Catholic parents of college students beware!

· Whereas a majority of students entered Catholic colleges pro-life (55% opposed to legal abortion, 45% in support), many graduated pro-abortion (57% pro-abortion, 43% pro-life).

· Support for legalizing homosexual “marriages” increased from 55% to 71% by senior year.

· Approval of having sex with someone known “for only a very short time” increased from 30% to 49% by senior year.

· Although 15% of seniors reported much stronger religious beliefs and convictions than when they were freshmen, the same growth was reported by 12% of seniors at nonsectarian colleges and 24% of seniors at other religious colleges (mostly Protestant).

· Only 37% of seniors prayed more than one hour a week; 31% didn’t pray at all.

· Among Catholic students, 9% left the faith by graduation. Although 11% of non-Catholic students converted to the Church—a welcome sign—their actual numbers were smaller and still left Catholic colleges with a net 4% loss of Catholics.

· Among Catholic seniors, 13% did not attend a religious service in the past year (a four-fold increase since their freshman year), and about half attended only occasionally.

Because the HERI study is not based on a random or representative sample of students at all 223 Catholic colleges, the results cannot be applied generally. But in the absence of any other comparable data—and because the 38 participating colleges resemble most Catholic colleges with their variance in size, location, controlling religious order, and other factors—the study is strongly suggestive of what a complete national survey might find.