EWTN: Why the Catholic Church Has Failed to Reach Young People

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If Catholics want to truly engage with young people, we need to be bold, direct and truthful.

By Guest Writers, EWTN News, 10/14/19

When I was a young boy, a priest came to our parish. It was his first assignment, fresh out of the seminary as a newly ordained priest. This man was young, energetic and on fire for the faith.

Up until this point in my life, I had never experienced my Catholic faith as something to get excited about. Sure, my mom took us to Mass every day and we prayed the family Rosary every night, but as a 10-year-old boy, that was more akin to torture than enjoyment. This all changed when Fr. Meyer came to my parish.

Within a short time of being our associate pastor, Fr. Meyer started a biweekly praise and worship event in our parish. This event was specifically for high-schoolers. You weren’t allowed to come if you were too young or too old. Every other Wednesday, Fr. Meyer would hold exposition of the Blessed Sacrament for an hour while the high-schoolers sang praise and worship songs. Father would give a short talk in the middle and then afterward, all the kids would hang out and socialize in the church gathering area.

(I was allowed to go because my older sister did all the music and my dad ran all the audio, so I helped him out and was allowed to be included.) ….

Read more:  http://www.ncregister.com/blog/guest-blogger/why-the-catholic-church-has-failed-to-reach-young-people