Why the shortage of young people at Mass?

[mark_a]

One thing I notice … there are hardly any 20-somethings in most of the parishes I’ve been to Mass at.

If there are no young people at Mass in the first place, it’s not surprising there are so few vocations.

Why don’t they come?

We, the Christian parents, are not making enough young people.

The economy also depends on population growth.

Get busy.

 

[SeekerJen]

I think part of it is sort of a gap in the ministries of parishes.

Most parishes have a plan in place for reaching the school age youth. They have plans for married couples, families with children, and even the elderly.

However, for someone in their twenties, particularly single, there isn’t really a place they fit in. There are very few ministries targeted at young adults in parishes. There are also very few social opportunities within a parish for those in this age range.

However, part of the reason for this is the low level of involvement by this demographic. It is sort of a self-destructive cycle.

I can say from personal experience that at least at my home parish, people like me are quite overlooked. It is difficult to say if this causes the very low mass attendance by people in my demographic, or if the low participation causes us to be overlooked.

This is true, and it is also true that people in their 20s and 30s are often building up their careers and families, and sometimes it’s all they can do to get to Mass, let alone serve in several ministries. I have been fortunate in that my chosen field, I have held positions that, although not high-paying (but with good benefits and enough to support myself if needed), have in the past allowed me a normal 40-50 hour work week and plenty of time to serve in a couple of minstries at my parish. I was always the youngest person there, often by 20 years or more, because most of the other people in my age group were working 60-80 hour weeks and/or raising young children, and were grateful just to be able to get to Mass on Sunday morning. Now that I’m a student again, I’ve had to stop serving in some of the ministries, because I simply cannot physically make it to the church in time for meetings and rehearsals (if we could have meetings that start later than 6:30 or 7 pm, I would be a very happy camper). I’m not happy about that, but I know that when my life settles down a bit and I’m done with classes, I will have time again. I think this is why in many parishes, most of the people serving in ministries are in their 40s or older. Their kids, if they have them, are more self-sufficient, and the majority of them have stable careers.

 

[m134e5]

One of the things that I think is lacking in a lot of parishes is mentoring young people towards involvement…

I grew up with a pastor and pastoral ministers who made me feel wanted at mass every week (by being an altar server, or working with the choir, etc.). And they taught me a lot at the same time.

Likewise, the parish had a tremendous youth minister who brought us together weekly on Sundays just to ‘be’ in a space that was ours…people played basketball, cards, etc.

But we were considered valued members of the community.

That’s where the seeds are sown…you go to college and you want to go to church somewhere because it’s important to do so.

I think the current trend in youth ministry type programs is to make them sort of ‘vocation gardens’…so you take youth to seminaries…or give them abstinence talks, etc.

Those are important things…but if we had more dedicated adults who just wanted junior high and high school age people to have space in the parish and feel like they were NECESSARY to what is going on in it…the other stuff will fall into place around it.

Exactly…(though I still think the phrase “young people” has worn out its welcome…the terms “youth”, “young adults”, and “teenagers” are a bit more descriptive and a little less like a phrase from Sesame Street )

 

[m134e5]

This is true, and it is also true that people in their 20s and 30s are often building up their careers and families, and sometimes it’s all they can do to get to Mass, let alone serve in several ministries. I have been fortunate in that my chosen field, I have held positions that, although not high-paying (but with good benefits and enough to support myself if needed), have in the past allowed me a normal 40-50 hour work week and plenty of time to serve in a couple of minstries at my parish. I was always the youngest person there, often by 20 years or more, because most of the other people in my age group were working 60-80 hour weeks and/or raising young children, and were grateful just to be able to get to Mass on Sunday morning. Now that I’m a student again, I’ve had to stop serving in some of the ministries, because I simply cannot physically make it to the church in time for meetings and rehearsals (if we could have meetings that start later than 6:30 or 7 pm, I would be a very happy camper). I’m not happy about that, but I know that when my life settles down a bit and I’m done with classes, I will have time again. I think this is why in many parishes, most of the people serving in ministries are in their 40s or older. Their kids, if they have them, are more self-sufficient, and the majority of them have stable careers.

Protestants are in church all Sunday morning. Catholics are there for about an hour (unless their priest reads slow, or it’s a major feast day). Protestants are no less busy with work and family. I have run into more than just a few “ex-Catholics” who left because they got tired of asking parishes what activities they have and they just got a Mass schedule.

The post-college young adult groups are the most vulnerable for leaving the Church for another church- because you try to get involved in a Catholic parish and the pickings are slim if you want a group where most of the members are under 50.

 

[Chancellare]

The answer is demographics. While the Parish is the basic unit of organizing Catholic communities, it has its limitations vis-a-vis the changes in demographics nowadays. For example, people live and work in different locations and continue to change jobs and residences in more frequencies. This alone changes the mix and affinity of people attending any Parish activities and Masses. Also most 20 year olds have jobs or classes located and clustered in urban and cosmopolitan areas and one can hardly expect them to live with their parents in their original hometowns. Parishes hardly have programs dealing with professionals or theology courses for tertiary levels. Instead of over-extending the role of parishes, this is where formation centers should take over and provide a ‘campus atmosphere’ for these segment of the population.

 

[mystified]

At my former parish, the Spanish-language Mass was attended by a cross-section from the diaper set to great grandparents. On the other hand, the 15-25 set among the English-speaking were mostly found at the Sunday evening guitar Mass.
It will be interesting to see the demographics at the new TLM coming to our county next Sunday…

 

[johnpaul2_fan]

My parish used to have very few young adults or young family’s. However there is a new orthodox pastor at my parish; I had never seen a priest with such reverence for the Eucharist before.

Now my parish is full of young couples, family’s, and now that there is a young adult group, there are more young adults. Not to mention the number of converts went up over 500% in one year since he’s been made pastor.

 

[Verita]

They could be like me. I confess I am guilty of being too lazy in the morning to get to Church much of the time. My husband and I aren’t very good Catholics sometimes.

 

[MarySon]

I remember reading something by Steve Wood where he attributed the lack of young people at masses due to the lack of the involvement of fathers in their religious upbringing. He cited some sources that stated that the percentage of young adults that went to church whose father had been involved in the church far exceeded the number of those young adults who attributed their religious upbringing to their mothers only.

 

[Al_Masetti]

I remember reading something by Steve Wood where he attributed the lack of young people at masses due to the lack of the involvement of fathers in their religious upbringing. He cited some sources that stated that the percentage of young adults that went to church whose father had been involved in the church far exceeded the number of those young adults who attributed their religious upbringing to their mothers only.

The men used to have, at each parish, a Holy Name Society.

Seems to me that for the most part they were abolished … in my opinion, to de-emphasize the role of men in the Church.

 

[lak611]

The men used to have, at each parish, a Holy Name Society.

Seems to me that for the most part they were abolished … in my opinion, to de-emphasize the role of men in the Church.

My parish still has Holy Name Society, but even though membership is open to all men 18+, most members are 60+. There really aren’t any young men interested in that group. It pretty much has become a senior citizens’ group, with mainly retired men.

 

[joeganshert]

In my opinion, there aren’t a great number of young people attending Mass because of the lack of reverence. When I attend a reverent Novus Ordo, or a Traditional Latin Mass, they are full of young people. I am young, and (for me) the greatest turnoff to wanting to attend Mass is the lack of reverence.

I know exactly how you feel. My parish is a struggling to get reverent in a liberal diocese type of parish, and we have a decent number of youth at masses. Compared to some other parishes I’ve been to (the one’s where the homily is about Jesus suits and faith melting pots), well, those are dieing parishes with nobody under 50 at them. There is also the TLM parish with 80% youth. I think that there is a direct relation between orthodoxy and the youth at masses.

 

[Cari]

I work with a lot of young people at my job. Most people I ask just think religion is not important. Most call themselves Christian or Catholic but then they feel that going to church is not needed or not for them. Some people feel the church is full of hypocrites and that people go to church on Sunday, act all holy, then the rest of the week they act like their normal selves.

When I was a 20-something (not ALL that long ago), I shared in this opinion. Now that I’m a mature 31 , I realize the blatent judmentalism and copout mentality inherent in my formerly held belief. Interestingly enough, when I was in my 20s, judgementalism and the copout mentality were two of my biggest pet peeves. (Not that they don’t bother me now, I’ve just moved on to other pet peeves)

Now, I can only speak from personal experience on this one, but it was the birth of my first child that brought me back to church. Once I was able to shake myself from the center of my existence, I remembered who was SUPPOSED to be there, and church suddenly seemed much more relevent to me. I was able to remember that yes, there might be hypocrites in church, but being in the same place with them didn’t make me one any more than going to a football game made me a sports fan.

I think it also has a lot to do with our sexualized, materialistic, instant gratification society. It’s hard for anyone who is used to being in constant communication with a million people in a dozen different ways to slow down to enter Communion with the One whose voice isn’t so loud.

But again, I’m speaking only from my experience, I am certainly no expert on anyone else’s motivations.

 

[Titus]

This is a fascinating thread.

I am in a parish with a good share of younger people, and good mixed demographics, thanks in part at least to parish school nearby, which is #1 in the area, so attracts lots of Catholic families.

But a lot of the younger people are so poorly catechised that they don’t understand why to genuflect before the Blessed Sacrament. They are there, but there is no-one to teach them. Very sad.

I am the most involved young person, and the only one who would attend daily mass (I go every day in the holidays), and daily mass is so lovely, yet so inward. Everyone knows everyone and has been attending for donkey’s years, so there’s no rush to attract young people to attend before work or whatever.
Very sad.

 

[LeahInancsi]

For me it was a matter of priorities. In my 20’s, I thought had plenty of time to prepare for the hereafter and needed to focus my time on my career and getting my adult life on track. Church didn’t seem to be high on the list although I had faith, I didn’t practice it in a formal church setting.

Now, that I’m older and much wiser, I realize that I could have easily made time for church and regret that I didn’t. There’s so little time left to make up for the time lost.

As for parents, my father saw fit to break up the family and as a result my mother felt unbearably uncomfortable at church as a divorced single mother in the 60’s. I don’t blame her for it at all.

 

[beckers]

Frankly, the Church doesn’t provide a whole lot of support to young adults. If you’re a kid, a teen, a college student, married, or a parent, there are lots of things going on to help you / support you / etc. in the Church. There are CCD, RCIA, Newman communities, marriage encounter, etc., etc., etc., etc. But 20- and 30-somethings find very little going on at Church for them. There simply aren’t any programs aimed at meeting their needs. So they go elsewhere.

There are lots of groups that have no specific age focus (lots of the service groups, for example). But, when you join them, they’re frequently made up of people who have very little in common with young adults (Cursillo may be a great movement, but if your weekly meetings consist of a dozen 50-somethings talking about how God is present in their lives, eventually it starts to feel irrelevant to you: you don’t have a spouse, or kids, or retirement concerns, and no one else remembers the stress of dating, finding your first job, settling on your career, etc.). At least in my area, until very recently you really had to work hard to find Church activities with people in the same age range. Even now, the local parishes have very little aimed at young adults; you’re mostly stuck with diocesan activities. If you can travel there.

There is the Mass, of course; there will always be the Mass. But, if you’re spending your entire social life with others of your age, you start drifting away. The weekend trip doesn’t get back in time for Sunday night Mass. The dance lasts late, and you miss devotions. The group going to dinner conflicts with Eucharistic Adoration. You decide to go to work on Sunday instead of church, and no one calls you on it; your friends are all non-Catholics, and the priest doesn’t know your name. If you aren’t careful to make a lot of Catholic friends, it’s very, very easy to drift away. Not that you ever stop being Catholic; you just don’t show up.

Then, of course, once you’re engaged, the Church suddenly seems to care about you again. Because we have programs for that.

Unless, in the meantime, you started attending that nice Baptist church down the road, whose members make you feel so incredibly welcome when you show up…

You’ve come pretty close to whats happens with the 20 something. I have had to hunt out social activities. I read the bulletin and what do i find? Tons of wonderful programs but there times are not good for a 20 something or someone who works. Meeting at 10am for a bible study is not something i can do.

For the poster who suggested that we 20 something start a group. I am involved in mutli groups with in the diocese for young adults. The problem is what may be going on what church is not known in another unless you happen to know people from a different parish. The diocese tries by holding two conference a year but it is not going to get the young adults moving together. Most young adults don’t feel like they belong to a particular church but to the diocese therefore the diocese should help in some way. I am not talking money wise just the liturgist of it. A web page or discussion board or a someone who is concerned about us and not grouping us together with the college students. We have different needs then they do.

If socialize together than we can help each other grow in our faith and maybe figure out are callings in life (ie marriage or religious vocation). After all we are the future of the church. If we don’t reproduce and aren’t properly cathacisrized then there is no hope for the future.

Beckers

 

[G_S]

What are your local demographics? Almost 50% of the inhabitants in our village are over sixty-five! The congregation reflects this demographic statistic. My sister’s parish is in a newer suburb and Mass is pulsating with children and young people. I’m not trying to say this is the only, or even the main, factor but it’s something to be considered.

 

[Michael038]

One thing I notice … there are hardly any 20-somethings in most of the parishes I’ve been to Mass at.

If there are no young people at Mass in the first place, it’s not surprising there are so few vocations.

Why don’t they come?

I agree there needs to be more youth at the Mass. I think it really has to come down to the parents not properly bringing up the kids in the faith.

 

[Mannyfit75]

The Parish I go to is a Military Chapel. The average age of men attending the chapel is 30-40 yrs men. I’m in my thirties, I maybe more active now in the Church…