Forming Saints in a Secular World: 10 Challenges and What You Can Do

I've been parenting since 2004 and oh, how things have changed! I've had little ones who adored Elmo and others who sat glued to screens, mesmerized by kids playing with slime. I survived the Silly Bandz era, and now I find myself raising an eyebrow at the Labubu craze (are those things even spiritually safe... or possibly demonic?).
 Over the past 22 years, I’ve learned a lot and grown even more. There have been trials, joys, and plenty of lessons along the way. But nothing has challenged me quite like the task of raising faithful Catholic children in the year of our Lord, 2025.
 
With childhood depression, suicide rates, and rejection of the faith on the rise, every loving Catholic parent must pause and ask: what is happening to our children? Why does it feel harder than ever to raise them with clarity, confidence, and conviction? The truth is, we are no longer parenting in neutral territory. We are navigating a world that actively challenges the faith we hope to pass on. If we want to raise saints in this generation, we must first understand the unique obstacles they face and meet those challenges with truth, courage, and grace.
 
Here are ten obstacles I’ve observed in my own journey real challenges we face as Catholic parents trying to raise faithful children in a world that’s anything but neutral along with gentle, practical ways to respond with faith and intention.
 

 1. A Culture Hostile to Faith
 
The dominant culture increasingly treats Catholicism as outdated, oppressive, or irrelevant. Values like chastity, obedience, sacrifice, and reverence for authority are often mocked or misunderstood. Children are surrounded by secular narratives that promote self-worship, relativism, and instant gratification.
 

The Challenge: Teaching timeless truths in a world that denies truth altogether.
 
What You can do:
 
Normalize countercultural living in your home. Talk openly about why the world often opposes Christian values.
Study saints who lived heroically in hostile times like St. Joan of Arc, St. Maximilian Kolbe, or St. José Sánchez del Río.
Make your home a place of joy, not just rules so your children want to stay rooted in the faith.
 
 
 
 2. Digital Overload and Social Media Influence
 
Screens are not just a distraction, they are a formation tool. TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and even cartoons often introduce children to ideologies and imagery that conflict with the faith. They form their worldview through algorithms, not catechism.
 

The Challenge: Competing with the dopamine-fueled pull of screen culture to cultivate silence, prayer, and wonder.
 
 What you can do:

Set firm screen limits. Use parental controls but, more importantly, have regular open conversations about what they see online.
Replace empty digital time with beauty and tradition: music, art, nature walks, read-alouds, and hands-on activities.
Create sacred spaces: no screens during meals, prayer time, or bedtime routines.
 
 
 
 3. Gender Ideology and Moral Confusion
 
There is immense pressure to affirm beliefs that directly contradict Church teaching on gender, sexuality, and the human person. Children are being introduced to complex adult concepts at younger and younger ages in school, media, and sometimes even in church-affiliated spaces.
 

The Challenge: Teaching love and compassion without compromising truth.
 

What you can do:
 
Teach your children early and clearly about God’s design for the human person with love and reverence, not fear.
Use age-appropriate catechesis and resources like The Theology of the Body for Teens/Kids.
Model compassion: teach them how to love others without compromising truth.
 
 
 
 4. Lukewarm or Divided Households
 
In many homes, only one parent practices the faith. In others, both may identify as Catholic but lack unity in discipline or spiritual leadership. This division weakens formation and confuses children.
 

The Challenge: Creating a unified domestic church when spouses differ in devotion or values.
 

What you can do:
 
Be the thermostat, not the thermometer. Lead with quiet conviction and consistency even if your spouse is indifferent.
Invite your spouse and children into prayer without pressure. Perhaps starting with grace at meals or Sunday rosary.
Don’t nag, witness. Let your joy in the faith be the spark that draws others in.
 
 
 
 5. Isolation and Lack of Community
 
Many Catholic families feel alone, even in their own parishes. The traditional family structure is often portrayed as abnormal. Homeschoolers, large families, or those who live liturgically can feel out of place or unsupported.
 

The Challenge: Finding (or building) a like-minded Catholic village in a fragmented world.
 

What you can do:
 
Seek out (or start) a local Catholic moms' group, homeschool co-op, or family rosary night.
Attend liturgies beyond Sunday. Like First Fridays, feast days, and holy hours to build connections.
Teach your kids that it’s okay to be “the only one” and that God often works through a faithful remnant.
 
 
 
 
 6. Over-scheduled, Spiritually Undernourished Lives
 
Even well-intentioned families can fall into a lifestyle of constant activity like sports, work, errands leaving little time for Mass, family rosaries, or slow, sacred moments.
 

The Challenge: Choosing intentionality over busyness and keeping the Sabbath holy.
 

What you can do:
 
Reclaim Sunday. Make it different. Slower meals, no sports, and time for rest and prayer.
Create simple, repeatable devotions (e.g., nightly Angelus, decade of the rosary after dinner).
Say no to good things sometimes (clubs, activities) to say yes to eternal things.
 
 
 
 7. Fear of Rejection or Backlash
 
Parents worry their children will be ridiculed for their beliefs or worse, excluded. As children grow, fear of offending others can cause parents to soften or hide Catholic teachings.
 

The Challenge: Raising children with moral courage in a world that prizes conformity.
 

What you can do:
 
Help children expect (and even embrace) being different. Reassure them it’s not a sign they’re wrong but that they’re set apart.
Practice responses they can use when questioned (“I believe in God’s design, but I treat everyone with love”).
Affirm their courage often: “I’m proud of you for standing firm in what matters most.”
 
 
 
 
8. Internal Crisis in the Church
 
Scandals, confusion, and poor catechesis have weakened trust in Church leaders and institutions. Many parents are unsure who or what to trust when seeking guidance or formation for their children.
 

The Challenge: Remaining faithful to Christ and His Church despite human failures.
 

What you can do:
 
Focus on Christ and the sacraments. Even when leaders fail, Jesus remains in the Eucharist.
Teach Church history honestly There have always been sinful leaders and yet the Church endures.
Choose solid resources and orthodox clergy. Form yourself well so you can form them.
 
 
 
 
9. Protecting Innocence Without Creating Fragility
 
Parents walk a tightrope: shielding children from corruption while also preparing them to face it. It's easy to go too far in either direction over-sheltering or over-exposing.
 

The Challenge: Forming children who are both innocent and resilient.
 

What you can do:
 
Give them roots and wing. Teach them how to think critically, not just what to think.
Practice “controlled exposure”: let them learn about evil in your presence, with your guidance.
Equip them with virtue through stories (Bible, saints, fairy tales) that show good vs. evil clearly.
 
 
 
 
 
10. Evangelizing Their Own Children
 
Perhaps the greatest heartbreak is seeing children lose their faith as they grow. No matter how devout the parents, conversion is ultimately a matter of grace and free will.
 

The Challenge: Sowing seeds faithfully while entrusting their children’s souls to God.
 

What you can do:
 
Pray with and for your children daily by name. Consecrate them to Mary.
Let your faith be seen: joy at Mass, reverence in prayer, real repentance when you fail.
Be patient. God writes straight with crooked lines. So many saints had wayward years.
 

Raising Catholic children today is not for the faint of heart, but by God's grace, we are not alone. Each small act of faith, each whispered prayer, each courageous “yes” in the face of opposition plants a seed that heaven will water in time. Keep going, dear parent. Stay rooted in the sacraments, anchored in truth, and gentle with your heart. You are doing holy work.
 
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 With Peace and Love,
 
 Chay Marie