UST Researcher Explores Why Young Catholics Are Returning to Their Faith

News outlets across the United States are reporting on the growing number of young people returning to the Catholic faith. Recent research suggests that the reasons may be closer to home than many expect.

At the University of St. Thomas, Dr. Timothy Reilly, associate professor of Psychology, is studying how faith is passed from one generation to the next-and why some young Catholics are not only staying but joining or coming back.

"The social science [tries] to make sense of what it looks like to raise children who are more likely to keep the faith than their parents have," Dr. Reilly said.

Drawing on national studies and developmental psychology, Dr. Reilly points to the value of a shift away from rigid, top-down transmission toward something more relational. He explained that research shows that "the key finding is to make these 'child-centered' conversations," focusing on how children experience and understand faith rather than simply telling them what to believe.

That approach appears to resonate with a generation searching for authenticity and meaning, shared Dr. Reilly. Instead of inheriting faith as a set of rules, young people are more likely to embrace it when they are invited to engage with it as an expression of their values and concerns.

"If they get a choice and some say in their faith, they're more likely to start taking it more seriously and start personalizing it and making it their own," Dr. Reilly said.

Dr. Reilly's research also draws on insights from families of many different faith traditions.

"The American Families of Faith Project, from Brigham Young University, examines Muslim families, Latter-day Saints or Mormon families, Catholic families, Jewish families and certainly a lot of Protestants," he said. "The research identifies common patterns among those who successfully pass on belief. Across traditions strong community ties, consistent practice and meaningful family conversations play a critical role."

Some groups, he added, demonstrate particularly high rates of religious transmission.

"Latter-day Saints families pass on religion at the highest rate proportionally of any group in the United States," he said. "This is followed by African American Christian communities, which offers lessons that Catholics and others can learn from while remaining rooted in their own traditions."

His work also highlights the importance of family dynamics.

"We know community matters," he said. "We know things like attachment to parents matter because it shapes our image of God."

He noted that a parent's example, especially consistent faith practice, can have a lasting impact. In fact, Dr. Reilly mentioned that other studies show the "father's religious attendance is especially important" in whether children continue practicing their faith.

At the same time, practices that once seemed restrictive may actually strengthen belief. Dr. Reilly points to what researchers have called "religious sacrifice"-choosing faith over competing priorities-as a powerful signal of commitment.

"It leads them to say, 'Oh… this is actually more important. Giving up other things for my faith is worthwhile,'" he said.

These insights come as broader conversations about religion often focus on decline. But Dr. Reilly suggests that what appears to be loss may instead reveal something deeper. Many young people who drift away may not have fully internalized their faith in the first place.

"Is it that they're choosing to leave the faith?" he asked. "Or is it that they didn't really have strong internalization. Then, when they're in college, what happens when faith shows up again?" he asked.

For Catholic institutions like the University of St. Thomas, Dr. Reilly notes that this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Creating spaces where students can explore faith, ask questions and build community is essential.

"We need to make sure that people can land on level footing and feel like, as a Catholic, they have the support and encouragement they need to explore their faith," Dr. Reilly said.

Ultimately, his research points to a hopeful trend: when faith is lived authentically, discussed openly and supported by strong relationships, it endures-and even grows.

"Rather than illustrating the faith as something that a person needs to be a member of a family, instead let's make sure faith is something that a person can come to own within themselves."

For more, see Dr. Reilly's most recent published work, "Traditions and Exemplars in Spiritual Formation."