What the data shows and what I’ve learned personally...
1. Both parents must be fully engaged and involved in being Catholic. If one slacks off, or one is not Catholic, the other bears double burden and keeping the kids Catholic is exponentially harder. Keeping kids Catholic is always a team effort. If one spouse is “missing in action” try to find a friend or family member (of the same gender) to fill in that role.
2. Teach your kids the faith yourself. Parents are the primary educators, especially in matters of religion. If you leave it up to the local priest, Catholic school or parish catechist, you’ve already lost them. It’s over.
3. Know the faith yourself. Both parents must learn the Catholic Faith. You can’t teach children what you yourself do not know. Use the Baltimore Catechism No. 4 (paperback here). This is the best family catechism and will keep you synced with the children catechisms you’ll be using.
4. Use pictures to teach the Catholic Faith. Most children learn by seeing. That’s why they make picture books in the first place. Use the New Saint Jospeh picture version of the Baltimore Catechism series for children: No. 0 is for children ages 4 to 8, No. 1 is for children ages 8 to 10, No. 2 is for children ages 11 to 13. Beyond age 13, you can use the non-picture No. 3, and gradually introduce them to the No. 4 you’re using (see above) as they move closer to adulthood. In addition to regular catechesis in the home, parents should read their children Bible stories, using an age-appropriate Catholic picture Bible. Yes, they make them. Children should be well acquainted with both the Catholic Bible and the Catechism, in an age-appropriate way, using pictures to help them burn memories into their impressionable minds.
5. Pray with your children every single day. Use both formal prayers and personal prayers, to get your kids comfortable with both. Always pray before meals and at bedtime minimally. Pray with your children about the issues that are important to them in addition to bigger matters. So ask ahead of time. If you decide to use a formal devotion, like the rosary, and find them losing attention, just do one-decade a day, and slowly build up to more as they get older.
6. Associate with other Catholic families. It’s very important for Catholic children to be around other Catholic children. Having non-Catholic friends is fine, but kids should have Catholic friends too, plenty of them.
7. Take your children to Mass every week, and confession at least once a month when they’re old enough. Developing regular sacramental habits is extremely important. Failure in this area is like handicapping your kids’ faith. In all of this, teach them to understand that while we all need a personal relationship with God in our private lives, we have to have a communal relationship with God too, because Catholics are all one family in Christ.
Shane Schaetzel is an author of Catholic books and he is an Evangelical convert to the Catholic Church. His articles have been featured on LifeSiteNews, The Remnant Newspaper, Forward in Christ, and Catholic Online. You can read Shane’s books at ShaneSchaetzel.Com
