They stopped believing in God. They saw a disconnect between what Catholics say and what they do. They disagreed with the church's stance on social issues such as homosexuality and birth control.
They are the growing numbers of young Catholics leaving the church — the focus of a new national study to examine why they're departing and where they're landing. It's an issue that worries church leaders across the country.
"Leaving the [Catholic] church crosses all age groups, but the fastest growing demographic is age 18 to 29," said John Vitek, president of Saint Mary's Press in Winona, which commissioned the study.
"Our data shows the median age for leaving the church was 13 years old," he said. "That was a surprise to everyone … and something we really have to take note of."
Minnesota is home to more than 1 million Catholics, and the study is being read with interest by Catholic school teachers and church leaders.
Called "Going. Going. Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics," the unusual survey focused on former Catholics between ages 15 and 25. It is based on a random sample survey of 204 teens and young adults, as well as 15 personal interviews. The research was conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University.
Its findings were unveiled at a national conference in Baltimore earlier this year. Vitek is already slated to present findings in more than a dozen cities in the months ahead.
The survey found that the biggest reason young Catholics bailed was that they no longer believed in God. One in five cited that lack of faith.