Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri,
secretary-general of the
Synod of Bishops, holds Pope
Francis’ apostolic exhortation,
Christus Vivit (Christ Lives).
Photo: CNS Parishes lament the absence of young people, but most are happy and do not want to be disturbed, writes Gerard Gallagher
W hen Pope Francis published Evangelii Gaudium, Laudato Si’ and Amoris Laetitia there was an excessive amount of praise. It has been striking how much quieter the reception of Christus Vivit – his document on young people – has been. At a national level, there has only been minor scrutiny and promotion of this key document. Pope Francis raised a challenge to the Church to find new and more relevant ways of reaching out to our younger generations. Maybe the reality of coronavirus has accelerated the discussion on the role of young people in the Church and maybe it has focused on their absence too.
Covid-19 has challenged every aspect of political cultural, social and religious life in Ireland since we entered the most restrictive changes to our lives. For a country where Faith matters for many, our Faith would now be tested in new ways. Going to church stopped. Our older people were asked to stay at home. Our cultural way of life ceased in every manner. All sacramental life in parishes ceased, with expectations around the administration of sacraments to the sick and care for the dying. Many priests retreated to the ‘sanctuary’ to be seen via local social media platforms. Youth and young adult ministry paused. Its leaders all reverted to online platforms of communication. I am not sure whose need was being met in this approach as I know many people did not engage with this model of the Church.
Young
Where is the Young Church in Ireland today?
In his encyclical, Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis noted that we all need to reach out to the ‘peripheries’ and find ways of bring the Gospel to all situations and that we need to go out and meet young people on their search, where they are at in their lives. In Christus Vivit (177) he says youth and young adult leaders will have to inspire a new generation to be part of the Church.
There is an urban myth that young people are not interested in being part of their local parish. Whilst everyone encourages youth ministry, most pastoral leaders do not want anything to do with young people. Parishes lament the absence of young people, but most are happy and do not want to be disturbed. This could be because of parishes for generations have struggled to reach out to young people. Parishes are preoccupied with maintaining pastoral programmes that do not include young people. Most Irish parishes have no youth ministry programmes. Our parishes have become older and more fixed on maintaining how things need to happen. As a result, young people find other ways to fill their time. Our parishes adapted to online ministry in recent months. I am not sure if this approach has attracted or sustained a younger demographic. To sustain a Church going forward a deeper reflection is required on how to keep our parishes relevant to young generations.
Anxious
Young people have become more anxious. The National Youth Council of Ireland recently published a report that noted that Covid-19 has had negative impact on young people’s mental health, education as well as an economic impact as they now have to deal with impending unemployment that could last for a number of years. An editorial in The Irish Times noted the following, “And the damage will linger long after the immediate crisis has faded: today’s 18-year-olds, facing into the second recession in their lifetime, will go out into a world with fewer jobs and greater uncertainty – a world emerging from a generational trauma whose scars will take a long time to heal.”
Participation and religious practice among this group has been in decline for years. Most of Ireland’s young adults are very much living lives culturally different and distant to the Church. Today’s young Irish person who has some type of Faith commitment has spoken about a fear of others about their Faith. Young people have spoken of ‘hiding their Faith’. Some young Irish people are beginning to identify with their Faith in an ‘underground’ manner.
The public square of the internet and online Church and Faith expressions are now part of our reality. Covid-19 forced the majority of young people to spend even more time online, either for education, work and even for social connectivity. Our young people are spending increasing time online; however, they are not online with our parishes. Pope Francis has referred to the digital environment containing “swathes of humanity…immersed in it in an ordinary manner. In this ‘highly digitalised culture’ it can affect our understanding of ourselves, others, and the world” (CV 86-90).
Faith life
Our young adults clearly differentiate their Faith life between online resources for entertainment but not as a means to publicly communicate their Faith. There is a reluctance or a fear of engaging the digital world with their Faith. While many young adults have personal faith and a relationship with God, it remains private.
Youth and young adult leaders and Church leaders need to reflect on the things that are necessary to assist this generation to find ways to express their Faith online as digital disciples and in real life as ordinary disciples.
The Church must reflect on the multi-faceted approach, blending an online Church and the real Church. Fr Eugene Duffy noted, “We need to explore some of the good work in the area of evangelisation that is now being done online and see how this can be extended.” This dual approach needs to be reflected and refined. The evangelisation of this generation of young adults and younger people will require leaders able to exist and navigate both territories. “Social media can be beneficial if used with moderation,” Pope Francis noted during his visit to Dublin. This will require training, trust, and time. “Youth and young adults are more engaged with technology today than they have ever been before and yet they remain one of the most emotional and spiritually disconnected generations of our time.”
Little of the Covid-19 outreach to the Faith reality of our young people has been effective. Leaders need to reflect on “new styles and new strategies” as we cannot return to how youth ministry happened before Covid-19, (CV204). That model was not really working. We need now to be more flexible and experimental as we outreach to younger generations.
A reimagining of all approaches to youth and young adult activity needs to reach out to all young people and those who do not normally encounter our work and ministry. Rather than assume people are following us, there is a need to be proactive and reach out to the “ends of the earth” in bringing the message of the Gospel to the whole of society and not just to our followers online.
Methods
The Church must constantly seek out new methods and means to evangelise. All levels of leadership needs to reflect and pause on some of the opportunities that exist to partner and accompany a new generation of the young Church. Our understanding of co-responsibility in leadership needs to be revisited as we seek ways to restart and renew all our pastoral forms of ministerial outreach.
Pope Francis reminds us that ministry with youth needs to be “capable of being inclusive, with room for all kinds of young people to show that we a Church with open doors” and he adds, “Nor does one have to accept fully all the teaching of the Church to take part in certain activities” (CV 234).
The Catholic Church will look different after Covid-19. We need to be ready to cast our nets out into deeper waters. Jesus invited his followers personally, one-by-one with the words “Come and See”. It is now time for further, deeper reflection by all those engaged and interested in younger generations to reflect on our approaches towards youth and young adult and their online Faith experiences.
Covid-19 has severely impacted all aspects of youth and young adult ministry. A recovery plan to revive, restore and resume our youth apostolate will have to emerge once we have listened to this 2020 generation. They are not with us. We will need to go to where they are.
Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, the former Archbishop of Paris, once commented, “We get the youth we deserve!” He argued that there was not as much a gap between the Church and young people, rather young people find it hard to find their place with the Church.
If you are reading this and have not really read Pope Francis’ Exhortation, Christus Vivit, I recommend it. If you wish to engage with a wider discussion on the role of young people and Church,my book Exploring Christus Vivit, just published by Veritas, might assist further reflection.
Exploring Christus Vivit hopefully will challenge us all to find new paths to reach our young people. In the words of Pope Francis, it is time to begin again. “Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!…He calls you and waits for you to return to him and start over again.”
Gerard Gallagher is a Pastoral Coordinator in the Archdiocese of Dublin and has worked in young adult ministry for over 25 years. His latest publication is Exploring Christus Vivit, is just published and available from www.veritas.ie