Millennials get a lot of attention. Often, the attention is negative, framing us as self-involved, entitled, lazy children who are destroying beloved institutions like breastaraunts (shame on us for not wanting a side of objectification with our mediocre wings) and diamonds (how dare we go against materialistic mindsets and seek lower costing and more ethical options). I could go on and on about how frustrating this crappy painting of millennials is, but instead I want to focus on a place where we are actually respected: the Catholic Church.
Beyond the fact that the Catholic Church does an exceptional job acknowledging basic human dignity, it also recognizes that our generation is necessary for the growth and continuation of our earthly church. I think the problem that arises is people don’t know what we want.
Fortunately, there are certainly people trying to understand.
In the meantime, I want to talk about what I’ve experienced personally, and what I’ve learned from other Young Adults. I’ve recently become involved in two groups: a regional young adult board and a diocesan newlywed committee. Despite my short involvement, both groups have been opportunities to discuss what young adults really want from our Church, at least in our Diocese.
Before I continue, I want to make it clear that I know this won’t be true for every young adult. For one, it only really addresses one group of millennials: practicing Catholics. What to do about non-practicing Catholics, ex-Catholics, Protestants, the “nones”, atheists, etc. are all different conversations. They are conversations we need to have, but that is not the focus of my blog post. I am also not saying that every single young adult feels this way. I am sure there are other millennial Catholics who are incredibly devout and disagree with this post.
Regardless of where you are in your faith journey, if you disagree with me, please talk to me about it. I’d love to have a fruitful conversation on this topic.
Authentic Relationships
A repeated theme I hear from other young adults is a feeling of loneliness. During our newlywed committee meeting, we recognized that the common thread through all our discussion was a hunger for relationships. The Catholic Church has a lot of great resources when it comes to learning Church teachings and enriching our spiritual lives. Praise God because we need these things. But what we also need is to connect with other Christians.
We were not made to practice our faith alone. In our current culture, it is becoming increasingly difficult to live as a faithful Catholic. While the challenges we face pale in comparison to the persecution of Christians in other countries, these little issues we face can chip away at our faith. Despite having an eternal Church and an army of saints standing by us, we are also human and need tangible support from other people on earth.
However, we must be careful in how this is accomplished. We don’t want awkward, forced icebreakers so we can learn obscure facts about each other. We want opportunities that allow conversations to flourish. We want to share a communal meal or go out for some beers and chat. We want to shoot pool or do a service project together.
This isn’t to discredit Bible studies or small groups or other endeavors focused on spirituality. We absolutely need these because ultimately, our relationships need to be Christ-centered. However, how we go about these activities is crucial. We need to take that desire for relationships into account while planning and running these activities. While the content of the Bible study may be very important, Allison might not remember the significance of Hebrew wording when Eve is called a helper, but she is going to remember how she felt when she explained why she struggles with this passage and the responses she got from other ladies in the group. Robert might get lots of good information about dealing with a porn addiction, but if he can’t trust the other guys enough to reach out when he is struggling, it isn’t really going to stick.
Tradition and the Sacraments
I often see things about how we can make Mass “more relevant” to young people, but it is pretty rare for me to hear other young adults express this desire. What I do hear is a longing for the tradition. While people don’t necessarily want to go to a Traditional Latin Mass, there are aspects of our rich Catholic tradition that are appreciated. We worship body and soul, and Masses that engage this are key. Beautiful church buildings are a whole other discussion, but simply put, we want beautiful environments that inspire reverence and draw us into the truth and goodness of God.
The Mass is beautiful because of the sacrifice. It is beautiful because it is Heaven on Earth. We don’t need rock music or flashing lights; we need Jesus.
In a similar vein, we need better access to the sacraments. One of the biggest complaints I see on social media is a lack of access to confession. I’m fortunate enough to live in an area where it is very easy to go to confession, but not everyone has that privilege. And it shouldn’t be a privilege. Confession is necessary for our spiritual health. That being said, I know we have a shortage of priests, I am extremely grateful for all the wonderful priests out there! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!
Talking about the Hard Stuff
One of the comments that came up during the young adult discussion was a distaste for watered-down theology. Catholicism is deep and intellectual.Many of the teachings are difficult, but we don’t want it simplified to the point that it is missing anything substantial. Don’t try to reframe something or gloss over tough stuff to make Catholicism more palatable. We need the substance.
We also need people willing to talk about difficult topics. Porn, abortion, divorce, same-sex marriage, gender identity, etc. are hugely important topics. I know addressing these is intimidating and can be awkward, but these are issues we cannot shy away from. Young adults, just like everyone else, at their core are starving for the truth. We need to share it (lovingly of course) even though it is difficult.
We also need to be willing to help people handle their doubts. I think the temptation is to assume that people are just stubborn children who refuse to listen rather than recognizing that they are genuinely struggling with something. We need to walk with them rather than just brush off their questions.
Separation from Politics
Unfortunately, people tend to turn their political affiliations into a religious obligation. While our faith must inform our political involvement, we must be very aware of the weaknesses that lie in our current political system.
Let’s be real: neither major political party meets our needs as Catholics. Claiming that one party is the only valid choice for a Catholic ignores the complexities of applying our faith to our lives. While there are certainly absolute moral evils promoted by one party versus another (and we can’t support that), there are flexibilities in our approach.
It is much more important to talk about issues in light of our faith rather than to promote one party or another as the best for Catholics.
Functional Websites
This is a much less important issue, but I still think it is worth mentioning. It is incredibly difficult to navigate parish websites. Information might be outdated or buried beneath six links. This is a major form of communication. If we want to shape a community and meet the needs of that group, we need to effectively reach them using a communication method that works.
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How else do you think the Catholic Church can better serve millennials?
