Q: Thank you for your great work. According to the CARA report, what percentage of people who come into the church at Easter, leave within a year? Why do you believe this to be occurring?
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A: The CARA report concerned implementation of the National Statutes on the catechumenate, and did not ask this question. I have not seen reliable data on the percentage of people leaving the Catholic church within a year of joining.
However, I can make two observations from my personal experience: There are some adults whom we do not see very often after they complete their initiation. There are a whole lot more infants we do not see after they have been baptized. If you compare the success rate of the RCIA with the success rate of the Rite of Baptism for Children, the RCIA is a runaway success at evangelization and participation in Catholic life.