Young Adult Catholics

This weekend I asked this question to the teenagers in the confirmation group I am currently co-leading.  I can’t say that anyone ever asked me this when I was in junior high, but I always sort of wished they did.  The small group of students had barely responded to any of my other questions, but when I asked this, their immediate response was “no.”  I laughed a little and said, “Yeah, sometimes it’s kind of boring, right?  And it’s not that much fun to get up early in the morning for something that can be boring.”  Their wide-eyed expressions told me that few adults (let alone their religious education teachers) had ever admitted this to them.

My point in responding so honestly to these young adolescents who so often feel that Mass is “something your parents make you do” was definitely not to turn them away from the Church.  However, I wanted them to know that it’s okay to not always feel one hundred percent connected to what’s happening during Mass.  I wanted them to trust me because I could be honest with them and respect their feelings.  And I think it worked out as I’d hoped.  I didn’t let the conversation turn into a complaining session, but I did want their feelings to be honored.  When the conversation moved away from dislike of Mass to why we should go to Mass, the students answered in a much more profound way than they would have before this conversation.  One student, who had refused to even look me in the eye just a few minutes before, told the group that going to Mass is like going to school.  It’s not always what you want to do, but in the end it’s good for you and it’s where you learn things.  Others talked about the importance of hearing the Word of God or being with the other people in the Church, but most importantly for me, they seemed genuine in their answers.

It’s incredible what a difference honest communication makes when we’re having conversations with each other about our faith and spirituality.  At thirteen years old, it’s so important to know that adults don’t have everything figured out–despite the fact that many religion or faith formation teachers might feel threatened by admitting that.

Kristy is in her first year of studies towards her Master of Divinity at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, CA.  She is a 2007 graduate of John Carroll University and recently spent a year and a half volunteering at the Casa Ursulina in Chillan, Chile.  Originally from the flat state of Ohio, Kristy is continually amazed (and tired) by the immense hills of California.