Young Catholics Forge Own Path in Church

[Nerthus]

Young Catholics Forge Own Path in Church

Their views don't necessarily coincide with the pope's

A lot of young Catholics find Rome out of touch with their world. Many of the young pilgrims in Cologne this week have found new ways of living their religion, which sometimes involve ignoring official church doctrine.

Full article

[Milesian]

Sorry BM, I can't really be bothered going through the bog-standard liberal article so I'll just address the first few points which are sufficient

A lot of young Catholics find Rome out of touch with their world.

Well, looking at the state of the world today I would have to conclude that it is probably something in Rome's favour.

Rome is out of touch? Boo-hoo!
If they don't like it then they can decide what is more important to them then. Faith or Fashion.
What's so complicated? Why drag the Church & everyone else down with them?
If they don't like it, then they know what to do.

Many of the young pilgrims in Cologne this week have found new ways of living their religion, which sometimes involve ignoring official church doctrine.

That's like saying - "Young Pro-Life campaigners have found a new way to be Pro-Life....by being in favour of abortion" or "Anti-Immigration parties have found a new way to be Anti-Immigration - by ignoring immigration!"

It doesn't make sense. If they are ignoring Catholicism, then they aren't living it. These people are what are known as Cafeteria Catholics. That is they pick and choose the bits they like, the bits they find appealing or convenient, and then they discard the rest. Actually, that is being too kind because it still applies the name "Catholic" to them when there doesn't appear to be much reason to do so.

As St Teresa said, the Faith is integral and to reject even one small part of it is to reject it in it's entirety. Thus it is basically a mistake to call them Catholics if they aren't going to bother with large chunks of it. They basically just like wearing the name. And it is in the interest of liberal organs of press and media to call them "Catholics" because it mounts pressure on the Church by saying - "Look, your own people are calling for change!"

But why should the Church change to suit them? What, in St Augustine's terms, does the City of God have to do with the City of Man? What apology does Christ owe the world?

" For what participation hath justice with injustice? Or what fellowship hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial?" 2 Corinth. 6:14-15

Amen brothers and sisters

[Nerthus]

Katja Jarc knows fewer younger people are going to church. The 18-year-old Slovenian can see it every Sunday when she single-handedly brings down parish's average age.

"Nearly everyone is at least 60 years old," she said. "It's hard to find anyone my age there."

Finding more young people interested in religion is one of the reasons Jarc decided to attend the World Youth Day event in Cologne.

I've always wondered... why is it so important to find people one's age when going to Church? Aren't people supposed to go to Church to listen and pray? What does it matter if one is surrounded by hundreds of old people or by no one at all...
Also, why is it so important to find people one's age when speaking of religion in general? Religion is supposed to be something individually felt as well. If someone is true to his religion and to his faith, that someone will stay true to it regardless if he is the very last one left, no?

[Milesian]

Originally Posted by Aeternitas

I've always wondered... why is it so important to find people one's age when going to Church? Aren't people supposed to go to Church to listen and pray? What does it matter if one is surrounded by hundreds of old people or by no one at all...

The infamous "Spirit of Vatican II" is partly to blame for this.
The Mass was transformed for several reasons. One of them was to give the people a feeling that they are participating more in what is going on.
Of course, that is not the point of it at all.

So rather than seeing going to Church as being about piety, reflection and worship, people now treat going to Church as form of entertainment and a social gathering. Hence we have charismatic priests doing all the "Call me Jim", giving it all the "trendy talk", encouraging the faithful to act more like an audience. "Hey, would anyone like to come up on the stage...I mean, um, altar?!".
We also have parochial councils, bingo, raffles, day-trips, etc.

The whole point of the Mass has pretty much become redunant and plays second-fiddle to these events which people find much more important.

Also, why is it so important to find people one's age when speaking of religion in general? Religion is supposed to be something individually felt as well. If someone is true to his religion and to his faith, that someone will stay true to it regardless if he is the very last one left, no?

Oh nice. Your last sentence is reminiscent of that great Doctor of the Church, St Athanasius. Maybe there is a potential saint there, struggling to get out

Seriously, these people do not have much of a commitment at all to their faith. If they did, they wouldn't openly ignore what their faith teaches and requires of them as if it weren't really important.

It seems to me that what is important for them is to be seen as Catholics rather than actually being Catholics. For all their attendences at "World Youth Day's" or whatever, their faith is superficial and all about being seen.

"And when ye pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, that love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men: Amen I say to you, they have received their reward" Matt. 6:5

[Perun]

Young people are not going to church......cant blame them really. The watered down mass which lacks any real aesthetic quality and the sermons which are more effective than sleeping pills(usually about the eucharist; yes we know it's the body and blood of Christ, can we move onto something else for a change?).

Ive already made my views clear about the degenerate state the clergy is in these days, and it's my opinion that the life force of the faith has switched to the laity. Oh well, the laity is usually far more creative in its traditionalism than the clergy anyways.

[Milesian]

Perhaps we should turn over the Mass to Opus Dei members and dismiss the clergy?

[Perun]

At least Opus Dei would give sermons that would have relevance to the parishoners.

[Ederico]

I would like to say that I prefer going to Church when it is empty or attended by a few people. Masses at Church only increase the distraction, when I'm at mass I like to meditate.

I might start going to mass/church every day. I have a Basilica a few metres away from house. Here are some pictures:

Exterior:
http://www.june29th.com/photogallery/bazilkachurch.htm

Interior:
http://www.june29th.com/photogallery/knisja.htm

When I start University I will be residing at Valletta, plenty of Churches there. Too bad that the Archbishop of Malta does not allow the Tridentine Mass and due to that it is not done in Malta. I'll have to settle for Novus Ordo.


P.S. My avatar is a picture from the Basilica nearby.