“Reclaiming Wisdom: Adult Religious Education as the Remedy for Our Times”
“Reclaiming Wisdom: Adult Religious Education as the Remedy for Our Times”
“The greatest evil of our times is the lack of adult education in matters pertaining to religion.” – Louis J. Putz CSC.
Let us pause for a moment and reflect on these words by Louis J. Putz. He would often say those words, with his German accent, very loudly when he was first meeting new people in a parish setting. Then he would follow it up even more loudly, with “You are the Church!”
At first glance, it may sound a bit extreme to call the lack of adult religious education “the greatest evil” of our times. But when we consider the world we live in—our divided communities, our moral confusion, our shallow understanding of the sacred—it begins to make sense.
Louis J. Putz, as many of you know, was a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a follower of Joseph Cardijn, and devoted his life to education and formation. He was rector of the seminary at Notre Dame in the 1960s, and his mission was to bring the teachings of the Second Vatican Council to a new understanding of what it means to be “church.”
He believed that faith without understanding is like a lamp without oil—it cannot sustain light or warmth. Today, I invite you, as followers of Cardijn, to explore why adult religious education is not a luxury but a necessity.
Let me ask you: How well do you understand the faith you profess? Not in memorized catechism, but in how it shapes your daily choices, your relationships, and your engagement with the world? I often refer to us Catholics as “label Catholics,” which means we know which aisle in the store we will find our “products.” We can identify them by their label and picture on the box or jar. But we have not bothered to read the fine print or the ingredients on the back.
Understanding the Statement
First, let’s unpack the statement by Fr. Louis.
Many of us grew up in religious settings: Sunday school, catholic grade school, catechism, or youth groups. We learned prayers, rules, and rituals. Yet, for many adults, formation stops at confirmation—or shortly thereafter. We continue to practice our faith, but often without deep understanding. We know what the label reads, but do we really understand what it means?
Louis calls this “the greatest evil” because ignorance of one’s own religious tradition leads to moral confusion and indifference. Adults are decision-makers: parents, teachers, community leaders, voters. Without informed moral and spiritual grounding, our personal and societal choices can be misdirected or harmful. All we have to do is look around us to see how this misunderstanding is unfolding.
Consider current events: debates around justice, climate change, bioethics, and even artificial intelligence are influenced by moral frameworks that are either ignored or misunderstood. Adults who lack religious education may fall prey to extremist ideologies, oversimplifications, or manipulations. Think Christian Nationalism.
Pause and reflect: How often do we see people making decisions that contradict the very values they claim to uphold? Adult formation equips us to live with integrity.
Historical and Theological Roots
Historically, the Church has emphasized the education of children, but adult formation has often been neglected. Vatican II recognized this gap, highlighting the importance of lifelong faith formation for the laity in documents such as Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes. Are you thinking Cardijn here?
Faith, after all, is not a commodity to be collected in youth and stored on a shelf. It is a living reality, meant to mature over a lifetime. Thomas Merton, the great contemplative, insisted that spiritual growth is never finished.
Adult religious education is not just an individual responsibility, but a communal one. We are all part of a larger mission to deepen our understanding of faith and foster a more just and compassionate society.
Louis Putz envisioned adults engaging deeply with their faith, not merely participating in rituals. Education here means understanding scripture, theology, ethics, and most importantly, the practical application of faith in everyday life. It’s about living our faith, not just professing it.
Let me share a small story: A friend of mine, after years of attending Mass faithfully, listening to homilies, began a church history study in her 40s. She said that reading the history of the first 250 years of the Church as an adult completely transformed her understanding of God’s mercy and justice. She realized she had been “hearing but not listening” all those years. This transformation, this awakening, is precisely what Louis had in mind when he emphasized adult religious education. It’s a testament to the transformative power of lifelong learning in faith.
Consequences of the Lack of Adult Religious Education. Now, let’s consider what happens when adults remain uneducated in matters of faith.
It leads to weak moral decision-making. People may know what is “forbidden” or “allowed” but not why. Prayer becomes ritualistic; worship becomes routine.
Socially, ignorance breeds misunderstanding and intolerance. Consider communities torn apart by conflicts framed as religious. Often, the real issue is not faith itself, but misunderstanding, half-truths, or lack of reflection.
Culturally, religion becomes commodified or politicized. We see faith used as a tool for power rather than a source of ethical guidance and personal transformation.
Pause and ask yourself: In our communities, how often do we see adults who are articulate about their faith in ways that deepen relationships, promote justice, and foster understanding? Too rarely, and that is the consequence Louis warned against.
Adult Religious Education in Action
So, what does adult religious education look like in practice?
Lifelong Learning: Adults should engage with scripture, history, theology, comparative religions, and Church teaching (Encyclicals)—not just as academic exercises, but as lenses through which we interpret life, our world, and the community we live in.
Interactive Methods: Learning is most effective through discussion, reflection, and practice. Joseph Cardijn’s See–Judge–Act method is a perfect example: see the situation, judge it in light of faith, history, and teachings, and act to improve it.
Integration with Contemporary Issues: Adults can study faith in relation to modern challenges, including the ethics of AI, climate justice, human rights, and social inequities. Think of Jesus’ parables.
Community-Based Formation: Small groups, workshops, retreats, and online programs create spaces for adults to share, question, and grow together.
Here’s an example: In a parish program I know, adults studied Catholic social teaching alongside local social issues. Mapping the teachings and wisdom of the Encyclicals to what we see in the world around us. Think Sermon on the Mount. One participant realized how their faith called them to volunteer at a local food pantry—not out of obligation, but out of informed conviction. Education transforms action.
The benefits are clear: Adults who understand their faith better live with greater moral clarity, make better societal contributions, and enrich community life.
Call to Action
Let’s turn reflection into action.
For individuals: Commit to lifelong learning. Read scripture with intention. Study history. Attend adult formation programs. Engage in reflective dialogue with peers. Ask yourself, “How is my faith shaping my choices?”
For churches and communities: Prioritize adult formation. Offer programs that are intellectually challenging and spiritually enriching. Encourage lay leadership in teaching and formation.
A closing reflection:
The most dangerous ignorance today is not of science or politics, but of the faith that shapes our hearts, choices, and communities. Adult religious education is not optional—it is essential.
Imagine a society where adults are not just believers, reading labels, but informed, reflective, and compassionate engagers in the world. That is the society Louis Putz envisioned, and it begins with each one of us committing to learn, reflect, and act.
Now remember Matthew 25: Think about this idea: “Faith without understanding is like a lamp without oil—it cannot illuminate the world or warm the hearts of those around it. Let us, as adults, refuel our lamps and carry the light forward.”
Q&A with your small groups for discussion
Where do you see gaps in adult religious formation today?
Are the gaps more like constraints from the system?
How can you contribute to closing those gaps?
How do we develop a plan to close the gaps?
How do we get “buy-in” from those in charge?
How can our communities become centers of ongoing adult formation?
• “How can our communities become centers of ongoing adult formation?”
• Answer:
• Close those Catholic schools with student fees that are so high that the poor are left in the public schools; and use the resources for adult formation including the poor.