I'm 17. How do I evangelize to my generation?

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Does anyone have tips? I go to a fairly left-leaning high school in the SF Bay Area. We are about half-Catholic already because we are mostly Hispanic and Filipino.

Also: how do I get non-practicing teen Catholics involved in their faith?
 
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Good question!

Recommended: Meditate upon the 3rd Glorious Mystery, The Descent of the Holy Spirit.
 
Be an example of a good, kind, joyful, charitable Catholic. It’ll go farther than correction or being preachy. Words often aren’t as important as actions.
 
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Know your faith inside and out and be a witness. Pray hard. Bring up the role of God in your life. Are the non-practicing teens your friends? Invite them to mass. Are they not your friends? Become their friends and then invite them to mass LOL. It’s hard, but it’s hard for older people as well, but I think the basics are the best.
 
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My favorite metaphor for evangelization is: You aren’t trying to grow trees, God will take care of that part. Don’t worry about seeing your efforts bear fruit, just focus on planting seeds.
 
The Church always speaks of evangelization as requiring both words and deeds.

Here is a quote from Vatican II’s document on the apostolate (i.e. the missionary activity) of the laity that is used in the Catechism:
This witness of life, however, is not the sole element in the apostolate; the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers … or to the faithful.
— Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, paragraph 6
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So, yes, it is absolutely true that you should strive to be a witness in the way you live your life. It means you don’t participate in lewd conversations. You don’t gossip. You strive to be a person of joy.

But you also look for opportunities to speak about your faith. This does not mean that you awkwardly preach down to people. It does not mean that you have to criticize and point out every little thing someone does that is contrary to Catholic teaching. Rather, it means you don’t shy away from saying, “Yes, I was at my parish youth group last night” or “I was at Mass on Sunday…I love going to Mass” or “I’ll say a prayer for you.” People should know that you are Catholic. And then they may even come to you with questions. When they do, look for answers (even if you don’t know them off the top of your head). Part of preparing for these questions is reading good books explaining the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith.

You don’t beat people over the heads with your words. But you do need to use words when appropriate. Otherwise you are just that weird, quiet, nice guy.
 
Be ready to answer when they ask questions about what is right, what is good, the meaning of life, God, faith, and so on. Keep it short and basic, and something they can apply in their lives.

Slightly more challenging is to answer when they say things that are wrong, but don’t try to correct them or teach them. Just say what you believe, or what you think is true or right, and regard it a seed planted, which may grow in time and with God’s grace.
 
I am around your age.

Evangelisation is hard for this generation as many are so entrenched in secularism.

We must pray for God’s will to be done.
 
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LukeShalz said:
Does anyone have tips? I go to a fairly left-leaning high school in the SF Bay Area. We are about half-Catholic already because we are mostly Hispanic and Filipino.

Also: how do I get non-practicing teen Catholics involved in their faith?
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In addition to prayer, I would suggest the following:
  1. starting with one objection they have at a time. Find out what their #1 objection is, research the answer(s), and then present your answer to them.
  2. I also highly suggest the Latin Mass for Generation Z. Reason: they have a tendency to be a bit more conservative when it comes to culture vs the older generations. I’ve heard many stories about Generation Z kids seeing the Latin Mass as a “counter cultural” (hence cool) thing, plus I’ve heard of some who see it as a reclaiming of their cultural heritage.
I hope this is helpful.

God Bless & Godspeed
 
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LukeShalz said:
Does anyone have tips? I go to a fairly left-leaning high school in the SF Bay Area. We are about half-Catholic already because we are mostly Hispanic and Filipino.

Also: how do I get non-practicing teen Catholics involved in their faith?
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Virtue. Practice virtue. (not signalling it, just practicing it).
Patience. Honesty. Fortitude. Charity. Etc,
At some point we became a culture of disconnected experiences. Virtue is the continual formation that leads to good experiences. We need saints, and saints are those perfected in virtue, or in our case we are journeying to that perfection through the practice of virtue.
We need saints. Strive to be a saint and God will work through you.
 
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  1. Break down myths and stereotypes that act as an obstacle to evangelization. A lot of people don’t even give Christianity/Catholicism a chance because of preconceived notions of what Christians/Catholics are like or because of bad experiences with people claiming to Christen. They think we are stupid, bigoted, killjoys, weird, etc. Show people that you can be smart, rational, fun-loving, normal person AND Catholic.
  2. There are a lot of dynamic figures within our Faith tradition, both saints and non-canonized individuals. Maybe try introducing your peers to cool, heroic individuals past and present that they might not have known are Catholic. Maybe introduce them to a biography or a movie about that person’s life that includes how their faith has made them the person that they are. I know in a lot of conversion stories that I’ve read, the seed was planted when the would-be concert was drawn to a person only to find out that their Catholicism was a major or the major factor that made them the cool person that they are.
I suggest Catholics that did heroic things in WWII, because everyone loves learning about WWII.
 
Does your parish have a youth group? You could start by joining the youth group, which might have organized opportunities to evangelize. And maybe you can convince a friend or two to join along with you.
 
Maybe you could start a prayer group or Bible study and invite others to join
 
1- Do the Rosary every day! (or another chaplet)
2- Choose a Saint that you will ask him/her to pray for your faith every day…

Then be compassionate, honest, do not impose your belief on others, but be open to discussing about your faith with anybody who asks. But always do it respectfully. Be a living example. Attend mass every Sunday. Be involved with groups helping others.

you might want to consider (if finances permit it) to look at online evangelism courses like the word on fire institute.
 
Get involved in the Pro Life movement. See if there is a Students for Pro Life chapter near you. Learn all you can about the life teachings of Jesus (the five Catholic non negotiables). Once you get involved you might find opportunities to share the teachings of Christ and His Church or maybe others will come and ask you what you are in to.
 
Jesus told us how!

Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Be the salt of the earth, be a light, love radically!
 
Hello, I am 18. I would pray for the conversion of those around you and ask God to give you perseverance. You can talk about your Faith and how religion is a part of your life. You can also casually mention things (like if someone asks how was your weekend, you could say you went to Church.) You could also, when appororpiate, say things like “Thank God” and “God-willing”.

Just a big reminder: you must be careful when you discuss the Faith. Many people dislike and even hate Catholics. You have no obligation (no matter what anyone tells you) to put yourself in danger. Always be cautious. You do not have to talk about or publicly show your Faith. Prudence is important. If people make you feel guilty for not showing your Faith enough or things like that, just ignore them. I have been in situations where I have acutally felt that expressing my Catholic Faith or beliefs in public would put my physical safety in danger. When people talk to you about the Faith, you do not have to even discuss it if you don’t want to. Be safe.

God bless and Mary keep you.
 
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