Wonderful article. Very accurate and very well said. I say this as someone who had this disembodied faith all my life (cradle Catholic), who lived their faith very privately until recent years, and it's incredible how much better my life has become since my faith has become "embodied" at my parish.
I think a big problem for younger Catholics that can lead to church hopping is the lack of other young Catholics. Let's face it, many Churches are full of old boomers, if they are full at all. To build critical mass of young people, we need to think outside of the walls of a specific church and start to build real Catholic communities--what I call "Catholic Shires." We need to rebuild foundational institutions that made Christendom great--Catholic trade guilds, Catholic festivals, Chivalric Knight Protectors, and majestic Gothic Cathedrals (refurbished or new). Finding the right Parish solves one day of the week, but what are you doing for the other six to Glorify God?
As a middle aged GenX I think this is a bit misguided. Go to your territorial parish, make friends in every generation from the 90 year old who moves at 1mph with a cane to the baby urping on someone's shoulder. Pray for people and ask them to pray for you. Learn some people's names even if their name is literally Karen (what luck, it will be easy to remember). God will make it worth your while somehow. I don't know how because he likes to surprise people. Generational stratification, to the extent that it is a species of division, is potentially a tool of the enemy.
Well, one idea I’ve had is a rotating Friday night dinner. Specifically, a Sabbath. All the interested families would sign up and take turns hosting two other families. A night for prayer, sharing a meal, and for kids to play. The church can guide the prayer through a publication we follow. Just a thought.
Thanks for your article and I absolutely love this message (says someone who is reading this amusedly online, ironically 😬).
Haha thank you!
Very well said. People are so aggravating... and yet so essential to living the Christian life. People, in person, warts and all.
Wonderful article. Very accurate and very well said. I say this as someone who had this disembodied faith all my life (cradle Catholic), who lived their faith very privately until recent years, and it's incredible how much better my life has become since my faith has become "embodied" at my parish.
I think a big problem for younger Catholics that can lead to church hopping is the lack of other young Catholics. Let's face it, many Churches are full of old boomers, if they are full at all. To build critical mass of young people, we need to think outside of the walls of a specific church and start to build real Catholic communities--what I call "Catholic Shires." We need to rebuild foundational institutions that made Christendom great--Catholic trade guilds, Catholic festivals, Chivalric Knight Protectors, and majestic Gothic Cathedrals (refurbished or new). Finding the right Parish solves one day of the week, but what are you doing for the other six to Glorify God?
many Churches are full of old boomers
As a middle aged GenX I think this is a bit misguided. Go to your territorial parish, make friends in every generation from the 90 year old who moves at 1mph with a cane to the baby urping on someone's shoulder. Pray for people and ask them to pray for you. Learn some people's names even if their name is literally Karen (what luck, it will be easy to remember). God will make it worth your while somehow. I don't know how because he likes to surprise people. Generational stratification, to the extent that it is a species of division, is potentially a tool of the enemy.
I think bringing back the Sabbath at scale, through parishes, would make a big, big difference.
How so?
Well, one idea I’ve had is a rotating Friday night dinner. Specifically, a Sabbath. All the interested families would sign up and take turns hosting two other families. A night for prayer, sharing a meal, and for kids to play. The church can guide the prayer through a publication we follow. Just a thought.
That’s cool, family is the foundation of the parish