Yes, it is noisy. Yes, it is chaotic. And yes, it is a lot of hard work for parish leaders. But there is something almost magical about generations learning faith together. I’ve seen a father with his arm around his 12-year-old daughter exploring a Scripture passage. That gives me hope.

“If only parents would do their job at home and support our ministry better!” Ever since youth ministry and faith formation leaders learned that parents are the primary catechists of their children, we have been trying to get those parents to do a better job. We often responded with more mandatory meetings, more homework, worksheets, family resources sent home online or in handouts, and more expectations for families of children and youth seeking sacraments. This approach has not yielded the results we expected or hoped for.