College Is Coming. Will Their Faith Survive?

We’d never send a child into a war zone without training.
We wouldn’t hand them a backpack, pat them on the head, and say,
“Good luck. I hope you come back.”

But that’s exactly what we do when we send kids off to college with only head knowledge of faith—and no relationship with Jesus.

The moment they leave home, their faith hits the test of freedom.
And most of them don’t pass.

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The War for Their Soul Is Real

We don’t like to say it that bluntly—but it’s true.
College is not neutral ground.
It is, in many cases, an all-out assault on belief.

And it’s not just at secular universities.

I know a student who went to a Catholic university where every philosophy and world religions professor was openly atheist.
Another student was warned that if their physics professors found out they were Christian, they would likely fail the course.

This isn’t drama.
It’s real.
And we keep sending our teens in unarmed.

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Good Intentions Aren’t Enough

Many parents hope their kids will “come back to the Church later.”
But Jesus doesn’t want them to wander away and limp home.
He wants them to stand firm and shine bright—right where they are.

But that doesn’t happen by accident.

Information isn’t enough.
Our kids can know Church teaching. They can recite the Creed. They can ace a confirmation quiz.

But when faith is only intellectual, it crumbles under pressure.
And college brings pressure.

• Professors who mock belief
• Dorms full of temptation
• Friends who ask questions they were never equipped to answer
• A culture where faith seems irrelevant, old-fashioned, or even dangerous

Without a living relationship with Jesus, most teens simply fold.
They don’t even know what they’re missing.
They just… drift.

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Jesus Has to Be More Than a Memory

College students keep friendships.
They keep hobbies, social apps, Netflix, and Spotify.

So why do they leave Jesus behind?

Because He was never personal.
Never central.
Never real.

He was a class.
Not a friend.
A concept.
Not a companion.

And when everything else feels loud and exciting and new…
faith that was only memorized becomes optional—and forgettable.

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We Don’t Need Fear. We Need Formation.

This blog isn’t about panic.
It’s about preparation.

Jesus isn’t afraid of college campuses.
He’s not overwhelmed by anti-Christian sentiment.

But He’s asking us to raise disciples, not just religious kids.
To form peaceful warriors who walk onto campus already walking with Him—strong, grounded, and ready to live the Gospel with joy.

We need teens who don’t just “hope to survive college with their faith.”
We need teens who go into college as missionaries.

And that starts now.

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The Time to Equip Them Is Before They Go

If your teen is still in middle school or high school—praise God.
This is the moment.
Don’t wait until they leave.
Don’t just pray they come back.

Introduce them to Jesus—personally.
Not just in CCD. Not just at Mass.
In real, living friendship.

Let them know what it’s like to hear His voice.
Let them know how to pray, not just recite.
Let them discover that following Him every day actually brings peace, strength, and clarity.

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Start with the Encounter

That’s why we created Encounter Jesus.
It’s not a class. It’s not a program.
It’s a guided invitation to meet the real, living God.

Once your teen knows Him, you’ll see the change.
Faith won’t be something they inherited—it will be someone they know.

And when freedom comes…
when the world tempts and mocks and challenges them…
they’ll be ready.

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💬 Reflection Question:

If your child left for college tomorrow, would they be bringing a real relationship with Jesus—or just a memory of one?

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👉 Ready to help your teen meet Jesus before they leave? Start here.