Bringing Young People Back to the Faith

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catholic03

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Pax Christi:

Being a young person, I am especially concerned with the large drop in Mass attendance, vocations and belief in true Christian morals among others my age.

I attend an all boys secondary school, where it seems the only things people are interested in talking about are immoral unchastity, swearing, video games etc. I think this is most dispiriting. As a young Roman Catholic, it pains me to see how virtually nobody my age even considers basic human morality - in 60 years, what will the world be like? Will the Church be the only proponent of Christian morals?

How do we show other young people that Catholicism is not something to be scoffed at, but the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church? I find it sad that other young people have no interest in the bible, Mass, confession etc.

I know that there are many young Catholics like myself who love Christ and want to serve His Church - but in the Western World they seem to be a tiny minority of all young people.

I hope you can understand that being a member of this generation, I am very concerned.

How do we approach this and bring others back to the faith?

God Bless.

IC XC NIKA.
 
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catholic03 said:
I attend an all boys secondary school
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So do I!
catholic03 said:
it seems the only things people are interested in talking about are immoral unchastity, swearing, video games etc.
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Funny you should say that. While I don’t have a problem with talking about video games, I used to be one of the most vile-mouthed people in my class. Then I had my conversion experience that was brought about by praying the Rosary, and now whenever people are talking about their fornications or other mortal sins I just sit there quietly not wanting to join in to the conversation. I feel alone at my school because even though it’s a Catholic school, no one else really believes or loves Catholicism like I do, or if there is someone I haven’t met them. Almost all of my friends who say they are Catholic and go to Confirmation class will say that they have no problem with gay marriage. Speaking of Confirmation class, I think that’s one reason why young people are so uninterested. My Confirmation class is a complete waste of time; the time that is not wasted is spent going over material that should have been learned by 10 year olds in Sunday school. Honetly, I don’t think large numbers of young people will return to the faith until there is a paradigm shift in the values of society. It happened before, it can happen again, the question is in how long. As far as what you can do, just try to be a subtle evangelizer at school. I don’t go around preaching the gospel, but if someone asks a moral question then I will try to guide them to the truth of Catholicism. And most of all, pray. Pray! Never stop praying, especially the Rosary. I highly recommend Divine Mercy Chaplet as well. If there’s anything that will convert droves of young people, it’s Divine Mercy. Hope this helps. Peace!
 
I am going to answer this as honestly as possible even though it might offend some people.

As a sophomore student at university, I fall into the category of “young people” about whom your post is about. While I am somewhat of a practicing Catholic, many of my friends are not. The reason for their falling away is the same as my reason for being frequently angry with the Catholic Church. It’s the corruption. The sex scandals. The hypocritical clerics. In my country there was recently a scandal wherein it was discovered that a convent of nuns had been abusing and raping orphan children-with the knowledge of the Maronite Patriarch, who chose to cover the issue (the rape and abuse of children) up instead of putting a stop to it. As a young person, that makes me think. I find there is a deep disparity between the Catholic faith, which is pure and holy, and the institution of the Maronite Church, which I find is corrupt. I have numerous other grievances against the institution of the Maronite Church, and they are far too many to list. But the above example should give you the gist of what I’m talking about.

The institution of the Church needs to start practicing what it preaches if it wants young people to be convinced of it. Honestly, you can’t tell young people to “be good” when you’re covering up the rape of minors. Young people aren’t stupid (mostly) and we can clearly see when there’s a discrepancy between a cleric who preaches holiness yet behaves in the most unholy way possible. Owning up to the sex scandals and admitting that the Church has a problem is the correct way to go, in my opinion. You won’t convince any young people if you keep blaming such abstract notions as “the modern world” or “liberalism” or whatever.

This post is gonna ruffle some feathers, I’m sure, but you asked for how to bring young people back to the Church, and as a young person I obliged. My post is by no means comprehensive, however, and only reflects my personal feelings and the feeling of my friends around me.

God bless.
 
I didn’t “fall away” from the Church in high school or college, but a few years thereafter. In high school, I rather liked reading the Bible and attending Masses and communion services.

However, I also liked doing fun things like music, dancing, clothes, keeping up with pop culture. Nothing I liked or did was particularly extreme, but it was normal for the time and place. And I would have been really put off by any other Catholic young people who went around bemoaning the state of the Church and complaining that everybody sinned too much and nobody was super holy like them.

The reason Blessed Pier Giorgio is popular is because he was by all accounts a moral guy but also a normal, fun guy. He wasn’t all sackcloth and ashes and Bible and prayers and lecturing people all day long. If young people start equating holiness with some guy who’s always “admonishing” everybody and complaining whenever others want to play a video game or do something else fun, then they’ll just reject it as being both boring and impossible.
 
Bring back reverence in the liturgy and stricter catechism classes. Stop the lovey dovey Catholicism they teach nowadays. Drop the Boomer Mass practices. It strikes young people as cheesey and embarrassing.

Sorry if this offends anyone but that’s my opinion.
 
This is a good day to ask this question as today is the feast of St. John Bosco, the Apostle to the youth. 🙂

How do you bring young people to the faith? The short answer is: love them.

Be a saint. Be holy. You could also do as St. John Bosco did and learn circus tricks to entertain people. 😜 And then when they are there, bring the Gospel into the conversation. 🙂
 
I don’t have a problem with appropriate video games.

I also find it is good to answer questions people have about the faith as you say - it helps guide them to moral truth.
 
Joe_5859 said:
This is a good day to ask this question as today is the feast of St. John Bosco, the Apostle to the youth. 🙂
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I read that he learned juggling and magic tricks to get kids interested in him. He would get around to teaching them about Catholicism later. Some other priests objected to his methods. But look who is the great saint today 🙂
 
Many people say that the Extraordinary Form of the Mass will bring people back.

Perhaps it will. I think that, as Pope Benedict XVI said, the two forms mutually enrich each other. I think both forms of the Mass have a part to play in keeping young people in the Church.
 
Question for the OP? How many of the boys in your school are there because they wanted a Catholic education or are there because their parents want them there?
 
I suspect that most teens of high school age don’t have a lot of (name removed by moderator)ut into where they go to school. I also know that many parents are more interested in having the kids in a well disciplined, academically excellent, “prep school” atmosphere than they are about the Catholic aspect.
 
Goodness radiates. You bring young people into or back into the church the same ways you do any age of people. Living radiant joyful lives, modeling self-sacrificial love, helping them encounter truth and beauty, and praying that Holy Spirit set their hearts ablaze.
 
I don’t attend a Catholic school. I very much regret it now, and my parents did give me the choice to attend one when I started secondary school.

I was thinking of switching this year but we figured it could negatively (name removed by moderator)act my academic results starting at a new school.

I do attend quite an academic school and many people go there because of the good teachers and higher than national average results.
 
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Here in NZ, Catholic schools are state integrated, meaning they are funded by the state but maintain a Catholic character.

Most people either select a good public/state school or a private fee paying Anglican or Presbyterian school if they are into a special academic focus.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
The reason Blessed Pier Giorgio is popular is because he was by all accounts a moral guy but also a normal, fun guy. He wasn’t all sackcloth and ashes and Bible and prayers and lecturing people all day long. If young people start equating holiness with some guy who’s always “admonishing” everybody and complaining whenever others want to play a video game or do something else fun, then they’ll just reject it as being both boring and impossible.
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I do agree. But - I have no trouble telling people what the Church teaches if they want to know.

I am seen as quite “up himself” or “sanctimonious” - part of that is just because I support the Church’s teachings, and part of it is because I do sometimes make the mistake of lecturing people.

I make mistakes - I suspect that when I am older I will make less of them - I suppose that teenagers are naturally immature and insecure to a degree and we often make the wrong decisions.

Nonetheless, I don’t think I am the whole problem - in NZ strongly religious people are often seen as sanctimonious or “holier-than-thou”.

I believe that in America people are more open to faith and it is easier to meet people of faith. Over here, being a practising Catholic leaves one with very few allies and few Catholic friends who believe as I do - which for me is a worrying consequence of the fact that young people aren’t coming to church.
 
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Do not worry brother. I am also young (16 to be exact), I also experience the same I’m my community. There is so little presence of Jesus in any of my peers life. But just to consider they and we are still young, there are plenty of chances for God to come to them down the road as maturity factors in. The best thing I find to do is pray, pray, and pray more for them! Its the most powerful thing at hand, so let’s use it. Praying the rosary daily for these intentions is a great one of many examples. Stay faithful brothers and sisters!
 
I find there are quite a few people our age on the forums - I just don’t meet them in real life unfortunately.

Better just continue to uphold the Catholic faith and persevere.
 
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