THIS YEAR'S SYNOD ON YOUTH: A FANCIFUL WASTE OF TIME AND RESOURCE

The Holy Father has directed that the Synod to be held in October of this year be focused upon young people and their role within the Church.

Pope Francis is keenly aware of the numbers of youth who have simply abandoned the Catholic Faith.

Many in positions of leadership and influence within the Church believe that the vast majority of young people who have fallen away from the practice of their faith will return when they marry and begin having families of their own.

The facts, however, tell a much different story.

According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate  (CARA), in 1990 there were 10 million people who referred to themselves as “former Catholics.” 

Last year, that number was more than 30 million. 

As for their returning to Catholic practice when they marry? 

There were 326,079 weddings in the church in 1990. In 2016, the number fell to just 145,916.

Hence, Pope Francis announced that the general assembly of the Synod of Bishops will focus on the topic “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.” Young people ages 16 to 29 have been invited to participate in an online survey in preparation for the bishops’ meeting in October 2018. More recently, Pope Francis has called for a pre-synod meeting of young people, to be held March 19 to 24 to hear firsthand their hopes and concerns.

One must wonder if such attention on the younger generation will have any practical effect upon their allegiance to and practice of the faith.

Pope St. John Paull II initiated World Youth Days.  Yet, despite the success of such events, parishes, high schools and colleges still struggle to successfully reach a wider audience among young people.  Many Church ministers are working to re-examine the church’s relationship to youth and young adults. 

According to a study from St. Mary’s Press and CARA, among those Catholics who choose to leave the church, 74 percent do so between the ages of 10 and 20. And 87 percent of them say that it is for good. 

Here’s the real problem, however.  Pope Francis and the Bishops apparently don’t see or are reluctant to admit that the Church has lost its youth because the Church has lost their parents.

The underlying reason for this crisis in the loss of faith among young people is the fact that the vast majority of young people these days come from broken homes and are affectively denied the guidance and supervision of their parents.  Many others are raised in families whose parents do not actively practice their Catholic faith and give little example which would inspire their children to embrace the wisdom and teachings of the Church.
Youth ministry must begin and end with ministry to parents.

Until the Church realizes this fundamental truth, all the Synods and World Youth Days are nothing other than gimmicks which can never replace the influence which the good example of parents who are devoted to and who actively celebrate their Catholic Faith has upon their children, the future generations of the Church.