OWENSBORO, Ky. (OSV News) ─ This past spring, hundreds of young people across Kentucky participated in a survey of their faith engagement -- with results indicating a strong sacramental life and desire to grow in their relationship with Christ.
"There were about 800 responses, primarily from our Catholic schools (in the Diocese of Owensboro)," said Charlie Hardesty, director of the diocese's youth and young adult ministry. "The numbers tell the story on their own -- it's really very positive."
Hardesty's office collaborated with the diocese's Catholic Schools Office to promote the online survey, which was conducted by Equipping the Saints, a national Catholic organization that provides resources, training and events for teens and ministry leaders.
The survey was made available to middle and high school students, coinciding with regular academic exams in April and May 2025. Hardesty's office and the diocese's Catholic Schools Office began to review the results -- which were anonymous -- this summer.
According to a summary report released by the diocese's youth ministry office, the results "represent all of Kentucky, but it is our understanding from EQ Saints that it was almost exclusively responses from the Diocese of Owensboro."
"Responses included approximately 504 middle school students (98.41% Catholic school) and 368 high school students (94.84% Catholic school)," stated the survey.
Hardesty said the majority indicated personal connections to their Catholic faith, including 93.6% of middle school youth and 89.2% of high school youth either selecting "strongly agree" or "agree" to the statement, "I feel that God is present in my daily life."
The results also showed that 90.59% of surveyed middle schoolers and 88.86% of high schoolers selected "strongly agree" or "agree" to "I think about God outside of Mass or church activities," and that 96% of middle schoolers and 91.92% of high schoolers chose either of those responses to the statement "I believe God has a purpose for my life."
Other highlights were seen in questions about the Mass and sacraments.
The survey indicated 89.12% of middle schoolers and 86.56% of high schoolers chose "strongly agree" or "agree" for the statement: "Good preaching is important and helps me feel close to Jesus." Also, 92.68% of middle school and 85.35% of high school youth selected either of those options for "Going to Mass is important to my faith."
Furthermore, "I feel spiritually connected when I participate in the sacraments" received the response of "strongly agree" or "agree" among 84.39% of middle schoolers and 81.69% of high schoolers. And 85.80% of middle school students and 80.79% of high school students selected either of those responses to the statement "I have felt close to God during times of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament."
David Kessler, the diocese's superintendent for its 17 Catholic schools, called the results a "testament" to the "living examples" of faculty, staff and other adult faith leaders "doing what they do on a daily basis."
"That makes me proud, that our schools take that very seriously; that is what we're here for," he told The Western Kentucky Catholic, Owensboro's diocesan news outlet.
"I wasn't surprised," said Kessler, adding that, after all, "our schools are 'Catholic' schools" -- placing emphasis on the word "Catholic."
"We don't just have a Catholic name on the front," he said.
He said that whether it's a class pausing to pray when a student shares that a grandparent is having surgery, the kids are regularly taken to school Mass, or when Eucharistic Adoration is offered for the students, these routine occurrences build up a school's Catholic culture.
"That doesn't happen in all Catholic schools (across the country)," he explained.
"That speaks volumes -- that it literally takes the whole village -- that everyone here is playing a role" to foster students' relationship with Christ, he said.
Another significant aspect of the survey was found in what youth freely shared when asked open-ended questions.
To the question "Can you describe a time when you felt especially close to God?" multiple young people, mentioned diocesan youth opportunities like YOUTH 2000 (a Eucharistic retreat held every spring at Brescia University), Gasper River Catholic Youth Camp and Retreat Center in Bowling Green, and the Owensboro Diocese Youth Conference, which is held every other year to alternate with the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis.
In response, many youth also mentioned opportunities for silence and reflection, particularly in Eucharistic adoration.
The survey's summary report also named the Mass and sacraments, and "a culture of prayer -- both communal and personal" among young people's preferred moments of connection with God.
Ben Warrell, director of Gasper River, was moved to hear that the diocese's youth camp and retreat center was referenced so frequently in the survey results.
"We are a place of encounter," he said. From small group Scripture study time, to daily Mass, to faith conversations in all camp activities, Warrell said Gasper focuses on "intentionality about being with Christ."
Warrell said he appreciates working with the diocese's Catholic schools -- who often take students on retreats at Gasper -- as well as priests, youth ministers and other faith formation leaders who care about today's young people.
"We like to let each parish know when their kids are at camp" so that when campers return home, they can continue to support their faith journeys, he said. "We get the kids for a week -- to hear that they continue on past that week is great."
He also affirmed the partnership of the priests who take on the "hugely impactful" role of "sharing their stories of how they felt the call," and "help the Gospel come alive" for campers.
In August, Hardesty presented these results to the diocese's Priests' Council. He told The Western Kentucky Catholic that he will continue studying the survey results to see how best to serve today's teens -- and how to address shortcomings of the survey and responses.
For instance, youth not attending Catholic school were welcome to participate in the survey. But because of the late spring timing and winding-down of activities, it was difficult for parish youth ministries to connect kids with it. Hardesty would like to see a survey down the road that more actively engages these youths.
He also is worried for the teens who did not respond positively.
"In a class of 100, there's still the 20 who need (to be reached)," he said. "I still worry about that 20%," adding that he wants to focus on ways leaders can engage these disaffiliated teens.
He emphasized that now is not the time for complacency, even considering the positive statistics.
"(These efforts) will have to stay intentional," he said. "The moment we stop, it starts going backwards."
Among aspects that teens reported wanting to see more of, Hardesty said the teens desired a greater relationship with the Scriptures, peer-to-peer experiences like small groups, and quality homilies -- with the report stating that "80% of students reported the good preaching at Mass is vital to their sense of connection to Jesus."
Hardesty urged ongoing collaboration among the various ministries that serve young people, pointing out that it is impossible to do this alone.
He said the survey shows that teens' faith thrives when they do "all the things" like attending Catholic schools, have an active parish life, are supported in their family life, and attend camp and youth ministry initiatives – and when they are surrounded by "a culture of prayer, a sacramental life, doing works of service," he said.
"It took work to get us here; it will take work to continue," he said, adding that "when we do stuff together, the kids win."
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Elizabeth Wong Barnstead is the editor of The Western Kentucky Catholic, the newspaper of the Diocese of Owensboro. This story was originally published by The Western Kentucky Catholic and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.
