For generations, Catholic schools were among the great formation engines of the Church in America.

They taught children to read.

• To pray.
• To know Scripture.
• To understand the Sacraments.
• To encounter Jesus Christ.

And to carry the Catholic Faith into adulthood and eventually into their own families.

But the landscape has changed dramatically.

In fall 1960, the historical national Catholic-school series reported approximately:

and

Today, the National Catholic Educational Association reports:

and

The traditional Catholic school system continues to do extraordinary work.

But it no longer reaches the number of children it once did.

And meanwhile, the forces competing to form young people have multiplied.

• Social media.
• Streaming entertainment.
• Influencers.
• Pornography.
• Search engines.
• Algorithms.
• Artificial intelligence.
• Digital platforms designed to capture attention every hour of the day.

The question is:

The Church cannot simply mourn what has been lost.

We must build what comes next.

The decline of traditional Catholic educational infrastructure does not mean the mission of Catholic education must decline with it.

Technology has created an opportunity no previous generation possessed.

Today, a Catholic lesson can cross an ocean instantly.

• A student can learn Scripture from another continent.
• A parent without a Catholic school nearby can still teach the Faith.
• A catechist can find resources in seconds.
• A family can access Catholic formation without tuition.
• A child can encounter faithful Catholic teaching wherever an internet connection exists.

That is the vision behind Catholic Online School.

Today, the school reports:

And access remains free to students and families.

This is not an idea waiting to be built.

Now we must strengthen it.

• Expand it.
• Create more.
• Translate more.
• Reach farther.

And prepare it for the generation growing up now.

A child can find almost unlimited information online.

But information alone does not form a Catholic life.

Formation teaches a child:

• Who Jesus Christ is.
• Why Scripture matters.
• How to pray.
• What the Sacraments mean.
• Why the Eucharist is sacred.
• How saints lived courageous lives.
• How to recognize good from evil.
• How to understand human dignity.
• How to live with purpose.
• How to carry the Faith into adulthood.

That is why YCVF's educational mission extends beyond traditional courses.

We are building a new Catholic classroom that includes:

Structured Catholic lessons and courses.

Helping a new generation encounter the words spoken by Jesus Christ through visual storytelling.

Introducing children to men and women whose courage, sacrifice, and holiness deserve to be remembered and imitated.

Bringing Mary's extraordinary story and message to another generation.

Free materials supporting students, families, teachers, homeschoolers, and catechists.

Giving people access to Scripture, saints, prayers, Catholic teaching, and one of YCVF's foundational digital resources.

Different tools.

Different experiences.

One purpose:

We believe Catholic formation should be available to a child regardless of where that child was born, what their family earns, or whether a Catholic school exists nearby.

That is why so much of this mission is made available free of charge.

But free to the student does not mean free to create.

Catholic education requires:

• Teachers
• Writers
• Editors
• Researchers
• Video production
• Designers
• Technology
• Web development
• Servers and distribution
• Curriculum development
• Learning resources
• Translations
• New courses
• New faith-formation experiences

And the continuing work required to make all of it available around the world.

That is where donors enter the mission.

Your generosity helps turn Catholic teaching into Catholic formation that a child can actually access.

A gift does not merely support a website.

And monthly Mission Partners provide the dependable support that allows the work to continue month after month.

The children growing up today will become tomorrow's:

• Parents.
• Teachers.
• Priests.
• Religious.
• Business leaders.
• Doctors.
• Workers.
• Neighbors.
• Parishioners.
• And Catholic families.

The question before us is larger than whether a child completes another online lesson.

It is whether another generation will know enough about its Faith to live it, love it, defend it, and pass it forward.

Previous generations answered that challenge by building Catholic schools.

Our generation must answer it again.

But now the classroom can reach the world.

• We have the technology.
• We have the school.
• We have the lessons.
• We have the resources.
• We have the Catholic mission.
• And millions have already entered through its doors.

Because the future of the Church is not somewhere in the distance.

You may never meet the child your generosity helps educate.

They may never know your name.