Young People Will Not Leave the Church

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catholic03

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Hello and Pax Christi:

In the Western World, it seems that people are leaving the Church en masse, especially younger people. In my country, around 10% of young people call themselves Christian. In England, only 2% of this generation identifies with the established Church of England, which although not Catholic has had a tremendous influence on Christian life in that country.

And yet there are some who know the truth and shall not leave. I am one of them. I live in one of the most secular countries in the world. At Sunday Mass there are only a couple of others my age at Mass. Despite our society infiltrated by relativism, I will not succumb as well.

In my anti-life, anti-everything Christian (especially Catholic) society, I will always defend the Church and her divine teachings.

I know how hard it is sometimes to spend all my available free time reading the Bible and praying due to my schoolwork, whilst others I know would eat out or go to a film. Yet I know what is truth and I follow it. Christ said “I am the way, the truth and the life”.

And although I am regarded by everyone as a religious ‘nutter’ just for being a Christian (all Christians are seen as nutters where I am ☹️), I will always stick to my faith.

I see in the unfulfilling lives of others that all they truly want is God, even if they do not know it.

I am one of only a small percentage of young people who will never give into the atheistic relativism that plagues society. I embrace Pope St John Paul II’s call for the New Evangelisation and the Holy Father Pope Francis’ call for spreading the Gospel. I know that if I want to spread the Gospel, I must be a living example of what it means to be Christian in this world.

I suppose I am writing this because I want people to know that whatever it seems the statistics look like, there are many of us young people who LOVE God, LOVE the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church and will always defend their beliefs.

This song really summarises to me what it means to spread the Gospel as a Christian in today’s world:
.

God Bless You All.

May the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten son, live and reign forever and may the Gospel be spread to all nations.
 
You are the future of our human race.

This is what I always tell my son: even if all of the people say “its okay all people do it too” but if you know in your heart its not okay to do it, then don’t. For example making joke or speak about women in a way objectifying them, swearing, watch porn, horror movies, gruesome movies. All these, even if all people in the world agree that it is okay to do these, do not succumb to peer pressure. Just distance yourself from them. It is better to have no friends than to have friends who will drag you to bad things. These kind of friends will turn out to be a waste of your time if not your life. There are always other friends that share your believe. But even if there is none, just continue walking the Lord’s path!

Now my dear son has grown and I am proud of him.

So, catholic03, I am proud of you. You are young, but you have found the right path the Lord has set before you!

The Lord Jesus Bless You Always!
 
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God Bless you. I think I really am anti-modern society. It does not have to be this way, if only society would see the truth.

Chastity is a great fruit of putting trust in Christ. Being chaste is amazing. But so hard. Living in our world where everyone is not so, it really is hard. But I do not give in. Besides, chastity is for me the most fulfilling self rewarding earthly aspect of our faith.

Our Lord told us to discard that which causes sin. I just wish I could convince other young people of the truth ☹️.

This forum has been great for me, as coming from a country where those devout in the faith are rare, interacting with faithful Catholics here has been so very interesting. I have learnt a lot.

God Bless.
 
Yes, do not lose faith. Stay strong and believe in the Lord.
I’ve never been a WYD but if you look at the numbers, you’ll know that you are not alone.

You’re believing in faith that goes back 2,000 years. Most countries didn’t exist back then and no modern idea or philosophy goes back that far.

I like praying to the saints. They are are friends in heaven. Even if you have no opportunity to meet other young catholics, there are many saints who died young and who are a great inspiration for young people. I can only think of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Therese of Lisieux who both died at the age of 24.

I was in Lisieux last week and felt such a close connection to Therese, I said even if I have no friends on Earth, I’ve got friends in heaven.
 
I was in Paris in January. I saw Notre Dame before the fire. And spent 63 Euros on souvenirs!

I was happy to see it. France is great.
 
I am not from Europe. However, while it may not be to the degree it is in England, I don’t see very many young people in my Parish here in Michigan. Granted it is a really small one and maybe the larger Parishes have more young. I know after I graduated High School, I noticed quite a few of the kids I went to school with, the Catholic ones, ended up going to the non denominational churches with the “better music” and preacher. I don’t know how many stayed and how many came back to their Catholic faith. I think here in the states Christianity isn’t dying out but people are sadly are leaving to attend these non denominational denominations. Apparently Pastor Booko (may have spelled that wrong) is the one everyone likes in my town. Seems these days to be all about the music and the preacher and not the Mass. I am now in my early 40s and haven’t seen any changes.

I think it is awesome that you are on fire for your faith. Meet people around your age that have that same love for the faith and go out and do have some fun though. Not talking about getting drunk or whatever, just hang out or watch a movie. Also keep doing what you are doing! 🙂
 
Catholic 03, what you said is very inspiring, I only wish that when I was younger I would have had your wisdom and courage! Instead I succumbed to secularism, but by God’s good grace i came back 30+ years later. If only the world was filled with the likes of you in the younger generations. You will be in my prayers and I pray the Lord will bestow upon you extra blessings for your fidelity to the Church and to our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
bassmansteiny said:
I noticed quite a few of the kids I went to school with, the Catholic ones, ended up going to the non denominational churches with the “better music” and preacher
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Why can’t Catholic Mass have music and preaching that would appeal to those followers? Not as a replacement for existing Mass, but as another mass on the calendar or even a service that starts prior to mass?
 
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Thanks for your post! I have been having similar feelings. Maybe from a slightly different perspective; I converted recently from Sikhism (well, I was more or less agnostic) to the Roman Catholic church recently.

They say new converts are the most zealous, and I won’t deny it! Especially given the experience that I went through, which drastically changed the course of my life (that’s maybe for another post). The last year or so has been intense, from the stress this has placed on my family, to the joy of coming home to the true Church.

What both hurts me is the view today’s society has towards Catholics; and the attacks on the core Christian values. Couple that with the fact that at Sunday mass I am literally the only one below 40 and it deeply saddens me.

But like you, I resolve! Never will I turn away, never will I bend. I know some may scoff hearing this from a recent convert. But I promise, as long as I am a sinner, I will not leave God.

What’s to be done? I try and lead by example. I try to glorify the Lord with the gifts he has given me, through art. I try and talk to people about more than just surface level things, cause you don’t have to dig too far to see how thirsty people are for God. Our challenge is then to guide them to God through the Catholic Church.

Anyway, I am rambling. Keep strong in your faith brother! I will be praying for you.
 
catholic03 said:
I know how hard it is sometimes to spend all my available free time reading the Bible and praying due to my schoolwork, whilst others I know would eat out or go to a film.
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No offense, but speaking as a practicing Catholic, who was also practicing when I was in college though I had my share of slipups, this sounds like a drag. Also unnecessary. Also “holier than thou”.

There’s a time for prayer and Bible reading and a time for eating out with your friends and doing other fun things, including seeing a good film.

Young people who act like one has to spend all of one’s time in religious or spiritual pursuits, or that “not leaving the Church” means you do stuff like this and don’t have a normal social life or normal interactions with others, actually may turn some others away from the Church.

Holy young people like Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati are often normal people who enjoy having some fun along with their prayer and devotion. It’s not necessary to live a monk’s existence unless one really feels called to that - and one who feels called does not brag about it, nor suggest that it’s how every holy young Catholic person should live.
 
@catholic03

I’m a priest, and I don’t even spend all my free time in prayer or study. That wouldn’t be reasonable and it wouldn’t be a terribly balanced way to live. Here in the rectory, we find time for entertainment. We watch baseball games almost every night. We watch movies and TV shows. We spend time with friends, both priests and laymen. Even for religious in monasteries, there’s time for recreation.

We’re not just souls riding around in bodies. We’re a composite of body, mind, and soul. We must feed all of them. Just because one isn’t engaging in explicitly religious activity 24/7 doesn’t mean he’s not following God. We must avoid the trap of perfectionism, and even more, the trap of bragging about what a perfectionist we are.

-Fr ACEGC
 
DeSales111 said:
by God’s good grace i came back 30+ years later.
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A dear and holy priest once said, in a retreat on St. John’s Gospel, to retreatants many of whom were in their senior years, “Nothing is more beautiful than a grey-haired child.” Every child of God is a light in this darkening world, no matter how “old” he is.
 
Awesome. I guess it is a pruning operation! Those that remain are stronger! May God bless you and give you peace!
 
Thanks for that thought, Fide. I also arrived at where I was supposed to be late in life.
 
Wow, great to see a convert from Sikhism. I was raised Hindu and was more or less agnostic before I had a radical conversion to Catholicism. I’ve been Catholic for over two years now and I still have the zeal you speak of.

Life is hard and I even went through a depression post-conversion but I haven’t lost my zeal one bit. @catholic03, don’t lose your zeal. Zeal is actually the virtue that counteracts the deadly sin of sloth and indifference to God. But you will have to channel it.

I was lucky to know other young Catholics and I was blessed to know a very holy priest who is my spiritual director. Serving the needy is a great way for instance to spread the gospel. You don’t have to give away all your wealth but spending time with the sick, the poor, the homeless—that’s a great way to live the Gospel. Who knows, your charity might attract others to the faith!

You should focus on your vocation and ask God to lead you. I can picture young St. Benedict leaving Rome to become a hermit. Not everybody has that vocation but never too early to start asking God where he wants to lead you.
 
This is great advice, father.
Happiness and holiness are not always at odds with each other.

It’s a bit of a temptation for young (and new, in my case) Catholics to become too preoccupied with doing spiritual things all the time.

I think channeling the zeal is important. I’ve even found new hobbies and interests thanks to the Church - board games and molkky for instance.
 
Shasta-Rose said:
Thanks for that thought, Fide. I also arrived at where I was supposed to be late in life
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Thank you, Shasta-Rose. In this youth-obsessed culture, in denial of so much holy wisdom, I am deeply saddened to see youth-obsession when it appears in the Church. Every age demographic deserves to hear, and to see in living witnesses, the Gospel!

In a parish nearby, now, the elderly are groaning in neglect as the young are pandered to - it is painful to hear of the disrespect, and their suffering. They are so near to the encounter with Christ to come at death! (We all are!) They need pastoral concern, love, respect! They have so much to give to the Body here and now! But no, “the youth are our future!” Should we therefore become blind to the present? No, no man knows the day or the hour - every man, woman, and child needs and deserves to hear the holy Truth unfiltered and pure, granted in age-appropriate ways, but the Truth. “The Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth, so help us God.”
 
Lifeisbeautiful3 said:
Why can’t Catholic Mass have music and preaching that would appeal to those followers? Not as a replacement for existing Mass, but as another mass on the calendar or even a service that starts prior to mass?
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If you live in an area with a number of parishes, you can find a diversity of music (and architecture and preaching styles and everything else). Unfortunately, you usually need to have transportation and flexibility of schedule to check these options out. Many people both young and old are limited in where they can go to Mass, and it’s not realistic for a church to offer an entire smorgasbord of different music, EF and OF, etc to please everyone. Furthermore, in a world where many people are lucky to even have a Mass to go to, people should perhaps count their blessings and be glad they are able to receive Jesus at all, rather than complaining that the music or whatever isn’t to their taste.

As devout Catholics, we are not going to get our way on everything all the time, including Mass music. If it is super important to someone that they hear a certain style of Mass music, my advice to them would be to start or join a group playing / promoting the music they like, and/or find a church offering music they like and plan their lives so they can live in that parish or go there for Mass. Realizing of course that circumstances may change there too.
 
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