ERIC Number: EJ1426668
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2164-0246
Increasing Parent Faith Engagement at a Parish School
Grace Mazza Urbanski
Journal of Catholic Education, v27 n1 Article 5 p90-111 2024
Increasing faith engagement among Catholic school shareholders is a priority for school leaders. Catholic school communities can learn from this year-long project with a parish school. Sacred Heart Parish School serves approximately 300 K3-8th grade students. Like many parish schools, Sacred Heart sees a growing number of parents disengaged with the faith life of the parish and school, despite 98% of them being registered parishioners. The parent population enjoys robust and regular social activities, but report they are uncomfortable or uninterested in faith activities. The mission of Sacred Heart school is to nurture "children's growth in the Catholic faith," so the fact that two-thirds of parents are disengaged with or hostile to the mission is problematic. Sacred Heart's intervention project built on the natural social strengths of parents, catalyzing parent leaders to design a wide variety of faith activities designed to overcome their peers' discomfort and lack of interest. The peer-led interventions increased not only attendance at faith activities, but also financial stewardship to the parish and attendance at weekend liturgies. Parents responded most enthusiastically to invitations targeted to grade-level Mass experiences, so parent leaders focused future efforts on enhancing "Class Mass" initiatives for families.
Descriptors: Catholic Schools, Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, Religious Education, Religious Factors, Parent Participation, Power Structure, Leadership, Intervention, Interpersonal Relationship
University of Notre Dame. 4110 Jenkins Nanovic Bldg, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Tel: 574-631-1861; e-mail: JCE@nd.edu; Web site: http://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ce
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A