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On Tuesday morning earlier this week I was privileged to speak at a formation session to the priests in our archdiocese who’ve been ordained less than 10 years about youth and young adult ministry.
It was a very receptive crowd. Here’s the gist of what I said 1/
On Tuesday morning earlier this week I was privileged to speak at a formation session to the priests in our archdiocese who’ve been ordained less than 10 years about youth and young adult ministry.
It was a very receptive crowd. Here’s the gist of what I said 1/
First, the stats:
The 2013 Aus. Bishops national centre for pastoral research report on Mass attendance...
According to this research of young Catholic adults aged 20-34, only about five or six per cent attend Mass on a typical Sunday.
By any standard, this is catastrophic 2/
The 2013 Aus. Bishops national centre for pastoral research report on Mass attendance...
According to this research of young Catholic adults aged 20-34, only about five or six per cent attend Mass on a typical Sunday.
By any standard, this is catastrophic 2/
I then spoke about the variety of cultural and existential factors facing young people today:
Instability in family life; demise of communities; suburban rootlessness; the rise of a profoundly boring and mundane nihilism; the myriad of issues pertaining to sexuality - 3/
Instability in family life; demise of communities; suburban rootlessness; the rise of a profoundly boring and mundane nihilism; the myriad of issues pertaining to sexuality - 3/
The “”opportunity”” that the internet provides for young people is a game changer here: hookup apps and the prevalence of pornography that is increasingly in violent etc will wreak havoc on families for generations to come; 4/
I spoke about a crisis in friendship; the rise of hyper-rad traditionalism (I belaboured this point, as this as a huge pastoral issue that will really hit us in the next few years thanks to the all to easy accessibility of cheap easy answers, thanks to t*ylor m*rshall et al.; 5/
In response to all this I offered very little by way of a program of a silver bullet strategy, but reminded this impressive group of men of what BXVI told us in his masterful encyclical Deus Caritas Est: 6
“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” (DCE, 1) 7/
Our task in youth and young adult ministry is to introduce the people around us to Jesus.
Programs are good, and often very useful, but they will not save us. 8/
Programs are good, and often very useful, but they will not save us. 8/
I also belaboured that point. Programs will not save us. 9/
I also spoke about the need to think small and local. Not a popular opinion in Archdiocesan chanceries, but I found a cracking quote from JPII about the need to revivify the local parish. This was my big plea - not to worry so much about the BIG youth and young adult events 10/
But instead to focus small and local. The 5-6% of young Catholics who are ‘sacramentally active’ (I.e. practicing their faith) need formation to be missionaries in a culture that has forgotten God. 11/
If we can help them in building local communities with their neighbours in the suburban wasteland of Perth, Western Australia, the witness of their faith will be seen by those around them. 12/
Some good conversation followed, but many of the questions focussed on programmatic, bureaucratic, or managerial solutions...
We need authentic witness. We need to pray.
Veni Sancti Spiritus.
Veni per Mariam.
END/
We need authentic witness. We need to pray.
Veni Sancti Spiritus.
Veni per Mariam.
END/
