTICAL FILE CATHOLIC FORMAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAMS BY CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN 1974 AND 1975 by Msgr. Wilfrid H. Paradis, J.C.D., Ph.D. Associate Secretary Office of Research Policy and Program Development Department of Education United States Catholic Conference and Andrew D. Thompson, Ph.D. The School of Religious Studies The Catholic University of America Washington, D.C. An Update of “Where are the 6.6 Million?" 1976 Publications Office UNITED STATES CATHOLIC CONFERENCE 1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20005 *W»C •*'<>« » VTMWVWI. • ATTENDANCE AT CATHOLIC FORMAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAMS BY CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN 1974 AND 1975 1 In 1975 the decrease in Catholic school attendance was less than one percent for the third consecutive year. While Catholic elementary and secondary schools enrolled 2,109,653 fewer students last year than they did in 1965, the amount of the decrease is steadily getting smaller. Moreover, the number of grade school-age Catholic children receiv- ing no formal Catholic religious instruction actually declined for the first time in 10 years. It should be noted, however, that this change in pattern may be accounted for by the decrease, between 1974 and 1975, of the number of Catholic youngsters in this age bracket. And when the totals for elementary school-age children is combined with that of high school youth, the result shows that the overall number receiving some form of Catholic religious instruction decreased by 223,521 between 1974 and 1975. The 8,378,356 young people enrolled in either Catholic schools or CCD programs in 1975 constituted 55.6% of Catholics between the ages of six and eighteen. These were among the principal findings of a study conducted by Msgr. Wilfrid H. Paradis, Associate Secretary, Office of Research, Policy and Program Development in the Department of Education, U.S. Catholic Conference and Dr. Andrew A. Thompson of The School of Religious Studies of The Catholic University of America. It follows an earlier study, Where Are the 6.6 Million? which was made public last March. That study found that the number of Catholic grade and high school age children receiving no formal religious instruction grew from 3.1 million in 1965 to 6.6 million in 1974, and that the 8.6 million youngsters who were being reached by some type of formal religious instruction con- stituted 56.6% of Catholics in their age bracket. The new study updates the statistics by one year. 1 The statistics in this study were taken from Kenedy’s The Official Catholic Directory as were those in the booklet “Where are the 6.6 Million?” published by the United States Catholic Conference. The statistics on Catholic schools vary slightly with those gathered by the National Catholic Educational Association. That organization has been collecting statistical information on Catholic schools since the 1967-1968 school year. 1 In 1975 the total of Catholic children and youth (6 to 18 years old) was 15,060,336, a decrease of 169,575 from 1974. This age group has decreased by 328,764 since the peak of 1972. The decrease has occurred only at the grade school level, whose population has gone down steadily for the past five years. There were 9,742,070 in this age group in 1975, a decrease of 806,146 since 1971. By contrast, the number of Catholics of high school age rose to an all-time high of 5,318,266 in 1975, an increase of 95,938 over the previous year. The 1975 Catholic elementary school enrollment of 2,576,856 meant 22,371 fewer students at this level than in 1974. This represents an increase of 0.48% — the first percentage increase in over 10 years. During the two previous years the decline had been less than one percent per year. In 1967 and 1968 the decrease was more than 3% each year. Since 1965 Catholic elementary school enrollment has declined by 1,915,097 or 42.6%. Despite the numerical decline of 22,371 the percentage of children enrolled in elementary schools as compared to the total population of eligible children, actually increased — a fact explained by the smaller population (the decrease in Catholics in this age bracket from 1974 to 1975 amounted to 265,513). Thus, the 2,576,856 Catholics enrolled in elementary schools in 1975 represented 26.45% of the population of this age group whereas the 2,599,227 enrolled in 1974 constituted 25.97% of the group. At the high school level attendance dropped 24,671 (0.79%) in 1975. The 895,845 high school students enrolled in 1975 represented 219,505 (19.7%) fewer students than in 1968 which saw a high of 1,115,351. Even at the high school level, however, 1975 marked the third consecutive year in which the decrease was less than one percent. Total Catholic elementary and high school enrollment decreased by 47,042 between 1974 and 1975, a drop of 0.05%. In 1975 the Catholic elementary and secondary school systems had 2,109,653 fewer students than in 1965. For the fourth consecutive year attendance at out-of-school religious education programs (CCD) declined at the elementary level. There were 3,892,457 children in parish catechetical programs at this level in 1975, a decrease of 96,493 from 1974. Once again, however, because of the decline in the total number of grade school-age Catholic children, the percentage in parish programs actually rose — by 0.1 percent. This means that despite the numerical decline, 39.96% of eligible children were enrolled at this level in 1975 compared to 39.86% in 1974. 2 Participation in high school level CCD-type programs was down for the eighth consecutive year and — in this case — the decrease was in terms of percentages as well as overall numbers. The 1,013,198 youngsters enrolled in these programs in 1975 were 79,986 fewer than in 1974. These programs enrolled 19.05% of eligible Catholic youth in 1975. In 1974 they enrolled 20.93 percent. The total number of grade school age Catholics receiving Catholic formal religious instruction in 1975 was 6,469,313, a decrease of 118,864 from 1974 and the ninth consecutive year of numerical decrease. Since 1966 the decrease here has been 1,564,602. None- theless, the percentage of eligible children enrolled went from 65.83% in 1974 to 66.41% in 1975. It should be noted that in 1966 and 1975 the number of Catholic children in this age group was close to the same: 9,893,076 and 9,742,070 respectively. But in 1966 Catholic formal religious instruc- tion was reaching 81.21% of these children. At the high school level the number receiving formal religious instruction of some type — whether schools or CCD — continued the numerical and percentage decline begun in 1967. The numerical de- crease since that year has been 679,944; between 1974 and 1975 it was 104,657. The 1,909,043 youth in this group receiving some form of religious instruction represented 35.9% of their population. In marked contrast to the grade school scene, the number of Catholics of high school age increased by 1,133,400 since 1967. In summary, the number of Catholic elementary and secondary age children and youth receiving formal Catholic religious instruction in 1975 was 8,378,356, down 223,521 from the previous year. In per- centage terms, the decrease was from 56.48% in 1974 to 55.63% in 1975. The number of elementary age Catholic children receiving no formal Catholic religious instruction declined for the first time in 10 years. There were 3,272,757 children in this group in 1975, down by 146,649 from 1974. This change in pattern may be accounted for by a decrease, between 1974 and 1975, of 265,513 Catholic children in this age bracket. Some 33.59% in this group are not receiving formal instruction. At the high school level, the number receiving no formal Catholic religious instruction rose by 200,595 in 1975, to 3,409,223 students. This is 64. 1 % of this population. In sum, in 1975 there were 8,378,356 (55.63%) children and youth of grade and high school age receiving formal Catholic religious 3 instruction. That was 223,521 fewer than in the previous year. In 1975 there were 6,681,980 (44.3%) not receiving instruction, up 53,946 over 1974. During that same period the total number of Catholic ele- mentary and secondary age children and youth decreased by 169,575. On a percentage basis the number of elementary age children not receiving formal Catholic religious instruction decreased 0.58% and on the high school level, it went up by 2.66%. Since 1965 the number not receiving instruction has risen 17.38% at the elementary level and 27.63% for the high school grades. For both the increase has been over one-fifth (21.52%). 4 ATTENDANCE AT CATHOLIC FORMAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAMS BY CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN 1974 AND 1975 iv cn 00 o LD l-H ID LD 'St H LD vO 't CO 6 + 't CM bX> CO CO 1 LD LD + GS a>o LD rv cn 00 CO LD CD O LD '3- CM CM cn 't IV LD LD CM LD o L. 0) cn” cm” LO” 00 cn” o xa i— i IV *t O o o E *t CM i-H CM *t CM Co” oo” 1 co” co” + CO 00 LD cn IV oq H- ID LD 00 LD - -E2 00 LD rH i-H o O a zE=3 LO 't 1 o cn rH 1Z LD LO” 1 cm” rH 1 < z LD LD O co ID 00 LUQC 00 cn 1—1 cn O oq Q 15 cn cn o o cn H _lo CO CO + CM rH 1 X Iso c CJ qj ra C3 bo o IV CO 'St 00 LD LU CJ“ £ LD LD cn 00 cn 00 < x= o_ cn ^t 't rH rH cn "E l— QJ oo” cm” ld” co” co” cn” 1 oC^J r\ X3 00 cn cn cn rH IV z LU QC E z cn oo” 00 co” 1 X o © rH 1 o X o o iv ID 00 H 3 O co cn CD X oC o cn 't 'St >- LD 00 IV CO o LD LD o LU rv LD o X LU CM CM + o r-H rH 1 o cj o < z< >- o oo o IV CM LO LD rH IV —1 o LDrH ID"St rH IV < >- DC o CM 00 CO o ID 00 LD DC ? CT3 1—05 cn LO” cm” XQ o” id” "t < 1— z LU CD E z: cn ID IV ID CM 1 CO CM cn cn 00 CM 1 z LU IS Z CM cm” X 2 LU o LU _j LU X LU O co CO 00 O IV COH o 00CM LO LD 00 co O _J ID C5 ID —1 00 CM cn —1 o rv cm” ID” o cm” oo” id” oX »2 eL o ^t LD X CM cn X 1— < o o Q- o o” i-H rv cn” CM 1 H < o CM id” 00 id” + h-< o LD 't LD hv IV V IV CT) cn cn cn rH T— 1 i rH v-/ v ' n— 'w' 5 (1974) 15,229,911 3,519,743 23.11 5,082,134 33.37 8,601,877 56.48 6,628,034 43.52 (1975) 15,060,336 3,472,701 23.06 4,905,655 32.57 8,378,356 55.63 6,681,980 44.37 -169,575 -47,042 -0.05 -176,479 -0.80 -223,521 -0.85 +53,946 +0.85 . APPENDIX A ASSUMPTIONS MADE IN PREPARING THIS STATISTICAL SURVEY In addition to the assumption that the infants baptized in a given year entered elementary school six years later and began high school 14 years after baptism, several other assumptions were made that may have an effect on the accuracy of the statistics in this study. 1. No provision has been made to take into account the number of infants, children and youth who die between the time of birth and the age at which they would usually graduate from high school. U.S. Census figures suggest that this is not a very high figure, at least not high enough to seriously affect the conclusions of this study. 1 2. Another assumption was that all students in Catholic elementary and secondary schools are in fact Catholics. On the elementary level it has been estimated that as many as 5% of the pupils are not members of the Catholic Church. 2 The exact percentage of students in Catholic high schools who are not Catholics is not known. This is largely due to the fact that many dioceses do not keep records on this point. 3 In any case, while this information would somewhat alter the statis- tics, it would have the effect of increasing the total number of Catholics at the elementary and secondary levels not receiving formal religious instruction. In this study these non-Catholic students are presently counted as Catholics receiving Catholic school religious instruction. 3. Reliability is also affected slightly by the exclusion of infants and children who enter protective institutions of one kind or another (institutions for the mentally retarded, the emotionally disturbed, etc.) and never attend Catholic school or participate in CCD courses. This group is estimated to be well below one percent. 4. A final assumption (the fifth) is that young people receiving their formation through "youth ministry" organizations, rather than through 1 This assumption is made more reasonable by the fact that most deaths under six take place during the first year of life. The number of deaths during the first year has decreased from 26.6 per thousand in 1950 to 16.3 per thousand in 1973 (Statistical Abstracts, Table 84, page 60). 2 Documented in U.S. Catholic Schools, 1973-1974. NCEA, page 2. 3 Catholic Schools in America. NCEA, 1975, page IV. 11 some mode of formal religious instruction, are nevertheless being re- ported by parishes and dioceses as attending CCD programs. This as- sumption would need to be tested in future surveys. This factor alone could significantly alter the statistics for high school religious instruc- tion, particularly if the members of such groups are not listed as belong- ing to the parish religious education programs. 12 Table One FORMAL RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION OF CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN (Grades 1-8) C\l rH CO o iH 't o rv o in VD 00 00 CO CO iv o> m rv Of rv vo co "vt rv iv Of" rv vd 1—4 ^t H cd in rv in o rv Of CO o> CM CM vo oo rH CO vo Of fH CO *t rH i-T c\T cm" cm" CM" cd cd cd *-4-» in in Of r-4 in VD vo in «3 in fH CM i— 1 o IV 't Of .2 u. > 00 Of rH CD CO o_ 00 CO CO Q> C 00 CO cm" cd rv in IV rv o'O ~ hs CO CM »— i 'st Of in o o ec. <2 Of o O Of rv in CO H 00c k. o rv" oo" 00 iv IV IV rv IV vd rv Of in vo Of CM o in CM Of vo Of *t vo o IV CM Of CM vo CM St I—I Of o VO o Of 't IV VO 't vo" 't vd" in rH rH rH cd cm" 00 VO in Of 00 00 in CO 00 't VO^ CO Of CO r-i CM CM_ o CO cd cd cd 't 'St 't CO m 't Of vo o IV rH 00 in *t o rH IV i— i i—i in Of Of 00 in Of (O vo st CM 00 r— I oT in rv in cd in *t rv Of vo vo r-| vo i—i o IV i—i 't CO Of VO i—i 00 IV 'St d 't cd cd cd cd cm" cm" O) IV VD CM fH vo o vo CM ^tb0 «X C O IV rH Of CO i—i fH Of VO o VO o_ CD in CD IV CM CO o— :=™ o w « vo" cd Of o" Of" Of" oo" fH vd" o5 = = in Of CM Of CO CM *t CO CM •- n « a CO 00 i— i CM 't in in ^t CM« E£ £ Of" Of" o" o" o" o" o" o o" UJ I—I I—I rH •—1 rH *-< 1-1 in VO IV 00 Of o fH CM CO vo VO vo VO VO rv 1^ IV rv Of Of Of Of Of Of G) Of Of rH rH i—i rH rH fH rH rH rH 13 1974 10,007,583 2,599,227 3,988,950 6,588,177 3,419,406 FORMAL RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION OF CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL AGE YOUTH bJ5£; ,E «/> to IV CD 00 ID IV 00 00 o 00 a\ °o ID IV o cm” IV ID CM i—i CM O') CD o ID ID ID rv i-H CD «-T i—i rH t-H cm" cm” CM rv IV CM CD ID ID i-H 00 CD ID T— 1 D CD O IV o” oo” oo” oo” oo” to 00 00 IV CM LD ID 00 cm” cm” cm” cm” cm” cm” 2 **7 IV cd o> *7 a) m 2 i-H CO CO 00 00o 00 in CO © o' iv 00 CD co" CO G> 00 o IV. o> 00 i-H CO 00 iv i-H rv CM rv CO oo“ CO in in ,E 2 IV CM CO 00 i-H 00o 00 rH o CO CM IVo i-H IV IV 00 G) oo" o“ 00 co“ CO rH i-H CTi IV IT) o i-H G) CO a o' i-H o' o o" r—H ctT cn 2 **7 rv i-H W *7 0> in 2 o> (5 f-i 00 CO o 00 CO 00 o bo in CM 00 * G> COS •5 a CO 00 1 00 IV o = U co co- CO o“ ctT 03 O in in m in 00 IV s CO- 00 in in in in in in in ; O _ CO CO o 00 00 00 in O IV IV H CM i-H 00 CO IV CM 00 cm“ CO 00 O 0? IV 00 IV in 00 CM CM CO in CM IV o in in in in •sf Ms* in o 00 IV a> 00 CMo in IV i-H CM in CO i-H LO CM CM H- in aT in 00 IV o" oi CM o rH CO CO o in in cn 00 CO cn CM_ 00 CO CO in inH i-H i-H ^H i-H in ID N 00 O h ID ID ID ID ID N N G) G) G) G\ G> G> G> 15 1972 15,389,100 3,803,925 5,524,812 9,328,737 6,060,363 1973 15,354,478 3,629,628 5,253,738 8,883,366 6,471,112 1974 15,229,911 3,519,743 5,082,134 8,601,877 6,628,034 FORMAL RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION LU fie: o o o < o o pi £ £ S < Q i-l Q inz uj S o o S O < «H LU t“ - tr < bfl c LO co fM. m ^P OO o OO ^3- CM So.2 oo CO oo *P O r^. CM CO i — i LO o z 0) cm *sp id oo CM 31 P^I oS CM cb CM CM CM CM CO co CO CO ^3" •3- as bfl LO *sp CO LO in CM o CM co oo co r— 1 LO CD CM oo CO oo ^p e o> ps! LO •sp , 1 p^ id CM CD cb -s p>. P's. p^ co CO CO CD LO LO os CD OO CM CM CM oo CM o CM P-» c o CO CM *sp CM ^p o CO CD CM CO LO cb r< P^ cb cb cb id ^3- cb CO CO co CO co co co co CO co CO CO T— 1 CO •=P *P oo CM np i— i e ® o CM CO p->. CO in •sp co < — i t— • cb cb *3" i— t cb cb cb cb 5" *P CO co CO co CM CM CM CM CM bfl oo co ^P oo CO CM O oo ^p *P o o ^P CO *sp CM CO ^p 42 o-— cb oo co cb CO CM id cb pH s CO CO co ^P *P LO in in in CD 0> as bfl CO CM Pm co CM *P oo o CM CD w > LO CD oo CD in CO in oo co lO e a> CO r-i ,—j oo cb cb PsI 5 cb OO*"S co CO CO in in *sp ^P ^p CO as r— 1 ^p LO CO o CD in ^p CO C Q CO ^p oo *P CM CD in CD oo CD_ o id id cb cb l< p-^ cb CM CD CO CO co co CO CM CM CM CM CM u CO I-H CO CD ^p CD in OO CO -I-S rH LO o in CM p*. CD Pv. rv» COg « O 6 p^ cb id cb y— 1 CD oo p>1 P^ CM CM CM CM CM CM M c Cm CD pH o CD r*» in CD o sgiE CO oo i— < Ph CO CM oo in r-H O 2 °* p^ oo o cb id p< CD p_« cb ^1" *" 8 I— 1 1— i CM CM CM CM CO co co co as bfl e CO , CD o CO LO ^3- o co «» CO CM CD CM T— 1 P>. pH in °o o « CM rH CD cb CM CD OO cb tri »-s oo oo p>. P>. p-» CO CO co co as , «3- p-» co CO CD CM co cS *— 1 o o oo CO in CD °o CO P-: oo oo CD cb o cb cb oS CO co CO co CO co *P ^3- co CO .2 — CM r-^ CM r-* CM *P in oo |S* c ® o LO t— 1 o r— 1 *P LO in CJ> “S-g cb *p oo id CM CD Ps cb LO ow ^p *3- *P CO co CO CM CM CM CM « „ o o o o o o O o o oo o CD o o CO O CD CD CD t-H 1 1—1 k. LO CO Pv. oo CD o CM CO ^pn CO CO CO CO CO r^» P^ P^. pH. >• CD CD CD CD CD CD CD CD CD CD •—1 *—1 *“ * •“1 1 »-H •—1 16 FORMAL RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION OF CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION o 17 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 FORMAL RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION OF CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL AGE YOUTH si ll §8 Oco hs o> f-H in ID o> o C£ Ul Q_ 18 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 o _l —I xo 55 OGO mm LU > LU CO m < >- cr < o o o LU 00 o z < > o : < i- <£ 23 LU o -*— LU o o LU tr o < 5 C£ o z m 5 O o z 1- 3 z O o >- h- Q Z 3 CO < a: h- Z CO LU Q q: o a LU i— i _j o ir> i o LUo vo r-H LU < C5 < t- z LU — 1 o o eg o X LU a. o 19 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 FORMAL RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION ui CD < iu Ji O o 5 go co ^ ^ CD g K 2 i&sZoo O a: <71O U H LlJ q_ - >- cc < 20 Table Nine CATHOLIC INFANT BAPTISMS 1943-1974 Baptisms* 1943 722,434 1960 1,313,653 1944 710,648 1961 1,352,371 1945 705,557 1962 1,322,283 1946 738,314 1963 1,322,315 1947 907,294 1964 1,310,413 1948 937,208 1965 1,274,939 1949 943,443 1966 1,190,842 1950 973,544 1967 1,139,248 1951 1,018,303 1968 1,095,172 1952 1,077,184 1969 1,086,858 1953 1,115,835 1970 1,088,463 1954 1,161,304 1971 1,054,933 1955 1,173,870 1972 975,071 1956 1,219,739 1973 916,564 1957 1,256,433 1974 876,306 1958 1,307,666 1975 — 1959 1,344,576 ‘Kenedy’s, The Official Catholic Directory. 21