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Encouraging Religion with Social Action among the Millennials
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From the Pastor's Desk
Dear Fellow Parishioners:
Many eople say they hate meetings. When meetings are nothing more than people talking at one another in the midst of a power struggle, I agree that meetings are worse than a waste of time. When people are free to express themselves in an open, respectful and honest dialogue, then meetings can be incredibly enriching. Allow me to give you a few examples. At a recent meeting of the Social Action Coordinating Team, a member spoke about characteristics of the millennial generation (those born after 1980). The information she shared was both a challenge and hope. While millennials are not generally committed to organized religious issues, they are more conscious of and passionate about social justice issues. I see this as a huge challenge because younger Catholics have left the Catholic Church in astounding numbers. This is a serious issue for those of us who love our faith in Jesus Christ as it is expressed in the Catholic Church and wish our children and grandchildren would carry on the legacy. The hope I see in this information is their affinity for social justice. The Church has a rich body of teaching and practice of social justice. I am sorry to say that my own generation, while having a better reputation for going to church, does not have a particularly good track record in the area of social justice. Many of us "Yuppies" were much more focused on developing lucrative careers than developing opportunities to overcome systemic poverty.
So my big questions are: How can we tap into the sensitivity for social justice among the young people today? How can we help them make a connection between social justice and faith in Jesus Christ? How can the Church provide a forum for our young people to challenge many of the unjust systems we have put in place? I have more questions than I have answers but I am open to respectful and honest dialogue on the subject.
Your brother,
Fr. Kevin Carlin Kennedy