A Catholic Bishop has launched an effort to send Bibles to first-year college students all across the United States to combat the staggering amount of young people who leave the faith when they head to college.
According to the Pew Research Forum, 79% of former Catholics left the church before the age of 23.
Another recent report from the Sunday Visitor, citing a recent Gallup poll, shows that belief in God and heaven has tumbled 16 points compared to a Gallup poll in 2001. Belief in hell is down 12 points, with belief in the devil and angels falling 10 points each.
In an effort to reverse the trend, Bishop Robert Barron, of the Dioceses of Winona-Rochester is moving to provide college freshmen with a paperback copy of "The Word on Fire Bible: The Gospels."
"I am convinced that "The Word on Fire Bible" is a powerful evangelical tool that can transform people’s lives — both those who are already engaged in their faith and those who are in danger of leaving the flock," Barron said in a statement.
Since calling on Catholic's to assist his endeavor in reversing the trend away from Catholicism and belief in God, nearly 400 individual contributions have filtered in, raising approximately $40,000 in the first 18 hours of Barron's campaign.
AROUND 70% OF US ADULTS BELIEVE IN ANGELS WHILE ONL 56% BELIEVE IN THE DEVIL, AP STUDY FINDS
The contributions from everyday Americans is enough to ship nearly 2,000 Bibles to first-year-students in 70 Catholic campus ministries.
"Your generous support will put the timeless Word of God in the hands of college students at a crucial point in their faith journey," Barron said.
The goal is to raise $200,000, and send 10,000 bibles to campuses across the nation.
