Why Do Catholic Young Adults Stay? Results Part 2: Life & Struggles

Please see my Explanation about the survey as well as Part 1 of the Results. For these results, we had a total of 301 people who answered some or all of these questions. A big thanks to every single individual, majority of whom came from the Catholic Geeks Facebook page, who participated!

I have provided a quick summary of Part 2. Following that is a more detailed breakdown of the results under each category.

The TL;DR Version

At least 77 participants attended Catholic school at some point in their lives while at least 13 participants were homeschooled.  While all homeschoolers had positive reactions to how their education influenced their faith, Catholic school attendees gave mixed responses to the influence of the educational experience on their faith. The most common struggles that people have had/ currently have in their faith lives revolved around being lukewarm, hard times finding answers, or difficulties practicing their faith on a regular basis. As far as struggles with Church teachings go, most of those struggles revolved around sexuality as well as the Sacramental or prayerful aspects of Catholicism. Majority of the resolutions to those conflicts came from relationships with friends or family, growing in the faith intellectually, and building their relationship with God. When it came to daily activities to practice the faith, the most common responses included prayer, the Rosary, and reading, both scripture-based and other spiritual works. Participants were often quick to point out that a lot of the practices mentioned did not always happen on a regular basis or were new habits they were trying to take on.

Did You Attend Catholic School at Any Point? What Grades? Did Your Catholic School Education Influence Your Faith?

13 participants to this question came from a Homeschool background. Anyone who commented about their homeschool experience had nothing but positive things to say about how homeschool influenced their faith lives. They mentioned things like "extensive theology study", "Catechism [was] taught every day", and that homeschool "allowed me to practice my faith on a deeper level". Beautiful stuff!

Now, of course, when I posed this question, I was referring mainly to traditional Catholic schools, with kids in uniforms, majority connected to parishes, fancy private high schools, that kind of stuff. That's not to say I don't appreciate the input of the homeschoolers. Mainly just pointing out that this is an instance where my question was a little too broad, too open, compared to what I was intending to ask. Now, back to business!

32 participants stated that they attended Catholic school their whole K-12 educational career. Another 10 responded that they attended Catholic grade school just from kindergarten to 8th grade. Following that, 7 other participants claimed only going to a Catholic high school. And finally, 28 people collectively claimed going to Catholic school off and on, or just a portion of their education. So,  altogether 77 participants claimed a Catholic school education.

As far as the influence that Catholic schools had on responders, this was quite the mixed response. Firstly, 6 people just stated that Catholic school had an influence on them, without verifying good or bad (which again is my fault because of the way I phrased the question). Meanwhile, 17 participants mentioned some positive that came from Catholic school. Here's some quotes on the positive impact:

• "It helped to enforce what I was taught at home"
• "If not for the caring teachers in the high school environment I wouldn't be where I am today"
• "It gave me occasion to learn how to defend my faith against bad instruction, helped keep God a constant thought, and occasionally meant I had a few good examples of the faith outside of my family"
• "Had a class on Catholic social teaching with hard lines and answers taught by our priest. Best class to date"
• "My high school was especially crucial to my faith formation, as I learned how to properly defend the faith"
• "Being exposed to regular Catholic sacramental and devotional life, as well as meaningful discussions on theology and church history from teachers who cared about it intensely, influenced my investigation and ultimate decision to convert"
• "Senior year of high school I took a class called 'Why Am I Catholic?' That was an apologetics course that really influenced me"

Now, there were about 13 others who commented with mixed experiences at Catholic school. Whether it was differences between grade levels or just a negative counteracted by a positive in the same year, these 13 had both pleasant as well as critical things to say.

And then there's the straight up negative influence that Catholic schools had on at least 17 other people. Perhaps influence is not the correct word in this case, but these 17 had at least critical things to say about Catholic school. Here's some reasons why:

• "It made me not want to be involved with the church due to the people involved"
• "It actually almost sent me away from the Church"
• "Nothing was ever really explained, that's just the way it was"
• "I left high school not remembering anything about my faith. I learned to pass a test, not for the knowledge or truth".
• "The schools were AWFUL for Catholic teaching and living"
• "The schools were completely unaware of kids talking about porn and sex, flashing each other, harassing others, and several kids were engaged in drugs and sex. It was horrible to be around that and have the schools going through the motions of Mass and spirituality. No one tried to fix the problem and engage the students. Some kids were really poor and had terrible home lives and no one engaged".
• "It influenced it negatively as the nuns wouldn’t explain things to us and the priest was more interested in knowing if we had 'bad thoughts' when we were teens"

1 person even straight up called out the Catholic schools in Ontario (apparently y'all need some massive reform up there according to this individual). 

And then, not to be left out of the conversation, there was mention of Catholic colleges and universities in the responses. I didn't expect this (again, broad questions here), but they're certainly a worthy inclusion. 

24 participants mentioned that they had gone to a Catholic college or university, majority of whom had been in a Catholic school at some point beforehand. It was kind of surprising to me that if these people talked about the influence these years had on their faith, most of them said college/ university had a negative influence on them. Although, at least 1 person talked about Mass in the dorm at Notre Dame and 1 other person talked about the positive influence of FUS aka Franciscan University of Steubenville. The surprise comes from the mention of the positive influence that other people talk about receiving during college/ university in responses to other questions.

Were There Moments You Struggled/ Were Not Practicing? If So, What Brought You Back?

At least 5 people shared an experience of struggling with lukewarm-ness, that feeling of not really being invested in the faith even if one is not totally fallen away. The reason for being lukewarm, that some participants shared on the survey, included the family not really being religious and marrying a non-Catholic.

A similar yet different kind of lukewarm experience came from the college environment. 6 people referred to their college years as a time that they were struggling spiritually. Perhaps the most relateable example of this struggle came from 1 participant's testimony: "I was faced with the difficulty of accepting church doctrine or social standards.  I wasn't participating due to the knowledge of mortal sin, but [refused] to change my life". 

On a slightly more serious note,  suicide and depression played a part in at least 3 responders' struggles. These feelings, according to the responders, came from "the social environment at the church", having "a very difficult time in college...[a] dark night of the soul", and a time where the participant "couldn't bear the pain and sorrow of [their] life".

3 different participants struggled with going to Mass at some point. 1 said that at one point they found Mass "difficult and boring", another said they had difficulty making time for Mass, and the third one said "I did not go to Mass because of my lifestyle choices". 2 participants discussed priests in their lives being a source of struggle. 1 talked about "baggage and hurt from priests [they] had known" while the other mentioned trials that came from switching parishes due to poor pastoral leadership

Then of course there's Sex! Don't worry, that's going to come up in more detail in other questions, but in response to this question, the struggles of 3 participants were sexuality related. Whether it was "confusion and hurt over sexuality", pornography, or just straight up being "knowingly deep in sexual sin".

4 participants responded by saying they had a hard time finding people who could answer their questions or fully catechize and explain things to them. 1 separate individual said that since they did not fully understand Catholicism, they left the Church as a teen and had became a Wiccan.

There were a couple mentions about belief in God being a struggle. For 1 person, struggling with belief was due to problems within their life and for the other it was...well, in their own words "I lost my belief in God, but He ended up being the only One there for me in the hardest point in my life". 1 individual mentioned their struggle with the Church's more conservative teachings such as pro-life and no contraceptives. And finally for 1 particular individual, it seemed to be a combination of things based on their place and time in life. As they said "I attended a Catholic high school with a lukewarm Catholic culture in my small town (500). Alcohol abuse, lust, drugs, they weren't uncommon to see from students out side of school. I fell victim as well".

Some struggles were a little unique, because they related to participants who seem to be, by all other signs, practicing Catholics trying to grow in their faith.

• Today I'm just struggling to find community with other Charismatics in my diocese and to find anyone in the world who is also liturgically Traditionalist and spiritually Charismatic.
• Haven't been to Mass in a year because of my allergies and a lack of enriching community. I know those aren't good reasons, but when you have a panic attack walking into a church because someone smells like onions... It makes it hard to go. 
• The services I'm going to seem too modern. People talking before, clapping after Mass, hymns that I'm not familiar with. Also, the young adult groups that I've tried to join are too forced. The person organizing the get together was also the youth leader, and she seemed to treat us like high school students. I'm 30, I don't need a chaperone.

So, what brought people back or what helped them overcome these struggles? Even if people felt like they never really fell away from their faith or just never really explained their struggles in this survey, a ton of people were able to explain what either brought them back to Catholicism or what renewed that fire for God in their lives.

Let's start with talking about the influence of people. For 11 participants, interaction with Catholic friends, peers, or groups helped them come back. Of these 11, there was mention of friends in youth groups, Newman Centers at college, doing choir with a college roommate, a Catholic Woman's Pregnancy Due Date Group, and a best friend convert. I smiled when I saw responses like "free food and friends" as well as "the compassion I see in others who are Catholic" because that just goes to show that simple joy, humor, and fun can be found in the Catholic Church through other people.

College itself was actually a positive influence according to 5 responses to this question. Being in college allowed 1 individual to further study teachings and apologetics [arguments for and defense of faith and doctrine], another individual mentioned courses on Catholicism in college being a help, and 1 other person shared some personal experiences with a community of Catholics in college: "We would go to bars for theology on tap, go frisbee golfing, but just as easily hold spontaneous rosary sessions. I think having a group of like-minded people is key without it feeling forced. We were also pretty close with the priest then, too and talk to him about anything, and he would tell us truth in a comforting way". 2 other responders said priests have played a role in combating struggles. For another person it was accountability and encouragement of their youth minister "to not give up just because it got hard".

This is how powerful a single person can be in helping someone else struggling in their faith. That person from small town (500) who fell victim to alcohol, lust, and drugs amongst lukewarm Catholics? They added  "I came 'back' through seeing 1 devoted Catholic. Now that I'm in college, I've started attending the TLM [Traditional Latin Mass], and my faith has never been better". If we learn anything from just this particular section, we learn that whether it's a whole community or just a lone person, our connection to other humans plays a vital role in our faith life, especially when it comes to overcoming struggles.

Also in this survey response, the importance of relationships with family played a major part. 13 responders referenced family members as some component in their return. 6 of these people talked about their spouse being an influence, whether it was their spouse's conversion, their own conversion through their spouse, or even a change of life spurred on by a spouse's negative comment towards the Church. Children were mentioned in 4 of these responses and 1 participant commented that their grandparent's passing was the cause. 1 participant specifically credited the example of their parents. Then there was the testimony of 1 other individual: "Yes, I truly believe that my mother's prayers brought me back. I just woke up one day and went to Mass. I saw the priest the next day and after a powerful and moving confession, I felt whole again and at peace".

For 1 participant, it was being involved in Lifeteen during their preparation for Confirmation. 4 people answered that a retreat or conference of some sort helped them, whether it was a youth conference or a Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) retreat. Volunteer service was part of 2 peoples' responses, 1 mentioned volunteering for youth ministry while the other talked about volunteering with Religious Sisters and seeing the joy of the Sisters.

Then, 13 participants talked about something involving the intellect, whether it was learning the reasons why we believe what we believe, looking for and finding satisfactory answers, asking and searching for every question and studying multiple points of view, apologetics, or even reading things from the early church. For 1 of these 13, "knowing the miracles performed by God and the Saints" makes it too hard to stay away. And another person said "Reading the entire Bible brought me back - turns out it's Catholic". 1 separate individual had a mixture of relationships and intellect by saying "Meaningful connections, practical application of the Catholic Social vision and the intellectual foundations of truth brought me back".

Sometimes all you need is a little faith, which is what 3 participants verified when they said faith in God is what brought them back. 1 in particular phrased it this way: "Faith in God, love of Jesus. Faith in His Church". At least 5 people talked about building a relationship with God and love of Him helped bring them back. A couple felt called by God to return, another couple talked about their love for God, and 1 said "just the fact that God is always blessing me".

8 participants stated that the Eucharist helped either bring them back or keep them faithful during hard times. Some said it was devotion to the Eucharist, 1 person stated that "there is a peace that I get from just sitting in Adoration". These 8 reinforced that there is a power that is found in the Eucharist.

4 people had an experience with Confession that helped bring them back. 1 of these 4 testified that "A small encounter I had after confession helped set me on the path away from doubt- hearing the right thing at the right time, so to speak". 3 people referred to Beauty from the Church as an inspiration for them, including 1 who found beauty in the Church during a chronic illness and another who complimented the beauty of the Cathedral in Saint Paul, MN.

The Holy Rosary became a powerful influence according to 4 people, including 1 person stating "The Holy Rosary changed my life" and 1 other person saying "The Rosary is my strength". 2 responders claimed growing up and reaching young adulthood helped their faith.1 participant simply stated "I could not find anything as good as Catholic liturgy and teaching".

Media played a role in the lives of 2 responders. 1 person gave credit to The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM radio, which led them to Catholic Answers, and the other person said that listening to EWTN helped them. For 1 responder, a parish mission helped. For another, it comes from regular Mass attendance and involvement in their parish. 1 person said they were brought back because of "the grace coming from living in a house with a Tabernacle Chapel".  And 1 person simply said "Mercy".

I wanted to end this section on a slightly more serious note, but with some hope added in as well. To lead this off, 1 person said "I came back because I felt like I was floating aimlessly". Another honest person admitted "I was knowingly deep in sexual sin. What brought me back was knowing I had no one left to turn to but God".

There's the testimony of this person: "The mess I had made of my life left me suicidal, I couldn't bear the pain and sorrow of my life anymore, and so I asked Him to take it. And He did, He brought me back, I think when there was so little left of me, so little hope in me, that I was able to be humble and ask Him for help".

And finally, bringing us back to the participant who said "Yes, I lost my belief in God, but He ended up being the only One there for me in the hardest point in my life". They continued that statement by saying "When I was depressed and had no friends in high school. He saved my life. There was no turning away from Him after that".

What Teachings of the Church Have You Struggled With in the Past? In the Present? How Have You Overcome That Struggle?

Here we go! The hot button topics! Everyone loves those...right? I think the beauty of seeing responses to this question is that, through honesty, it probably helps people connect with their fellow Catholics, creating a better sense of community. Like, "Hey, I've struggled with these issues too. Wait, you too? You mean I'm not the only one!?". The other nice thing about the responses is they offer some pretty good advice and life experiences for anyone who may be struggling with understanding a particular teaching. Please note that while various struggles are mentioned, it's never clarified whether this is a past or current struggle for each participant unless specifically stated in the latter part of this section.

11 people talked struggling with teachings about the Blessed Virgin Mary, mentioning things like the Rosary, perpetual virginity, and her Ascension [I'm assuming they're talking about the Assumption]. 3 other times there was mention about the Saints, especially concerning veneration or intercessions.

Abortion was brought up 7 times.

Some variation of the term Same Sex Marriage was used 11 times. There was some variation concerning the teaching of Homosexuality used about 11 times. 1 person had stated that the church teaching on marriage was something they struggled with, which was hard to tell if that meant same sex marriage specifically or something else, so I just left it by itself. 1 other person specifically referred to the teaching against a same sex couple adopting children as a struggle.

And that's not the only sex related responses. Man, a lot of people were focused on the sexy stuff here, or as 1 person put it "my teenage self wasn't a fan of the church teachings on sexual things" (that quote makes me laugh for some reason). The basic idea of struggling with the Church's sexual teachings was brought up from all angles by 10 people, including "sex is primarily for procreation", premarital sex, live-in boyfriends/girlfriends, what sexual practices are permissible within marriage, and abstinence.

3 mentions of chastity in some way. The words birth control popped up 10 times, while phrases about the teaching on contraception got mentioned 7 times, including contraception in marriage. The acronym NFP was used 6 times. NFP meaning Natural Family Planning (as a bachelor virgin, I have no practical knowledge to explain NFP further). 

The words masturbation and pornography were each used 3 times. 1 person talked about struggles with masturbation and pornography, while 2 others, very honest people, talked about addiction and masturbation. Infertility Treatments to help people unable to conceive children was brought up 2 times. 1 person wrote in "Condoms in the context of HIV in developing countries". 

Confession and the Sacrament of Penance got 6 mentions. Transubstantiation and the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist was brought up 3 times. Teachings revolving around divorce or remarried peoples was mentioned 3 times, including 1 insistence pertaining to Communion. Papal Infallibility was named 3 times, suffering 2 times, and the existence of God also got a few mentions.

Finally, there was at least 1 mention of struggling with the following 

• Needing to attend Mass every Sunday
• Socialist tendencies of Liberation Theology
• No salvation outside the Church.
• Mercy and forgiveness
• Angels as represented in the Summa Theologica
• The belief of Purgatory
• Existence of Hell
• Immigration
• That priests can’t marry
• The idea of free will and how God can simultaneously have a plan for the world, the mystery of the Trinity...and also charity for the enemy/just war

So now, let's examine how people overcame any struggles they had in the direct words of the participants. These responses are hard to summarize and categorize, or maybe the quotes are just better than anything I could put my own interpretation on. Education and Intellect were major themes when discussing how people overcome their struggles, being mentioned in a variety of ways: 

• I learned more about full church teachings and philosophy.
• I remind myself that I had no problems with the teaching when I was able to logically analyze it in an unbiased state.
• Realizing that the Church's wisdom is far greater than my own.
• I learned the context for why the Church holds these positions.
• After studying and understanding WHY the church teaches those things, it was easier.
• I have questioned everything, but I have always found in-depth, logical answers. In fact, every time I think I have come up with a new idea, thirty people--all holier than I--from various centuries have already written about the same idea.
• I finally both understood that people really believe it, knowingly, and so that maybe I could believe it too.
• Educating myself on Church teaching and the abortion process, it wasn't difficult to come in line with Church teaching.
• Overcame by learning where those beliefs came from plus deciding to trust the Church.
• I think knowledge of WHY the teachings are the way they are is very important.
• I overcame it by rational discussion and openness to the Holy Spirit.
• Through other Catholics leading me to Church documents I was able to better understand.
• What helps me is continued prayer and reading and seeking of understanding and mercy.
• Through patience and reading on the topics.
• [I did] my own reading and research.
• I researched why the church teaches its stances...and I came to agree.

That's not to say faith doesn't play a part either. We are people of BOTH Faith AND Reason. Again, in their own words:

• Through having faith in God was I able to overcome them. 
• I still struggle and it's faith that keeps me going.
• I trust that God has His reasons, so I will follow His will.
• There is simply too much that isn't explainable without Him.

4 people discussed how both time and prayer helped them overcome obstacles, including: 

• It took being away from the church. Living a faithless life in that lifestyle to realize that God wasn’t there. After returning, a lot of prayer and time spent with God.
• I figured if the Church was right about everything else they must be right about these issues. I put my faith and trust in God and prayed that he would help me see and understand more clearly. He always did!!
• I just follow teaching and pray for help.

The idea of time and prayer also came into effect with those overcoming struggles with Marian teachings:

• I overcame it by being less ignorant of it all. 
• Continuing to pursue a relationship with the Blessed Mother. 
• [Ascension/Assumption] Prayer for understanding.

When it came to accepting teachings revolving around homosexuality, the following were mentioned: 

• Studying Theology of the Body
• Aided by time, good teachers who explained the truth, and the documentary "Third Way".
• I took the class Christian Marriage at university. 
• I was open about how the teaching confused me. I asked questions to priests to get a fuller understanding of the teaching and how it related to present day life.
• I had the teaching explained to me by a friend, I was able to understand the nature of the human person and why it is wrong to act on same sex attraction.

Then there's the general collection of sex-related responses:

• The person who said "chastity (in thoughts) was difficult before I was married" then explained "now the mystery is gone and it's not as difficult for me" (which makes me laugh).
• 1 person who struggled with contraception presented this life experience: 
• Reading "Good News about Sex and Marriage" 
• Doing marriage prep
• Learning/practicing NFP with my husband.
• For someone who struggled with both contraception and sex before marriage: "Having a Theology of the Body background of engaging, honest, simple, not overly-preachy truth was a huge help".
• For 1 individual struggling with Sexuality, an act of faith by "trusting that Christ speaks through His Church".
• "I struggled with masturbation because I was addicted to it. After a while, I couldn't deny what my addiction was doing to my life. I now completely agree with and submit to the Church's teaching:.
• 1 person testified to struggles with teachings on masturbation, pornography, and sex: "I researched every doubt and couldn't argue. I can honestly say I was addicted. From there, what helped me overcome it was reading intellectual arguments from the Church, praying only the Sorrowful mysteries [of the Rosary], saying the Anima Cristi, a few litanies, and the chaplet on the wounds of Jesus. I strictly prayed these prayers for a few weeks, until I saw more progress and eased up slowly...I've been successfully chaste for almost 6 months, starting on St. Maria Goretti's feast!".
• Infertility treatments: "we choose our faith over in vitro/ in utero".
• Condoms in the context of HIV in developing countries: "Understanding that the health of the soul is more important than the health of the body helps".
• I understand the detriment that birth control causes.
• "I did a lot of reading and research and came to understand" the beauty of the teaching on birth control.
• "It wasn't until I was married that I realized the importance of this teaching [on birth control]. Apologetics on the subject helped as well".

For those who struggled with Confession:

• Looking at the CCC [Catechism of the Catholic Church] and the Scriptures that are cited in support of the Sacrament changed my mind.
• Found a parish where the priests make Confession readily available so that I am positively peer pressured into going.
• It wasn't until I attended Confession in the Byzantine tradition that I was healed of my fear of confession.

Suffering:

• I primarily deal with this by attempting to draw upon a logical mindset.
• Learning the value of redemptive suffering through daily trials and more prayer.

Concerning struggles with the Eucharist, 1 person said: "It wasn't until I had read 'Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist' by Brant Petre that I came to understand and fully believe".

Other miscellaneous responses about overcoming obstacles included: reading Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Dr. Ken Miller, debating with a group of devout and learned friends, and reliance on the examples and intercessions of the Saints.

Currently, What Are the Daily Things You Do to Practice Your Faith?

A great majority of these answers involved practices or actions that are inconsistent, or at least are more weekly or monthly in practice. Majority of the people responded that they try to do X,Y,Z every day, but added that it doesn't necessarily happen every day. So, there'll still be a lot of key words and phrases here to answer the question, just with the background understanding that the practices are not necessarily a true "daily" practice in the strictest sense. I can't fault anybody if they're at least making an effort to do some of the following on a regular basis to know God and glorify Him more.

Of course, the most common, almost knee-gut reaction, was saying "Praying" or "Prayer" or "Pray" in some variation. There were 65 types of these general prayer responses, including 3 specific mentions of mental prayer, 1 person saying "prayer with spouse", 1 person saying "my holy hour [an hour devoted to prayer] is the most important", and 1 person saying "Pray and keep God's law". Specific prayers or styles of prayer included the Anima Christi, Angelus, saying "Thank you" to God regularly, contemplation/meditation, "prayers from my 1962 Roman Missal", and 3 people making mention of praying a novena.

The most popular type of prayer specified in these responses was the Holy Rosary. 45 responders used Rosary in their response. Some other prayers, in connection to the Rosary or of similar style, that were mentioned included the Divine Mercy Chaplet (4 times), Chaplet of St. Michael, Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin, and seasonal Marian hymns.

Then there were the specific mentions of what I would call bedside prayer, or perhaps a better way to phrase it is "Prayer in the Morning & Night". These are the prayers that are said first thing in the morning as well as at the end of the day, perhaps while kneeling beside a bed (hence bedside prayer?). 17 people talked about praying at morning and/ or at night. Types of prayers mentioned included Morning Offering, nightly examination of conscience, "a few Haily Mary's before bed", nighttime prayer with family, and "Charismatic praise & worship in the morning (alone)".

At least 12 participants mentioned some variation of what I'll term as sporadic/intentional prayer. These are the kind of prayers that are not pre-planned, but just happen throughout the day as need be. For some, that meant just talking to God. For others, it's praying for the repose of the soul of anyone that passed away that day or making the sign of the cross at various moments throughout the day. This kind of prayer is often casual and small in length, but it occurs throughout the entirety of the day and it helps emphasis that communication factor of our relationships with God.

11 mentions specifically revolving around The Divine Office/ Liturgy of the Hours, whether it was just the Compline late in the day, Vespers, Lauds, or just plain old Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours. Some variation of a mealtime prayer was mentioned around 7 times. 6 participants mentioned praying specific devotionals or for the intercession of specific saints.There were 4 mentions of the Chotki/Jesus Prayer as part of the daily faith experience.

18 responders discussed reading the Bible as a daily practice they do or are starting. These kind of responses included reading the Gospel and the other readings for Daily Mass, Bible Study participation, and at least 2 people mentioned reading both the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

30 people in this survey talked about making an effort to attend  Daily Mass. At least 7 people talked about spending time in Adoration. 5 people referred to Confession as an important practice in their faith lives.

11 other people mentioned some form of spiritual reading, reading texts focused on the faith or written by fellow Catholics. These responses involved reading about saints, reading the actual writings of Doctors and Saints of the Church, reading other Catholic non fiction, or just simply learning and studying.

For 11 people, interacting with children is something influential for them. This included instructing their own kids or teaching kids through religious education programs.4 people emphasized discussion about the faith with family and friends as part of their daily faith journey.

4 people emphasized liturgical living as part of their daily faith practices. This meant that they celebrate saints' feasts days, fast on appropriate days, and adjust their lives according to the liturgical season we're in (Lent, Advent, etc.).

8 people responding to this question talked about media resources as part of their daily practice. These included Christian music, Catholic radio, movies, Catholic podcasts, Lighthouse Media CD, and faith related videos.

4 people use journaling to practice their faith daily. At least 6 people talked about wearing a scapular, a miraculous medal, or another sacred medal. 6 people answered by naming groups they are part of (3 Facebook-related, 2 Catholic women's groups and 1 young adult group). 3 responders talked about starting Nineveh 90, a program combining spiritual practices and physical fitness, this year.

Finally, sacred images at the home was mentioned by 4 participants. They talked about their religious art, crucifixes, and Icons. There was 1 specific quote that made me chuckle by imagining the reactions of anti-Catholic people who see it: "I pray and venerate the crucifix in my home".

Stay tuned for the conclusion of the Results in the next blog post Part 3!