As a member of the millennial generation I often reflect on the future of liturgy and religion among my generation. Here at Pray Tell and elsewhere on the blogosphere, countless words have been spilled on the topic of the future of religion, especially among the millennial generation. The picture that has been painted is often bleak.
One of the challenges facing religion among millennials appears to center around authenticity. My generation is critical of established institutions, and an institution rapidly loses a great deal of authority and respect when it appears to be inauthentic. It is Pope Francis’ authenticity that has captured the hearts of my generation.
Living in Belgium for the past year, I have seen what can happen to the Church when society no longer sees it as authentic. The Church in Belgium appears to be taking its last gasp of breath, or at least so I thought before attending the Easter Vigil at the cathedral in Antwerp.
As I was sitting during the readings at the Easter Vigil, I was astonished to find that the church was rather full, and the majority of the chairs were occupied by many young men and women who came to Mass together in groups. For me, it was a sign of hope for the Church in Belgium and in the West more generally. The liturgy was wonderful and the cathedral was filled with youthfulness and joy. As I left the cathedral I told a friend how wonderful it was to see so many young people choose to come to the Easter Vigil. He attributed it to the personality of Bishop Johan Bonny. Bishop Bonny is like the Pope Francis of Belgium, and through his openness and willingness to engage the messiness of the modern world, he is viewed as being humble and authentic. His authenticity has lent an air of relevance to the Church in Belgium.
Coming on the heels of my experience at the Easter Vigil, a friend sent me an email highlighting a new resource for catechizing teens on the beauty and importance of the Mass. Ascension Press has created a new resource called “Altaration: The Mystery of the Mass Revealed.” While the content appears to be rather traditional, the delivery seems to utilize an evangelical style. The trailer for this new resource can be found below.
The clip is an interesting contrast to my experience at the Easter Vigil with Bishop Bonny. However, despite their difference in style and even content, both the Easter Vigil with Bishop Bonny and Ascension Press’ new resource “Altaration” seem to be cutting to the heart of the problem: a perceived lack of authenticity in the Church today, especially among millennials. Only when the Church responds to the concerns of the modern world will it be perceived as authentic.
Reflecting on the trailer for “Altaration” I began to wonder: how should we be catechizing the millennial generation? How do we make the Church more authentic and then convey that authenticity to a generation that seems to have an allergic reaction to the Church? Perhaps adopting a more evangelical style of delivery along the lines of “Altaration” is all that is needed. However, I think it will take more than just a change in the Church’s delivery of its message to make my generation see the Church as authentic. This has been confirmed by my experience of listening to the faithful in Belgium talk about how important Bishop Bonny’s message of inclusivity has been for preserving the relevance of the Church in Belgium.
The Church today is being confronted by the millennial generation, and they are demanding that the Church prove its relevance in the modern world. To do that, all millennials, traditional and progressive alike, are demanding authenticity from the Church in its message, in its clergy, and in its engagement with the modern world. However, how each millennial defines authenticity in regard to the Church’s message, clergy, and engagement with the modern world varies greatly between traditional and progressive millennials.
Having reflected on the contrast between the Easter Vigil with Bishop Bonny and Ascension Press’ new resource “Altaration,” I am left with a few questions for our readers:
Does your experience with millennials resonate with my experience? How are you in your ministry working to overcome the Church’s perceived lack of authenticity among millennials? What tools, like “Altaration,” do you find helpful in ministering to millennials? What concrete steps can the Church take to become more authentic today?
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