Why the Faith Isn’t Being Passed Down: Vatican’s Venite Ad Me Explained
Why is the Catholic faith no longer being passed down from parents to children?
Fr. Shenan Boquet breaks down Venite Ad Me — the Vatican’s new document on the transmission of the faith — and why the family is the key to evangelization in an age of epochal change. In this episode of Living a Culture of Life, Fr. Boquet joins Colleen Maxwell to explain what Venite Ad Me actually says, why a document on evangelization focuses so much on the family, and what Catholic parents, priests, and parishes must do now.
Released October 22 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith with the approval of Pope Leo XIV, Venite Ad Me is not a new doctrine — it is a pastoral call to renew how we pass on the faith. Fr. Boquet unpacks 40 years of poor catechesis, the breakdown of family life, secular ideologies and self-autonomy, low birth rates, and the split between professed faith and lived witness. He lays out the path forward: adult catechesis, faithful preaching and homilies on hard truths, stronger parish communities, personal witness in daily life, and forming local leaders who can form others.
Drawing on HLI’s nearly 55 years serving in over 100 countries, he shows why training priests, seminarians, and families — and walking with them long-term — is how cultures are transformed.
IN THIS EPISODE:
- What is Venite Ad Me and why did the Vatican release it?
- Why the family is the foundation of evangelization
- How family breakdown and poor catechesis broke transmission
- Why you can’t give what you don’t have: forming adults first
- Homilies, liturgy, and preaching contraception, abortion, and hard truths
- How parishes rebuild real Catholic community
- Why personal witness is essential to evangelization
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Read Venite Ad Me: Venite ad me. Considerations on the Transmission of the Faith in an Epochal Change (22 October 2026)
The Pillar’s summary of Venite Ad Me: ‘Venite ad me’: A guide for busy readers – by Edgar Beltrán
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Human Life International is a Catholic educational apostolate defending the dignity of human life, marriage, and the family. Through leadership formation, education, and international partnerships, HLI serves local leaders in communities around the world.
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