‘the phenomenon of “we want Jesus, but just not the Church” is, for many, increasingly becoming, “we want neither Jesus nor the Church”’, writes Andrew O’Connell
The figures are stark. Take a look at Scotland. According to their 2011 census, 37% of the population now has ‘no religion’ – an increase of nine percentage points since 2001. In England and Wales, it stands at a quarter, up from 15% in 2001, with Wales registering 32%. Across the Atlantic, almost a quarter of Canadians declared no religious affiliation in their 2011 census, an increase from 16% in 2001, with 22% of Australians doing the same.
Ireland is different, for now. Our 2011 census saw a comparatively modest 6% declaring no religion.
The growth of ‘nones’ – those with no religion – is a challenge we have not given much attention to in Ireland because, up until now, the majority of those who drifted from the Church remained “culturally Catholic”, returning at Christmas and for the sacraments at key life moments. But cultural Catholicism won’t always be a stable holding station. Increasingly, it looks like the departure lounge for an eventual flight from faith.
Put another way, the phenomenon of “we want Jesus, but just not the Church” is, for many, increasingly becoming, “we want neither Jesus nor the Church”. I recently spoke with the mother of a family who described how 10 years ago she might have been able to coax her then-teenage children along to a Mass for exams. Now she notices they openly question the value or worth of any form of religious practice. Only in a moment of tragedy would they see faith as being of use, and even then she wasn’t certain they would. A distance from the Church, she noticed, has become a distance from the idea of God. It sounds alarmist, but it appears to be the next stage in the process of secularisation.
Up until relatively recently, it was commonly assumed that Irish adults who drifted from regular Church practice in their younger years returned later in life, especially when rearing a family. Archbishop Michael Neary’s landmark homily last December observed how that ‘drift and return’ model is dissolving. “Our priests tell me,” he said, “of measurably declining congregations…They feel, intuitively, that the temporary lapsing noticeable here from about the seventies is changing. They fear that those falling away in recent years will not return.”
Among the many pastoral responses this demands is a preferential option for the young with a strong focus on developing a friendship with Christ. In addition, since more students are approaching religious faith from a position of scepticism, religious education teachers ought to be better equipped to deal with issues such as the supposed clash between religion and science and the dialogue between faith and reason.
‘Cultural Catholicism’ still offers an avenue of contact with a large number of people. It should be availed of before it too closes off.
We won’t always have it this good.
Reaching the base: I was at a beautiful liturgy in Dublin recently. The music was exquisite and the prayers and reflections were thoughtfully crafted. While the event drew a few hundred people, several times that number should have been present. Indeed, it was only at the last minute that I heard it was taking place.
It pointed to a weakness in the way many parishes and dioceses communicate with the faithful. Most of our schools now have text systems that efficiently deliver messages to parents’ mobiles. We need to embed this level of proactive communication in our parishes and at diocesan level. A strong database of phone numbers and email addresses is essential to delivering a decent turnout.
Who will ever measure the number of young people brought into a deeper relationship with Christ through the work of this organisation? Youth 2000 has also provided the environment where many vocations to religious life and priesthood have been nurtured, not to mention the marriages that owe their origin to chance meetings among members over the years.
The success of Youth 2000 is the fruit of a real trust in providence, a contagious evangelical zeal and a “where there’s a will, there’s a way” attitude. Ad multos annos!