The Need for Meaning and Purpose

Anthony, a 21-year-old computer consultant said recently, "I believe the Church offers morals, values and beliefs. It puts life into perspective, helps in the journey and gives life meaning. The direction I’d like to see the Church take in the future is for the Church to become more modern and up-to-date. Particularly by understanding the youth and how they are different from other people, adapting to the way young people think and live and listening to what young people have to say."

There is no doubt about it; teenagers are a culture of their own. They have their own dress, language and many of their own social customs. They are hungry for meaning and purpose in their lives. However, teenagers are so often starved of healthy affection. Many of them feel lost, disconnected and isolated. This often reflects in many of our young people’s pursuits – drugs, alcohol, premarital sex and suicide.

As a Church we need to encourage the youth by reaching them at a young person’s level.

The Need for Connection and Belonging

Marcel Bormans is a youth leader for the Life Teen programme set up at the Cathedral in Hamilton, New Zealand, a programme that sees the Church packed for the Life Teen Masses and a solid group of thirty young people attend the Life Nights. Marcel says, "The young people are forming friendships with Catholics their own age which is a bonding they need and is based on one of the strongest elements any friendship could be based on – faith." Says Emma, "It gives you a sense of belonging because you get on really well with the youth and they make you feel you really belong."

According to Marcel, "The families of the young people are noticing changes in the youth attending Life Teen in such areas as discipline, attitude, faith and love for Christ."

The Need for Affirmation

Many of our young people are struggling with poor self-image, some even self-hatred. What’s more, there is a real fear of affirming others.

John Smulders, a youth leader says, "The Church needs to involve youth more in the Mass. The Mass is a little bit stagnant for youth. There needs to be a Mass focussed for the youth."

Marcel Bormans also holds this philosophy. "The Church is trying to bring more laity involvement but is a little slow with trusting the youth. It is not supporting our young people enough. It’s amazing what even a 12-year-old can do, given trust and responsibility.

One of the biggest ways we can affirm our young people is by spending time with them and placing our trust in their ability.

The Need for Holiness

Talking about youth sensing a need for holiness may come as a surprise when the word that most young people associate with church is boring! What they really mean by this is that church is often not relevant to them as youth.

Hearts Aflame, a New Zealand Catholic Summer School that invites theologians, religious and other learned members of the Catholic community to speak in a variety of seminar situations covering the broad spectrum of our Catholicism, aims at enriching our young people in knowledge of their faith.

James was in his mid-thirties when he first attended Hearts Aflame. "There were many questions of my faith that were never discussed when I was younger, and I believed Hearts Aflame would hold the key to many of these." From this experience he felt that he developed a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith.

According to Jamie Cox who was involved with the National Evangelisation Team in 1998 as part of a parish team on the Gold Coast, "The history and tradition of the Church on the surface can appear boring to the youth but at a deeper level is really beautiful. There is a lot of depth in the Catholic Church. It just hasn’t been explored for the youth of today and needs to be presented to young people in a way that is relevant."

As we move into the new millennium, let us make the resolution of continuing what we have begun in helping our young people to discover their vocation within the Church.

Philippa Winch