The Formation of Young People to Faith in God: An Evaluation of the “Youth on the Threshold” Programme Based on a Survey in the Diocese of Tarnów, Poland

The process of moving away from faith in God has taken place in Europe with varying dynamics in individual countries at least since the end of the Second World War. In Poland, secularisation slowed down significantly during the Communist period; however, it gained momentum after the changes initiate...

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Main Authors: Wiesław Przygoda, Tomasz Chrupek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Religions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/12/1449
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author Wiesław Przygoda
Tomasz Chrupek
author_facet Wiesław Przygoda
Tomasz Chrupek
author_sort Wiesław Przygoda
collection DOAJ
description The process of moving away from faith in God has taken place in Europe with varying dynamics in individual countries at least since the end of the Second World War. In Poland, secularisation slowed down significantly during the Communist period; however, it gained momentum after the changes initiated in 1989 and after Poland’s accession to the European Union in 2004. The process of departing from faith in God was strongly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and this trend was particularly noticeable among young Poles. In the context of cultural change, the formation of young people to faith in God has become a major challenge for Christian churches. The Catholic Church—not only in Poland—is searching for new forms, ways and programmes of religious formation for young people. Fourteen dioceses in Poland are implementing a three-year formation programme titled “Youth on the Threshold” (Polish: “Młodzi na Progu”). It was initiated in the Diocese of Gliwice in 2004, has its own website and is constantly being developed. In 2021, a youth survey was conducted in the Diocese of Tarnów to evaluate this programme. The results of this evaluation, when compared with surveys of religiousness in youth in general, show its positive effects on the continuation of and even the development of faith in God. This article first presents the main assumptions of the “Youth on the Threshold” programme and then the results of its evaluation based on a survey about faith in God conducted among those who completed the programme.
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spelling doaj-art-c1e1d8b281dd41a4886eda27ddfe17532025-08-20T02:57:00ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442024-11-011512144910.3390/rel15121449The Formation of Young People to Faith in God: An Evaluation of the “Youth on the Threshold” Programme Based on a Survey in the Diocese of Tarnów, PolandWiesław Przygoda0Tomasz Chrupek1Department of Practical Theology, Faculty of Theology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, PolandHigher Theological Seminary, 33-100 Tarnów, PolandThe process of moving away from faith in God has taken place in Europe with varying dynamics in individual countries at least since the end of the Second World War. In Poland, secularisation slowed down significantly during the Communist period; however, it gained momentum after the changes initiated in 1989 and after Poland’s accession to the European Union in 2004. The process of departing from faith in God was strongly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and this trend was particularly noticeable among young Poles. In the context of cultural change, the formation of young people to faith in God has become a major challenge for Christian churches. The Catholic Church—not only in Poland—is searching for new forms, ways and programmes of religious formation for young people. Fourteen dioceses in Poland are implementing a three-year formation programme titled “Youth on the Threshold” (Polish: “Młodzi na Progu”). It was initiated in the Diocese of Gliwice in 2004, has its own website and is constantly being developed. In 2021, a youth survey was conducted in the Diocese of Tarnów to evaluate this programme. The results of this evaluation, when compared with surveys of religiousness in youth in general, show its positive effects on the continuation of and even the development of faith in God. This article first presents the main assumptions of the “Youth on the Threshold” programme and then the results of its evaluation based on a survey about faith in God conducted among those who completed the programme.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/12/1449youthpastoral care of young peopleChristian formationevangelisationsecularisationfaith in God
spellingShingle Wiesław Przygoda
Tomasz Chrupek
The Formation of Young People to Faith in God: An Evaluation of the “Youth on the Threshold” Programme Based on a Survey in the Diocese of Tarnów, Poland
Religions
youth
pastoral care of young people
Christian formation
evangelisation
secularisation
faith in God
title The Formation of Young People to Faith in God: An Evaluation of the “Youth on the Threshold” Programme Based on a Survey in the Diocese of Tarnów, Poland
title_full The Formation of Young People to Faith in God: An Evaluation of the “Youth on the Threshold” Programme Based on a Survey in the Diocese of Tarnów, Poland
title_fullStr The Formation of Young People to Faith in God: An Evaluation of the “Youth on the Threshold” Programme Based on a Survey in the Diocese of Tarnów, Poland
title_full_unstemmed The Formation of Young People to Faith in God: An Evaluation of the “Youth on the Threshold” Programme Based on a Survey in the Diocese of Tarnów, Poland
title_short The Formation of Young People to Faith in God: An Evaluation of the “Youth on the Threshold” Programme Based on a Survey in the Diocese of Tarnów, Poland
title_sort formation of young people to faith in god an evaluation of the youth on the threshold programme based on a survey in the diocese of tarnow poland
topic youth
pastoral care of young people
Christian formation
evangelisation
secularisation
faith in God
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/12/1449
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