ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, October 26, 1996 TAG: 9610280117
SECTION: RELIGION PAGE: B9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID BRIGGS STAFF WRITER
Ask Catholic teens what they want from their church and they will say a greater role in decision-making and a caring environment in which to learn about their faith.
What there is no great outcry for is the Bible.
In a church-sponsored survey of more than 6,000 Catholic teens, only 14 percent said they considered it ``very important'' to read Scriptures.
And that has to change, church officials say.
One major recommendation of the study, conducted by Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., is that youth ministry should become more effective in convincing participants that Bible-reading is important to their faith.
In a proposed pastoral plan on young adult ministry, to be voted on in November by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, the bishops' Committee on the Liturgy begins with a special message to Generation X. It says, in part, ``We want to make available opportunities to explore the Scriptures so that the Word of God becomes alive in your heart.''
For the study, conducted earlier this year, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University surveyed 6,010 participants in Catholic youth ministry programs at 618 parishes.
Overall, the findings left the church with much to be thankful for.
Among teens surveyed, 94 percent said they were proud to be Catholic and 92 percent placed value on helping others; 72 percent said they attend Mass at least weekly, and more than 50 percent placed a great deal of importance on learning about God and their faith.
When it comes to the Bible, however, the percentages drop sharply.
When asked about the importance they place on a variety of activities, from their relationship with God to helping others, reading the Bible ranked lowest.
Only 14 percent said they place ``very much'' importance on reading Scripture, while 29 percent said it was ``somewhat'' important. Nearly 60 percent placed ``little'' or no importance on it.
The Rev. Charles Hagan of the Catholic Department of Education in Washington said the problem of a lack of interest in the Bible is not limited to Catholic teens, but is part of a ``general problem of literacy, period. People just don't read.''
Contributing to the problem, he said, are lower numbers of teens in religious education programs, less supervision and time spent reading with kids at home, and a youth culture accustomed to video images.
As Catholics centuries ago turned to morality plays to teach Scriptures to the masses, Hagan believes the modern church should use a multimedia approach to reach young people.
``I think that's going to be our best shot,'' he said.
However, Brian Froehle, a sociologist at the Georgetown center that conducted the study, said the answers might lie in the adult church's lack of attention to Bible study.
For example, in the survey, participation in Bible study groups was the lowest-ranked parish activity. Only 11 percent said they regularly participate in them, while 53 percent said they are not at all involved.
But many Catholic parishes do not offer Bible study programs.
``I'm not sure this is as much a statement about the youths themselves as where Catholic parishes are in 1996,'' Froehle said.
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