What outreach Catholic Ministry are you attending or involved with?

[Psychae]

That sounds like an excellent idea! Unfortunately (fortunately?) my family and I are just barely scraping by. I can’t do anything that takes money.

I hope and pray other Catholics who do have money will start movements/ministries such as what you suggested, instead of, for instance, building bigger, fancier church buildings.

 

[Bon_Croix]

They already have. Unfortunately, the church still needs buildings too.

 

[RCIAGraduate]

How’s your Church’s YM, in your perspective, has the Church been trying to get more YAMs as well (you know cause they’re a sweet fruit)? What are your thoughts on young people drifting away or leaving especially with the whole idea that there’s a lack of community and support for them? What about the multitudes of young people who left, were alienated (they are put off for one reason or another like hypocrisy or even bad experiences like a family who pressed religion too harshly) or were never given a chance, I know I’m making this a philosophical and theology (that’s overwhelming) thing and it’s overwhelming but what is to be their fate especially if they seemed to be swept by things out of their control like circumstance? I remember a poster hearing being critical of younger folks like millenials but at the same time, shouldn’t we be more understanding since they were dealt with a bad hand economically (okay I know that’s mostly irreverent) or do circumstances while they help explain, warrant understanding and even mitigate, they don’t completely and absolutely absolve behaviors? At the end of the day, do you think the Church will be able to build community and support for so many, it seems like so many are lost and not given enough of a chance or is Faith something one does need to fight for?

 

[Dolphin]

I’m on the Social Justice council for my Diocese

 

[Mtatum1958]

Unfortunately (fortunately?) my family and I are just barely scraping by. I can’t do anything that takes money.

In a way, that’s the great thing about stewardship in the church. There are many needs to be met. Those with excess can contribute of their treasure, those with expertise can contribute that in counsel, etc, and others can contribute whatever time they can in the many areas of need.

 

[Horton]

1 of 2

How’s your Church’s YM, in your perspective,

Since I run the program I believe it is going well. But seriously, when I started the previous DYM took on so much he really didn’t have time to put into the YM. The catechists really made the decisions and he delegated much of the tasks off to them. He is a great person and a hard worker, he just spread himself a bit thin.

The first year I just observed and learned as much as I could. I didn’t have experience in YM, but had many good transferable skills from my previous career. I worked as a social worker and counselor in a state criminal justice system for a lot of years before retiring . My organizational skills, my ability to manage programs, my ability to manage volunteers (catechists), and my deep desire to serve God all came into play. I realized we really didn’t have a robust program and the way we were doing things wasn’t beneficial to the kids.

We were using a good program but the catechists were creating their own lessons that were not engaging, not necessary, or even sound for confirmation.

I had spent most of the first year reading, watching, researching, and learning about what works, finding best practices in YM. The next year I purchased a new program for a fresh start. I then explained to my catechists it was time to try something new. Some have really bought in and some are still resistant. For a couple this will be their last year with me.

What are your thoughts on young people drifting away or leaving

I’m going to simply give you my thoughts on why this happens, as in what we in YM are not doing, my ideas on what can be done about it. As you’ve stated there are many reason a young person my leave the church or drift away.

I think it can be broken down into to major categories: 1. We do not teach the young people how to use the faith. We spend a lot of time showing videos, reading stories, having catechists tell them why something is important and sending them to Mass, telling them to “love” it. 2. They are not being shown that their faith must be a priority over everything else.

For #1 we have to change the way YM is done. It has to something they experience, something they feel, something they encounter. We need to have them experience the Mass, not just go. We need to show them each step of the Mass and explain why it is done, where is it in scripture, how did come into the Mass.

 

[Horton]

2 of 2
We need to teach the youth how to pray. I get a lot of resistance with this concept. Of course they are taught THE prayers but they are not taught how to talk to God. They can say 10 Hail Mary’s but they don’t know how to lay themselves bare before God. They don’t know how to have a conversation with God. The importance of letting them learn to pray has a direct effect on how they use their faith. When life gets tough, and it will get tough, they’ve been told to pray. They may go into a church and pray an Our Father and a couple of Hail Mary’s and they don’t feel different. So they give up, prayer doesn’t work, those people didn’t know what they were talking about. However, if they know how to go to God and talk to him, to ask him, to pray for help AND how to listen the results may be very different.

If youth are able to experience the beauty of the Mass, of the sacraments, of prayer. If they are able to experience that which sustains their faith, how can they leave?

For #2. This comes mainly from parents. I hear it all the time, the excuses why their kid can’t make it to the mandatory classes for confirmation because they have dance, soccer, baseball or some other more important high school activity that takes precedence over faith. For our confirmation program we do an overnight retreat after the first of the year. I set the date of that retreat in August. All kids enrolled in confirmation class are told this date before they & their parents sign the agreement to commit. Inevitably there will be parents and students who have something else that is far more important than God and can’t make it to the retreat
Disclaimer I will not respond to anyone questioning my use of an overnight retreat. Many may have their own opinion and I have mine.
Parent’s complain that we mandate the youth to attend Mass EVERY SUNDAY!

The Church will and does support the young people. What many young people do not understand is the Church is not going to change doctrine to accommodate current secular societal norms. Those of us who work in ministry for youth and young adults struggle with this all the time. We work at finding ways to reach our young people. I could go on & on but I’m sure I’m out of space for this post.

 

[RCIAGraduate]

The Church will and does support the young people. What many young people do not understand is the Church is not going to change doctrine to accommodate current secular societal norms. Those of us who work in ministry for youth and young adults struggle with this all the time. We work at finding ways to reach our young people. I could go on & on but I’m sure I’m out of space for this post.

Letting you know, I’m not practicing, sorry if that sounds grating Regarding what you said I get keeping, preserving principles, the other issue seems to be providing a place or space for them (though from my view and maybe yours, She is trying) especially when much of the rest of the Church seems graying (like a critique in Japan seems to be how the Church seems to be a “club” for the elderly) especially for those YAMs (though darn yams, regarding special conditions to grow).

 

[Horton]

So were you looking for a negative response, disparaging youth & young adult ministry? That’s not my way. I couldn’t do my job if I had negative thoughts about the results all the time.

If your concern is the Church is greying, or becoming a “club” for the elderly, then do something about it. Stop waiting for “someone” to fix it. Start in your own parish. Go to Mass, join in ministries, invite others to Mass. We are all the body of Christ and we all have obligations to help build and maintain the Body of Christ.

 

[EricF]

Lector, RCIA Director and catechist.

 

[Irishmom2]

Much of the church is graying? You say that like it’s the fault of those that are “graying.” As Horton said, if that is how you feel, do something to change things instead of throwing up your hands and blaming others.

 

[Horton]

I get this with my youth. I tell them, if you want young people in the Church, be young people in the Church.

 

[Brendan_64]

I have been a reader, and a catechist for Confirmation classes, but I no longer do these. I was involved in setting up and expanding Eucharistic Adoration in our parish (but my wife is the real driving force behind that and I support her). I used to be involved in a street Rosary and evangelising group (not connected to our parish). I’m currently planning to run (at some stage) a small number of adult catechesis sessions in our parish.

I don’t think that we all need to be involved in something active. People devoting their time in their own private prayer (at home or in church) or in adoration of the Eucharist can bring as much, if not more to the Church as someone involved in something more active. I think we need to be careful not to overlook or devalue the role of the quiet layperson engaged in private prayer. We also need to value the role of parents doing their best, dutifully bringing up their children in the Catholic faith, in many cases they may struggle to find time to do much else, but the role they play is invaluable.