Queen’s University Belfast There is something brewing amongst the youth in the Church says,
James Tourish
There are many things associated with modern university life in today’s world, parties, drinking culture and a broad range of activities that are better left undiscussed. As a student at Queen’s University in Belfast, you soon come to find that ‘the Holylands’, the area right beside the university that is densely populated with young students, isn’t so ‘Holy’ after all.
Nevertheless, I believe that to brand the modern university experience as one with no use to an individual’s faith and their own religious development, would be inaccurate, and in my own personal experience, completely wrong. Coming from Derry, I have to humbly boast that our diocese has had a great increase in ordinations in recent years, and this is matched with the amount of fervour and active organisations that are present in the diocese. There are various youth groups, Rosary groups, Eucharistic Adoration times and events on for all ages, and it would be my belief that when there are more things to do and get involved with in parishes, the laity will come. The supply creates the demand. I was lucky to attend a phenomenal secondary school in the city, St Columb’s College, an institution and community that not only recognised the value of academic success, but also one’s own personal and religious development. It is the alma mater of individuals such as John Hume, Seamus Heaney, Brian Friel and the current Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland, Eamon Martin, who attended, taught and was principal of the school! With a strong Catholic ethos and plenty of religious activities to get involved with, it was truly a place that helped foster the faith, with our own Chaplain, Fr Sean O’ Donnell playing a big role in that.
To be a Church-going teenager is to be going against the way of the pack – it wouldn’t be a great rarity to see that at 18-19, I’d be the youngest attendee at a weekday or even Sunday Mass”
For young people, it isn’t always so easy to explore and nurture their faith, in an increasingly secular world, religion is often looked down upon in the years of adolescence. “Sure, it’s all just a story anyways”, or “Why would you care about that stuff, it’s too boring and stops you from living your life”, are phrases a young practicing Catholic will probably hear from their peers, if it is to actually be said to their face at all. Most definitely, to be a Church-going teenager is to be going against the way of the pack – it wouldn’t be a great rarity to see that at 18-19, I’d be the youngest attendee at a weekday or even Sunday Mass, excluding the crying babies at the back of the Chapel!
Welcome
However, I don’t want to sound pessimistic, there’s definitely something brewing amongst the youth in the Church, more and more have no problem, and even welcome the fact that they are doing things that set them apart from the rest of their peers. This makes complete sense of course, if you take the biblical standpoint. 2 Timothy 3:12 states “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”, and it is Christ who says in John 15:18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” It is not my insinuation that teenage Catholics in the West are persecuted in any way comparable to those of the Apostles, or the Christians of the Pre-Constantine Roman Empire, who could find themselves facing the jaws and claws of a lion in front of thousands of spectators. I just wish to make the point that these assurances and teachings give comfort, in that whatever challenge, exclusion or insult that one may receive as a result of their faith or their beliefs in accordance to Church Doctrine, it is nonetheless part of God’s almighty plan and is a sure test of our faith.
The God fearing Protestants I’ve met and become friends with here, would concur with me that the biggest challenge to the faith here is not the Protestant-Catholic divide, but actually the secular culture that is so commonly associated with life at university”
Moving to Belfast, I wasn’t most sure on what to expect in the religious aspect, of course everyone knows the sectarian part in the history of the city, which Derry experienced too but not to the magnitude that Belfast has in recent history, however it’s been my pleasurable experience to say that the God fearing Protestants I’ve met and become friends with here, would concur with me that the biggest challenge to the faith here is not the Protestant-Catholic divide, but actually the secular culture that is so commonly associated with life at university.
While it may be true that secularism and everything that comes with it, has become more visible in society, and at university, there still exists pockets of hope, glimmers of light and faith. I’m very glad to say that at Queen’s, the Catholic Chaplaincy is a lively community of Catholics from all walks of life, bringing together the shared experiences and stories of all the members and helping each other navigate through this time in our lives, in hope of reaching the narrow gate. Headed by our Chaplain, Fr Dominic McGrattan, it is a lively group with Bible studies, daily Masses as well as groups for male and female students, and a big community night that brings everyone together for prayer (and snacks!). As a member of the men’s group, which is assisted by and a branch of the Knights of St Columbanus, I will be formally invested as a Knight for the Order on St Columbanus’ Feast Day, November 23. With pilgrimages organised to places like Rome, Cologne and elsewhere, the Chaplaincy provides a tremendous opportunity for young Catholics in their ‘uni’ days to develop their faith and make friends with likeminded people.
Fellowship
The aspect of fellowship is integral to any religious youth group, and the importance of these groups and Chaplaincies cannot go unstated. We are called to build what is important on solid foundations, like the wise man, as it is the foolish who think the sand will not be washed away by the incoming tide. Having places to go to in order to explore your faith as a young person is necessary, and it is a real privilege to say that I have this in my life through the Chaplaincy. It is also delightful to see that Pope Francis has taken such an interest in fostering the faith among young people, and making sure that our voice is heard too, with the Holy Father saying in the closing days of the Synod, that young people should have courage and “keep moving forward”.