Catechesis Plus Evangelization: Turning Young Hearts to Christ

The 2014 Religious Landscape Study by Pew Research revealed some discouraging data about millennials. If the numbers are accurate, many young adults are choosing to reject the Catholic Faith as a relevant, viable alternative for their lives.

One of the problems that the Church faces is the prevailing notion that when we catechize we are also evangelizing our youth.

In many corners of our Catholic community, catechesis and evangelization are treated as synonymous. They are NOT. Catechesis is the process of handing on the articles and teachings of the Catholic Faith. Evangelization involves introducing the individual to the Person of Jesus Christ, inviting him or her to personally receive the gift of salvation available through Him. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has stated “the evangelization of the person and of human communities depends totally on this encounter with Jesus Christ."

As long as we continue to catechize exclusively, assuming that this “half measure” is the only task necessary to call our youth to faith, we will continue to have unspectacular results.

Ministry to youth is challenging work. In an effort to quantify results we track our progress with checklists. Have we discussed the Seven Sacraments? How about the Divinity of Christ? The Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy? Handed the many and varied components of the Catholic Faith, our young people are often missing the most crucial piece: personal conversion to Jesus Christ.

Imagine that a rich and eccentric uncle has written to promise your teen a brand new Porsche as a gift for a strong academic performance this year. Several days later you return from the grocery store to find your front yard littered with huge boxes containing the disassembled parts of a new Porsche! You and your high school or college student are left with the daunting task of putting all these pieces together, and you might never even get to drive the car!

When we give our young people catechesis without evangelizing them, we are giving them the equipment’ of the faith but neglecting the guiding principle: Christ Himself. As beautiful and coherent as our faith is, Catholicism comes alive only within the context of a vital and powerful encounter with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Without Him, even the most stunning truths and miracles sound tinny and empty to their ears. Why? Because they have not been personally touched by the reality of the Living God.

What then should our response be? Do we abandon all programs of catechesis and exchange them for socials and small group discussions? NO. Sound catechesis is ESSENTIAL to living out a mature Christian/Catholic faith and provides a body of knowledge which forms and informs the follower of Christ to hear His voice clearly even in the midst of the complex world we live in.

We must ask ourselves, “How can we help to create moments where our youth can personally encounter Christ and hear the Gospel message proclaimed in a way they can receive?”

The good news is that we already have wonderful organizations that are truly Catholic, skilled in the evangelization of our youth, and are available to serve. The National Evangelization Team (NET) has evangelized 1.7 million young Catholics since its founding in 1981. Catholic college age students take a year to travel the country sharing their love for Christ with other Catholic youth in retreats and summer camps. FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) was founded in 1998 by Curtis Martin to reach out to Catholic students on campus with the message of God’s love. Today they have 400 missionaries serving 100 campuses in 35 states. The Franciscan University of Steubenville hosts a multitude of conference events for teens and young adults each summer to draw young people to a deeper love for Christ.The Apostolate for Family Consecration offers wonderful ministry to youth and their families each summer during their Holy Family Fests, and they have a powerful outreach to teens, college students and young adults. These are just some of the solid Catholic youth ministries that exist in the Church today. These ministries deserve (and desperately need) our prayers and financial support. We must begin to aggressively engage and support these ministries and make them available for our youth in every parish and campus in the nation.

We are accountable for nourishing the faith of young Catholics. Evangelizing our youth is arguably the most pressing need in the Church today. One look at the shifts in church attendance in Europe over the past fifty years should explain why. Our attention, prayer, financial support, and budgets should reflect this priority if we want to turn young hearts around.