7 things you need to tell young Catholics

Twenty-Third Publications author Michael Carotta was in San José for a workshop on young adolecent Catholics. (The event was hosted by Harcourt Religion Publishers). He spoke on some of the recent data regarding middle school aged children and how that data relates to catechesis. He said that 6th, 7th, and 8th graders have more in common with college students than college students have with their parents. This is primarily because of the postmodern outlook that folks in their 20s and younger share. This age group, from middle school to college age, is commonly referred to as Gen Y. For them, everything has to be immediate. They do not understand delayed gratification. Mike identified five myths about this generation:

1. They have low self esteem
2. There is a large parent-teen gap
3. They are generally troubled
4. They are all the same
5. They have little faith

None of these are true. However, two things that are true: they have diminishing levels of hope and their ability to make moral decisions is not based on traditional, authoritative voices.

Mike said we have to do two things catechetically. We have to turn up the volume on hope. And we have to start conversations on morality from the perspective of who gets hurt. Gen Y places a high value on not hurting anyone and not allowing anyone to be hurt.

He said this generation has two basic questions about Catholic identity: how are we different and why do you (the adults in their lives) remain Catholic.

He said he would spend the short time we have with them on these issues:

1. Spirituality
2. Hope
3. Providing a powerful experience of God
4. Emphasizing the multicolored richness of Catholicism
5. Engaging their moral imagination
   
6. Attending to stories
7. Teaching discipleship. What is the difference between a believer and a disciple?

He had lots of data, most of which he culled from the National Study on Youth and Religion, pulling out the specifically Catholic data. He emphasized over and over again that this group has a high level of faith. He urged catechists not to spend precious catechetical time trying to evangelize this group. "The already believe," he said.

A couple of the statistics he cited struck me as especially interesting. 8 out of 10 believe in God, and yet only one third of them have had a powerful religious experience. I wonder if they have not had a powerful experience of God, what or who is the God they believe in.

Another interesting thing is the majority of them talk with their parents about religion at least five times a month. And the majority of them are interested in learning more about their faith. This seems like a huge opportunity to provide catechetical resources for the domestic church so they will know how to talk with their kids.

Finally, half of them find liturgy to be boring. I'm amazed it's only half. Still, there is a lot of work to do to keep this group engaged liturgically.