The next generation of Catholic leaders

"...the next generation seems well-equipped to steer a middle course, embracing a robust sense of Catholic identity without carrying a chip on their shoulder."

Hope you are right about this because it certainly is not true of the ones I've come across and the RCC needs moderates who listen more than ever.

Great piece, John, and I hope you got all their names and contact details: write a follow-up piece in 2 years time and let's see how many of these people (who make up less than one percent of the baptized: the other 99 plus per cent, amazingly, not having paid to hear you!!!) could care less what happens in the church . . . last one out, turn off the lights!

What a beautiful testimony! These young people a right on: in their love for and devotion to the Church, and in their rejection of the anger they see in to many Catholics of both Left and Right. At his Inaugural Mass as Pope in April 2005 Benedict said three times over, "The Church is young!" Holy Father, you were right!

Amen to that Amen. It's observations like yours, John, that led me to write Seeds of Hope: Young Adults and the Catholic Church in the United States (Paulist, 2008). I've found it hard to gain traction with observations like the ones you make here; many older Catholics feel either threatened or bewildered by young folks' desire for a robust devotional life coupled with a critically conscious understanding of tough moral issues. Many academics (with significant exceptions, of course) are entrenched in a post-Humanae Vitae "us versus the Vatican" posture that younger folks have never grasped. Many parishes have the inertia of needing to stretch the pastoral staff over demands for mass, funerals, religious education, and the occasional wedding that they can't even begin to think strategically five or ten years out. Many books on spirituality assume a grammar of faith that the young failed to learn. This perfect storm leaves young folks starving for sanctuary from a fractured world, cleaving to (perceived) sources of meaning, desperate for authentic community with those who can help them serve others. How I wish we could give careful thought to how we might coach young people in becoming passionate and intelligent Christians. Maybe Cardinal George and Charles Taylor can help: http://www.crvp.org/.

Mr. Allen, your comments here all sound so level-headed. There is no possible way, however, that you could have or would have made them just as short time ago. You are making kind concessions to traditional Catholics for one reason and one reason alone: you have to, as you would otherwise be irrational, ignorant or uninformed. Amen to that, brother!

Good observations, Mr. Allen. You are not only seemingly ubiquitous, but also fair-minded.

The ever perspicacious Mr. Allen opines: "At least in my experience, blogs call to mind what Homer Simpson once said about who watches cable access TV at three in the morning: "Alcoholics, the unemployed, angry loners …" The vox populi, in other words, it ain't."

I guess I must currently come under category three, but the anger in these comments makes my own feel less lonely, this noisome community which challenges me to live with greater fidelity and understanding and charity our Faith in Jesus Christ, calling to continuous conversion by this harsh voice of the people, seasoned and tempered with the occasional sweet and welcome drop of joy.

People who self-select going to "a pastoral ministry conference?"

Vox populi it ain't.

John, now, now, Texas is a WONDERFUL state and all good comes out of it! :) A fan and an adopted Texan.

The Young Adult ministry at the parish in which I serve is vibrant and growing - currently about 140 members in total with a core of 30 or so (a common structure among working 20 and 30 somethings - very fluid). Your article matches my sense of the group. They are centered on Spirituality, Service and Social. No one aspect defines them. They are theologically appreciative of tradition; they are socially somewhat progressive in seeking change based on Gospel values. There is no single litmus test. It does seem to me that as a group, they are more concerned with integrating the one life they have with all senses of what it means to be Catholic, rather than having segmented lives, parts of which are very Catholic and parts of which are largely secular. "let the next generation be itself" - Amen. They are becoming who God wants them to be through Christ and in the Spirit.

John,
I too want desperately to move beyond the polarization of the last few years, as you and the young people you write about seem to. But sadly, mainstream Church structure in the person of the Pope and the Curia, not just a few arch-conservative bishops, appears to be taking us back to earlier formulations on the authority of the clergy, on the role of women, and on the role of the laity.
You don't tell us about the young people's attitudes towards these three fundamental issues facing Catholicism. To me, hope depends upon the willingness of the faithful, including that next generation, to live out new understandings of these three foundational issues whatever the actions of the institutional Church. Whether they find more identity and meaning in traditional devotions is among the least important questions.
Kirk Hanson

Dear Mr. Allen,

Thank you for this! You often seem to be the only touch of a sensible reality in much of the Catholic Press and I think Jesus would clearly understand this story. I am confident this approach would finally get us out of our ruts, both of them not just one rut. I like to think of them like ruts created by wagon wheels in the mud. No matter how you turn the wagon the ruts never converge. And we do have to get our act together if we expect to stave off the onslaughts of secularism, hedonism and all those other "isms" that see Catholocism as their mortal enemy!

RLM

Excellent, encouraging article!

Dear John,

While you're right to note that it's true for many of them, one hole in your argument comes from presuming all of this generation's "best and brightest" are its *conservative-minded* "young priests, religious and lay activists." Truly making sure that "the best and brightest of today's young Catholics aren't prematurely sucked into the older generation's debates" means both not sucking in the *conservative-minded* "either by liberals who fear and resent them, or by conservatives eager to enroll them as foot soldiers in their private crusades" and also means making sure the *liberal-minded* who are among this generation's best and brightest aren't sucked into the older generation's debates -- either by *conservatives* who fear and resent them, or by *liberals* eager to enroll them as foot soldiers in their private crusades.

"Why would I want to join a bunch of people who seem bummed out about the church?" one asked. "What's the attraction in that?"

That's really the point!

Thank you

Amen, indeed.

Not only was i born after the pre-Vatican II mess, i was born after the post-Vatican II mess. But for the last 10-15 years of my adult life, it seems like i keep hearing about battles that have longs since been fought and decided. The first time i heard a Taliban-type Catholic railing against the Spirit of Vatican II, i had no idea what he was talking about - other than the obvious Spirit of Vatican II, ie, the Holy Spirit.

Similarly, the person who walked into a JustFaith meeting and said, "I might not belong here, I'm a Republican". Huh? First, hard to imagine being comfortable as either Republican or Democrat and a Catholic at the same time. Second, who cares? The Church's Social Teaching is for all Catholics, not just the liberals, and it includes the whole range of Pro-Life issues, from abortion to death penalty - your political preference should always be secondary to our unity in the faith, not informing your faith!

Constantly, it feels that by not "picking a side" i am lumped with the other. On the east coast, I'm a raging liberal. Out west, I'm a stick-in-the-mud conservative. I remind fellow pro-lifer's that there's more to the seamless garment of life than abortion, and I'm labeled pro-choice! I confess to admiring Pope Ratzinger as an ecclesiologist and theologian, and fellow reformers think I'm nuts.

Ah well. Thanks for addressing the issue!

Dear John: The way the young people you met with avoided taking sides is more a reflection of their a-political stance, rather than a desire to establish their own way. Taking a political stance takes energy, risk, and effort. Our young are flaccid and weak about political involvement. They are very self-centered and me-only. This is the I-pod generation. Unless they are drafted they will never start thinking about politics. It's too much work. This is no surprise since their catechesis was usually touchy-feeling subjectivist hooey. Social justice was usually presented to them as a required school project--fodder for good grades rather than involvement for its own sake. An earlier generation (or one yet to be born) may have found in their baptism a clarion call to involvement, activism, and sacrifice. This attitude may have to skip a generation.

The analogy of bloggers to "Alcoholics, the unemployed, angry loners …" is too harsh, and too general, even if it might contain some semblance to the reality.

--Submitted by someone who is not a blogger!

Wonderful article, as a 20-something Catholic, I often feel this pressure to be divisive on issues in the lines which I did not create. It's good to see the sentiment of the people on this issue, the next step which is coming and will continue to come, is to engage the intellectual tradition with this new insight. It is exciting because are plenty of ways to engage this growth, and it will be exciting to read, write and hopefully someday teach in this manner. (My personal opinion is the phenomenology and the study of metaphysics can actually bridge this gap for many various reasons.)
I will say one thing you can learn from the blogosphere is where the lines are, and this is important as well in order to engage the debate on Church politics. If the new generation is going to engage the older generation it will need knowledge of the problems of the older generations but also insight into dealing with new problems which may arise. In all these things, faith and knowledge is key.
Thank you for a good article,

Peace,
Afitz211

Interesting statement by John Allen but its real value is that it is but one element in a larger scenario of youth and within the general Catholic population.

To conclude a profile of young catholics who attend a speaking engangement might have some value in assessing the perceived mind set of the speaker but has no value beyond the particular audience. Those who attend are "interested" and of a mindset of the speaker. Unless they were there to protest, which is not the case. This mindset might reflect future leadership, but it is surely of a significantly diminished population to lead.

My guess, and that is also from very limited data is that the vast majority of youth are utterly disinterested. When when pressed for the "why" the responses would, I suggest, reflect the growing number of olders - distaste for much of the representation of church in its rhetoric, but without the emotion.

I would have to agree with Mr. Allen's observations based on my personal observations. Those he calls "Taliban Catholics" I have come across in the Catholic Answers forum and can be very difficult to discuss anything with. I have yet to come across anyone in real life who thinks to that degree in anyone under 35. The more "traditional" ones have always been a mixed bag and like Allen says, fall somewhere in the middle. While they like more traditional liturgy (some English, some Latin), they can be quite liberal on other matters but no matter what they are accepting of differences between age peers who may be more liberal on other Church members and still accept the whole person, find the good parts, and not nitpick every little thing.

While some will take sides, the 80%+ of the moderates in the upcoming youth will fall somewhere in between and surprise both sides fighting it out right now. Yet in the end they will fall on average into a more modern interpretation as the next generations move forward. While some shades of a traditional liturgy will return, there will also be more real, positive engagement with the outside world and not living in fear of it. It will be their way of making the world better with meaningful recharge sessions (mass) once a week (or even daily for some).

Taliban Catholicism is equally on the left and right.

What I have observed with the new generation of priests is a sunny optimism when preaching the Gospel or discussing doctrine.

This report helps rekindle hope, John.

In my 20 or so years of being somewhat associated with Contemplative Outreach, I have met a large number of young people who are very tuned in to faith, issues, and spirituality. And, as you point out, John, they see Jesus, the church and the issues, as Henri Nouwen might suggest, through lenses colored differently than the generation of Catholics spawning the controversies. They are less likely to take sides or condemn points of view other than their own.

I have some hope.

Aldus

great article- the young priest in my parish has hope for the young as i have. we need to be kinder to each other
and not always criticize. so i say Amen to.

Which is why we need to employ a Hercules to perform the 5th Labor and divert the Potomac through the USCC stable and then start over without a civilian staff.

This came out of Texas, wow, I'm almost jumping up and down. The Texas I adopted years ago was not like this. I disagree with anyone that says these young Texans will fall into the rut, NO, these young Texans are so hungry for something real they will be terrific Catholics. Our young priest is proof of this, also the people that love him.
I am an older Catholic that was condemned by some of my fellow Catholics for voting for abortion (Obama). How silly, how stupid. No worry that these young people want some of the old practises back, they simply want a little solid ground to build on, they have seen enough of what can happen with leaders that will not bend and are completely oblivious to their people.
Thank you, John Allen, for coming to Texas. Amen, Amen.

I am a mid twenties, member of a religious community, in simple vows for a couple years. I am in my second year of theology at a theology school sometimes described as liberal or moderate. My formation has required me to move to various locations, and I am mostly familiar with the Midwest and Southern California. I have had the opportunity to meet and work with Young Adult Catholics throughout the Country from various backgrounds, ethnically, internationally, culturally, politically. I have found that there is a lot in common with what you speak on Mr. John Allen, and I appreciate your honesty over the issue. There are a variety of interests in the devotional life and social justice advocacy that we just ABSOLUTELY DO NOT view as polarities. And I do not speak from my experience with one group of Young Adults, but in groups of young adults from all these backgrounds.
When I was progressing through my formation program I was introduced into this debate that seems to have been going on since Vatican II of perhaps my parents generation. I have had the opportunity to listen sympathetically to the struggles of some of the older folks in their experience before Vatican II, afterwards and of the Church today. It is like they have been defining issues for us, and sometimes I feel as if they want us to chose a side, as if my view of the Church today could be so black and white.
Even if some older women and men have a vision of the Church in the future, that they do not see being taken on by their predecessors, they sometimes neglect to understand us, and label and criticize us. Insofar as they can urge us to not return to the pre-VII church, I welcome their dialogue, and I think that sort of discussion needs to continue, to learn from the past. But the imbalanced life of spirituality I have felt in the consumeristic, materialistic, superficial secular world of bling bling music videos, useless new gadgets in time for XMas, High School Condom drives, and other peer pressures that just cannot answer our what our restless hearts have been truly made for... well just will not give our hearts rest.

Dear John,

When I was in my 20' and 30's I rarely questioned the Church. I also liked Marian Devotions, Novenas, Litanies, etc. Now,I prefer being still and quiet resting in the presence of the mystery of God. It would be interesting to hear from these young Catholics 20 years from now.

Anathema Sit! I'm not in favor of that judgement but I've lived through it thru the study of 20 ecumenical councils and it seems not excessive that a liberal like myself invoke it at least once.

Youth of today are the reckage of a church that turned its back on the only pastoral ecumenical council in history and on the only holy pope since Gregory the Great. That there is any split between the right to life issue in its usual context of abortion and the justice issues of war, health reform, and the abolition of the rule of clerical celibacy and women priests is a purely political position, not at all scriptural or theolgical. I think Jesus would oppose clerical celibacy and sex discrimination as vehemently as he opposed the hypocricy of the scribes and saducees. To oppose reform of a health care system that would save 123 lives a day is as hypocritical as the Good Samaritan might have been had he told the innkeeper to keep the victim of robber's care under budget so he could keep on killing his enemies in the two wars he had going on.

The next generation Catholics will likely fare no better in being faithful Catholics than the older generations of Catholics if they insist on relentlessly identifying their opinions with the truth (George Weigel cited in the Allen's article is a good example of this); are inveterately bitter, indignant, aggrieved, offended, resentful, faultfinding, complaining, and defensive; believe themselves and those in Church leadership positions to be the sole possessors of the truth and that every articulation of an opinion should be identified with the truth revealed by God; etc. Good luck to the "next generation." In other words, may your egos be curbed, be given a rest; may you be less full of yourself, so you can one day say with Saint Paul, "It is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me." May you manifest the love of God for all more persuasively than those of us who have gone before you in trying to live the faith.

I don't think John Allen's perceptions of young Catholics would be the same in different regions of the United States. This is Texas he is writing about. Young Catholics in Northern California have a completely different take on the present state of Catholicism. They do see a right wing takeover of the hierarchy both in Rome and locally. They feel outrage over this. They feel women should be ordained to all levels of power including but ESPECIALLY as Bishop of Rome. They see the official Church current teaching of human sexuality as centuries behind reality. In short, John Allen paints a very inaccurate read on young Catholics. I have observed that John Allen is enamored by the material wealth and power of Rome (the hierarchy) and it shows up in many ways in his writing. He admires the "theatre of power" and this disqualifies his journalism in many instances.

Another Thank you Mr Allen on a topic that needs a voice heard, following the footsteps of the late Great John Paul II. As a Senior member I was pleased to read you observation of encouragement to the laity. My observation of the many many distractions this generation faces that I did not have to overcome is a sign to me the Holy Spirit is alive and working in the world.Blessed be God forever.

This is a wonderful discussion. I am reminded of a NCR article written by Tom Roberts back in July or August of this year titled "The church will submerge before any emergence," based on the writer's discussion with Fr. Donald Cozzens of the Cleveland, Ohio Catholic Diocese. In the article, Fr. Cozzens states "what's happening now, what's emerging right now, if it's a movement of integrity and wholeness, then I hope we're going to have a new respect for the freedom of the Holy Spirit to give charisms of leadership in ministry where the Spirit wills." He goes on, "As I say that, I'm afraid I'm a little nervous that I am being too optimistic here. It could be a generation or two of real darkness before something happens." Fr. Cozzens also, in the same article, quotes theologian Karl Rahner as saying, "The Christian of the 21st century will be a mystic or not at all, a contemplative or not at all." What a wonderful thought! So maybe we shouldn't worry so much about what side of the divide we stand on, but to see it all as parts of a whole that will lead us to this new contemplative, mystic Church. Whatever we have - and had - to go through to get there, seems worth it to me.

As a latino I can see the hispanic seminarian being a Moron who nobody accepts in the normal way. Usually these kind of guys are always attracted to the Mental Institution that we call Church. Most of the young hispanics and non hispanics don't care about the Church at all. Only a few conservatives are joining the structures, because they are totally afraid of dealing with their sexual reality . So , the Cathoic Church becomes a good refugee center for them. It is obvious, that they have to be conservative, which is a clear sign of the ENd of Catholicism and Christianity in the West. Specially in Europe. I am real and honest and won't believe the typical manipulation of the Catholic church. They use their Mamas(Mothers) orientation which is to join the mental hospital(Catholic church) for their Homosexual tendencies. Is like giving an Alcholic person wine for his -her problem. It will never get him/her out of their sickness. Religious Addiction is more of the same. And the new generations prefer to smoke Marihuana rather than going to the addiction of religions and fundamentalism. The Internet is their new Church and life. WHich tells them not to believe in religions anymore. And believe me this is the Real Truth. So, conservative mama's boys, grow up and get a real life. The Church is Over for most of the new generations.

To fellow readers:

Mr. Allen is a most intelligent man and, one might add, a most shrewd one. He fully understands that the average reader will lack the education and a sufficient level of sophistication to realize the mendacious nature of his characterization of conservative Catholics as being adherents of "Taliban Catholicism." He further realizes that the average reader (and Catholic) will only hear and remember the sinister sounding catchword and "learn" to associate it with those with whom Mr. Allen disagrees.

For the benefit of those not well versed in such matters (as I have no doubt Mr. Allen is), the Taliban is a collection of Islamic dissidents who have derived from the Koran a radically fundamentalist interpretation of their faith which challenges the validity of mainstream Islamic thought and denominations. They castigate the mainstream faith as "having it all wrong" and being unfaithful to the faith's founder's principles. The analogous situation to this within historical Catholicism would be represented by Martin Luther and subsequent Protestant "reformers" who dissented more radically than had he.

Conservative Catholics, on the other hand, do not dissent from mainstream Catholicism on scriptural grounds at all, nor do they contest the validity of any Catholic dogma. On the contrary, they staunchly adhere to it and, as a result, are derided by people like Mr. Allen for their having the unmitigated audacity to expect the leadership within the Church to actually *act* as if they believe their own doctrines and rhetoric.

Without a doubt, the most divisive issue within the Church today is abortion. In 1930, in his encyclical *On Christian Marriage*, Pope Pius XI unequivocally equates abortion to murder and the teaching was reaffirmed by Paul VI. The problem with the abortion issue is that it is indeed one of those black and white issues. Abortion is murder or it is not. Quite simply, there is no third alternative such as: "Well, it's sort of murder;" or "It's murder, but not really."

If the Church declares abortion to be murder, then Her leadership must act like they believe it and so must the laity. If one cannot accept the tenets of the Church, then one should have the integrity to leave as at least Luther had had. For those who lack such integrity, then the Church is obligated to make that decision for him or her in the hope that he or she will reflect and later return with contrition and thus save his or her soul which, in case one forgets in the mania to achieve "social justice," is the primary mission of the Church.

In regard to others blessed with intelligence quotients comparable to that of Mr. Allen's, those who agree with his seeming "look the other way" approach to the blatant hypocrisy (such as we recently witnessed at Notre Dame and in Boston) that so characterizes the Church's leadership's actions versus their words will doubtlessly give him a wink and a nod and a pat on the back, while those who see through such sophistry will call him on it.

Allen's cheap shot at some very sincere, thoughtful, individuals puts the spotlight on his own journalistic credibility, and how it may in fact be compromised.

"(By the way, hitting the road is really the only way to gauge that, as opposed to trawling through the blogosphere. At least in my experience, blogs call to mind what Homer Simpson once said about who watches cable access TV at three in the morning: "Alcoholics, the unemployed, angry loners …" The vox populi, in other words, it ain't.)"

True, these folks don't have the luxury of hobnobbing with the ruling elite of the Church. But for the richly expense-accounted Mr. Allen to cast aspersions on his fellow journalists is elitist at best and unprofessional at worst.

At least the bloggers' objectivity can't be thought to be compromised by the need to cultivate ongoing relationships with bishops and cardinals---- the latter won't give these unvarnished truth-tellers the time of day.

John Allen, you owe the sincere bloggers of the world a sincere apology.