Role of Catholic Church’s Teachings in Promoting Chastity in the Changing Youth Lifestyle in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya

Chastity is a central virtue that guides the moral and spiritual development of youth.  The changing youth lifestyles, influenced by globalization and societal shifts, challenge traditional moral values, prompting institutions like the Catholic Church to address these issues through teachings on chastity and morality. Despite the Catholic Church’s efforts to promote chastity, issues such as teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and the evolving acceptance of LGBTQ rights persist among the youth in Trans-Nzoia County. This raises questions about the effectiveness of the Church’s teachings and the methods used to communicate them in a rapidly changing social landscape. The main objective of this study is to explore the role of Catholic Church teachings in promoting chastity among the youth in Trans-Nzoia County. This study was motivated by the alarming news of Kenya being ranked 3rd globally in teenage pregnancy and the Supreme Court ruling on the right of association for the LGBTQ community. Catechism of the Catholic Church 2394 and 2395 says, Christ is the model of chastity and every baptized person is called to lead a chaste life. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: to find out the Catholic Church’s teachings on chastity to the youths, to assess the methods used by the Catholic Church to pass information on chastity to the youth and to investigate the impact of Catholic Church teachings on chastity to the youth in Trans-Nzoia County. The study was guided by the Natural Law Theory of St Thomas Acquinas (19^th Century). The study adopted descriptive survey design. The study was carried out in Catholic Church parishes in the Trans-Nzoia County specifically Kiminini and Endebess sub-county. The target population for the study consists of 3,000 youths, 14 priests, 14 catechists and 1,500 parents from 14 parishes in the Endebess and Kiminini deanery. Data collection methods included questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions, with both qualitative and quantitative approaches used for analysis. Endebess and Kiminini deanery has 14 parishes with a registered youth population of 3000, seven of the parishes with atleast 200 registered youths were considered for the study. Consequently, 7 priests and 7 catechists were also selected through purposive sampling from the selected parishes. The study found that while the Church’s teachings on chastity emphasized abstinence before marriage, sexual purity, respect for the human body, and the rejection of acts such as fornication, homosexuality, pornography and contraception, all grounded in the Catechism and biblical principles significantly influenced youth understanding of relationships and sexual morality, challenges such as peer pressure, media portrayals of sex, and lack of parental support hindered the full application of these teachings. The research also revealed that the Church utilizes a range of teaching methods, including sermons, workshops, retreats, peer mentorship, and individual counseling to engage youth in moral education. Based on these findings, the study recommends that the Church should adopt more interactive and youth-centered approaches, integrate parents more actively in the process, and leverage modern communication tools like social media and apps to increase engagement and better align teachings with the realities the youth face today. Future research could explore the role of digital media and online platforms in shaping youth perceptions of chastity and sexual morality, and how the Church can effectively use these tools to complement its teachings in a rapidly evolving digital world.