Diocesan Youth Chaplain, Fr Paul Farrer, has written an article on the the effects of economic downturn for the young people in our own Diocese
Credit researchers Experian report that Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough and Hull all make the top 10 places hardest hit by the economic downturn. They predict 10 years of hurt.
Our young people are going to suffer.
The work of the MYMission Team is simple evangelisation – that ‘trumpet blast’ of the Good News – young people are created by God and he loves them.
Behind that comes a challenge to find dignity and self worth in a life well lived, at the service of others, in relationship with Jesus Christ and the Church.
Seeing the young people we work with take up that challenge is the only evidence they heard the first part at all.
It is troublesome to stand before young people speaking of dignity and self worth when there is so little hope for them. Our ‘twenty somethings’ are not going to get a fair crack of the whip in the employment market. Nobody wants them.
The birth rate is in decline, Baptism rate is falling, there is a ‘missing generation’ absent from the pews. 35-45 year olds who have walked away.
However, the younger generation is Hungry for God. They are quick to build the Good News into their lives. They live their faith out loud, they are confident, standing by what they believe in the face of hostility. They give me hope for the future of the Church, but what hope for them? What of their dreams and aspirations?
It is time for us, the 40-70 year olds to be evangelised. Rediscover Catholic social teaching, rediscover what the Church is for, after all, we hold the reigns. Our young people don’t have time to wait as we form commissions or write reports. They need us to be in solidarity with them now.
The Church will only help to raise aspirations and give hope to young people if we engage with them and help them in our schools and parishes. The help they require is life changing for all: we can’t leave it to someone else, it will challenge and change us as much as the young people we help.
Where should we look to for advice? Look to the young people of the Church. They have a fierce sense of justice, an innate ability to truly be the Church in action. They are at their best when at the service of others.
We have much to learn from them. Their spirit is not a spirit of timidity. We would do well to imitate it. The MYMission Team asks young people to change the world one person at a time. It may sound pithy but choose one. Think of one young person whose aspirations hang by a thread through no fault of their own. Can you help them?
If that person is lucky, you may be in business and have a job for them. In your parish there is enough experience to form a group to help young people with CVs and applications. You could build up a small network who may use their own skills, experience, contacts and working life for the common good. This is the Church in action.
Prayerful support too is crucial. It sets our efforts apart. We adopt young prayer partners in our parishes as they prepare to celebrate their First Holy Communion or Confirmation. Adopt a prayer partner now and remember them before God everyday.
Prayer allied with action is a powerful catalyst for change, as the Holy Father said in 2010, “Each of us has a mission, each of us is called to change the world, to work for a culture of life, a culture forged by love and respect for the dignity of each human person.”
Father Paul Farrer