CYM dissertation - Joe McKeown by Institute for Children, Youth and Mission

An apologetics for Youth Ministry by Joe McKeown

CYM Dissertation Showcase www.cym.ac.uk

Abstract Pope Benedict XVI in his introduction to the Youth Catechism (YouCat) said to young people: “You need to know what you believe. You need to know your faith with that same precision with which an IT specialist knows the inner workings of a computer.” Experiential and anecdotal evidence would suggest that young people don’t know their faith in this way and some disagree with Church teaching. Youth ministry is supposed to play a key role in evangelisation and catechesis but many young people involved are still indifferent to their faith, in belief and practice. This leads us to consider: is youth ministry working? There is a need to respond to the challenges of our time and to genuinely listen to young people who are a source of hope in the Church. What are their concerns and challenges of the faith for in an increasingly secular post-modern world? And ultimately, are youth ministers ready and equipped to engage in apologetics and give a reason for their hope and faith when young people call upon them? The study begins by setting the context of current Catholic youth ministry in Ireland and its development over the years. There is a particular emphasis on the Diocese of Down and Connor and input from Bishop Donal McKeown. We listen to key commentators who suggest that many young people are ‘poorly catechised’, ‘overly sacramentalised’ and ‘not evangelised’ and we consider the youth ministry response. We reflect on the lives of young people living in a rapidly changing post-modern Ireland and the impact this has on their lives. Finally, we consider the role of apologetics in tackling some of these challenges and determining the role of youth ministry.

In the next section, the research methodology is identified with an action research approach adopted. This is integral to the research and improves youth ministry practice as a result of this study and ensures that young people needs and apologetic concerns are responded to sufficiently. The quantitative and qualitative responses gathered give some indication of the significant impact and difference youth ministry is making in the lives of young people but also some gaps in provision and room for potential improvements. The proceeding chapter examines and acknowledges the impact of youth ministry on young people. It also highlights the disparity between young

people’s needs and priorities and that of the Catholic youth ministry, which raises many questions. The young people identify some of their apologetic concerns and the challenges they face in being Catholic in a post-modern, increasingly secular Northern Ireland. The growing problem of ‘a la carte’ Catholic’s is highlighted alongside the challenge of the Church being relevant in the lives of young people. We finish this chapter by asking the youth ministers to respond to ten apologetic concerns that young people have identified as pertinent. It is obvious from the outset that there is a lack of theological language or knowledge in their responses but their pastoral responses are admirable. Similarly to the researcher, the youth ministers felt a certain sense of inadequacy in their approach and the responses given. They also acknowledged that better training and support is needed and apologetics is a necessary component of youth ministry. Finally, we conclude by identifying key learning and recommendations from this research which will hopefully improve practice in Catholic youth ministry. The research has highlighted the necessity for apologetics in youth ministry and it has established that youth ministers need to be ready to give an explanation for the reason for their hope and faith, and to do so with humility and holiness.

Acknowledgements I dedicate this piece of research, to my grandparents and in particular, the Grandfather I never knew, Francis McKeown, who was killed in the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’ in July 1972. His death has in many ways given me life and helped me on a journey towards peace and reconciliation; and also encouraging me to try to make a difference in the world and better myself through education. And to my Godmother, Jacqueline Smyth, who is dearly missed, your memory lives on as we remember your life.  This research was made possible by the kind support and assistance of many people and to my employers, Youth Link:NI who allowed me to pursue this Masters in Apologetics and kindly given me time off to study. Thanks to the young people who so generously agreed to participate in the research. Thanks also to the youth ministers who kindly participated in the study and I applaud them for their hard work and dedication. Go Raibh Míle Maith Agat to Bishop Donal McKeown who is so generous with his time and enthusiastic about the potential of young people and youth ministry in the Irish Church. Thanks are also due to the staff and tutors at Maryvale who helped me along the way. I owe a particular gratitude to my tutor, Keith Chappell, for his astute insight, support and helpful encouragement. And to Very Rev. Canon John Redford, course director, for his assistance through the past 2½ years of study. He is a clever apologetic giant who follows in the footsteps of Blessed Cardinal Newman. I thank my fellow students for their faith, conversations and camaraderie during the study. A huge thank you also to Patrick Hayden for the craíc and his encouraging supportive phones call that kept me focused.

To Conclude, I thank all my family and friends for their support and encouragement and I am sorry for neglecting relationships during this time. I would like to thank my loving wife Paula for being patient and kind throughout the last few years. We have been on an amazing journey together and experienced the joy and suffering of Christ and I love you.

Blessed Chiara Luce Badano, Pray for us. Joseph Michael McKeown

July 2013

Contents

Page/s 4 5 6

Abstract Acknowledgements List of Diagrams Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 The Development of Catholic Youth Ministry in Ireland 2.2 Young People in Ireland 2.3 Apologetics in Youth Ministry in Ireland 2.4 Modernism and Youth Ministry 2.5 Apologetics and the New Evangelisation 2.6 Post-Modernism in Youth Ministry 2.7 Summary Chapter 3: 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8

Research Methodology A Qualitative Approach Reliability and Validity Action Research Sample Profile Questionnaires Focus Groups Semi-Structured interviews Ethical Consideration

Chapter 4: Presentation and analysis of findings 4.1 Catholic Youth Ministry 4.2 Challenges of Faith in Post-Modernism 4.3 Apologetics in Youth Ministry Chapter 5: Conclusion 5.1 Practical Recommendations 5.2 Furtherance of the Research Bibliography Appendices

Diagrams

Page 39

Bar chart indicating the age, gender and experience of young people involved in the research.

Page 41

Table indicating the age, gender, role, experience and training of youth ministers involved in the research

Page 48

Bar Chart indicating responses to the questions linked to the first two goals of youth ministry outlined by FDYM (2009) and answering the question: Is youth ministry working?

Page 50

Bar Chart indicating the average ranked order of preference by all those surveyed of the eight elements of youth ministry

Page 51

Bar Chart indicating the perceived average ranked order of preference by all those surveyed of the eight elements of youth ministry

Page 60

Bar graph indicating participants’ responses to question: is the Church relevant in young people’s lives?

Page 63

Bar graph indicating participants’ responses to the Personal Creeds question.

Page 65

Bar graph indicating participants’ responses to the questions: have you ever had to defend your faith? And were you effective in your response?

Page 68

Bar graph measuring the difficulty in answering apologetic concerns and the effectiveness of the responses given to the apologetic concerns.

Page 87

The PATRICK’S model of youth ministry.

Abbreviations BFIYP CCC CT DA DCE EN FC FDYM

GS IEC PDG ST RTV USCCB VS YMSP

Building Faith In Young People Catechism of the Catholic Church Catechesi Tradendae Dilecti Amici Deus Caritas Est Evangelii Nuntiandi Familiaris consortio Called Together: Making the Difference. A Framework Document for Youth Ministry in Ireland Gaudium et Spes Irish Episcopal Conference Pascendi Dominici Gregis. Summa Theologica Renewing theVision United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Veritatis Splendor Youth Ministry Studies Programme

Chapter 1: Introduction “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” 1 Peter 3:15

The great apologetic call from the first letter of St Peter highlights the importance of knowing the reason for the hope that is within you and being ready to tell others what we believe when questioned. As a faith based youth worker, I have always found the whole concept of faith development as an integral part of my youth ministry. Through a renewal experience of my Catholic faith I have been revitalised and energised to know and understand it deeper. Pope Benedict in his introduction to the Youth Catechism ‘YouCat’ enthusiastically challenged young Catholic’s to know their faith,

‘You need to know what you believe. You need to know your

faith with that same precision with which an IT specialist knows the inner workings of a computer. You need to understand it like a good musician knows the piece he is playing. Yes, you need to be more deeply rooted in the faith than the generation of your parents so that you can engage the challenges and temptations of this time with strength and determination’ (Benedict XVI, 2011, pg11). This challenging sentiment from Pope Benedict XVI will leave many young Catholic’s feeling somewhat inadequate as they may not know their faith in such an intricate way; others will be spurred on by these comments and the introduction of the new Youth Catechism. There has never been a greater opportunity to know the Catholic faith as now. Access to Church documents, books and online resources make it easier for Catholic’s to access the teachings of the Church. Pope Benedict XVI highlighted the essential need for the New Evangelisation and argued ‘the main task for us all is that of a New Evangelisation aimed at helping younger generations to rediscover the true face of God, who is Love’ 1. The ultimate challenge lies within the families with parents, by the virtue of their ministry, as primary educators of youth in the domestic Church 2. The responsibility also lies within the formal education sector with those who

1 2

Pope Benedict XVI, Message for World Youth Day, February 22, 2009 Familiaris Consortio 9 & 51

teach Religious Education 3and prepare young people for the Sacraments.

Chapter Two determines if there is a need for apologetics for young people within a framework of Catholic youth ministry in Ireland. Determining the need for apologetics in youth ministry will be established through the exploration of how youth ministry has developed since the Second Vatican Council. In reviewing the development of youth ministry there is an opportunity to identify and evaluate models of youth ministry currently being implemented in the Catholic Church in Ireland. An analysis of the models will give insight into the training and pastoral priorities in the Irish Church.

In addition, Chapter One presents insights into Irish Bishops Conference documents such as the Framework Document for Youth Ministry (2009) and the Share the Good News: National Directory for Catechesis (2011). The chapter provides insight and analysis from key commentators on Catholic youth ministry in Ireland on the current attitudes, feelings and assumptions of young people regarding the Catholic faith 4 . This is set alongside research and statistics that would suggest that the Catholic Church in Ireland has not adequately passed on the faith to young people and Gallagher sees young people being ‘over sacramentalised and poorly catechised ‘and Archbishop Martin concluding that young people in Ireland are among the most catechised in Europe but haven’t been evangelised 5.

The realities of young people in Ireland are set alongside the emerging post-modern culture that permeates the modern world. The latent apologetic conversations that happen within youth culture are often tainted with New Atheist ideologies or an apathetic or relativist approach. The arising tension between orthodoxy and liberalism proceeds into a need for apologetics within youth ministry and more considerate approach to post modernism.

Catholic Council for Maintained Schools and St Mary’s Teacher training college are responsible for the formation of teachers in Northern Ireland. 4 Gerard Gallaghers book is a useful tool in highlighting key issues (2005) Are we losing the young church? Youth ministry in Ireland from the Second Vatican Council. Dublin: The Columba Press 5 Ibid Gallagher (2005) pg57 & Archbishop Martin speaking at an Oder of Malta function in2011: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=26390

The Chapter concludes with a brief investigation of the history of apologetics in Ireland and considers how apologetics can be used in youth ministry to respond to modern and post-modern concerns. It highlights the benefits and dangers of post-modernism and acknowledges that young people want to connect and know the true Jesus of the Gospel. It also considers if Catholic youth ministers are adequately equipped to respond to some of these challenges.

Jones (2001:12) highlights, what the first chapter aims to set out, he argues that ‘instead of promoting a new paradigm, we must deconstruct the old paradigms and then propose a series of reflections on culture, the Church, and the state of youth ministry’. Before suggesting new models for youth ministry or consider improvements or flaws, it is important to reflect on the old models and listen to the different perspectives and experiences of Catholic youth ministers and young people. Chapter Three presents the ‘Action Research’ approach being employed by the researcher which is intended to develop practice in Catholic youth ministry and to have a positive impact on the young people involved. Chapter two also explores the range of qualitative and quantitative methods to be used in the study; such as questionnaires, focus groups and semistructured interviews. It will examine the benefits and challenges for particular research methods and consider potential implications it may have on the study. There will be critical reflection on the evolution of the research and because it is an action research approach, research methods will be adapted accordingly to ensure all data is both valid and reliable. The research sample will be contextualised and ethical consideration will also be given to the participants involved in the study.

Chapter Four presents the findings and the current state of youth ministry in Down and Connor. This will include the thoughts of young people involved in Catholic youth ministry, Catholic youth ministers and Bishop Donal McKeown who has a remit that includes youth ministry in Ireland. These findings will be simultaneously linked to theory and literature found in the first chapter.

Chapter four also critically reflects upon the research findings and the

researcher gives his analysis on the perspectives of young people and youth ministers towards key aspects of Catholic youth ministry. The critical analysis will be focused on the areas such as the contribution of youth ministry and the rationale for young peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s participation. There will be an analysis of the priorities for youth ministry and consideration given between the differences between young people and those in leadership in youth ministry in order to determine if it the current model is effective or not.

In this chapter we will also explore the areas of apologetic concern that the young people identified in the initial focus group. Through questionnaires we then analyse the concerns of young people and those of the youth ministers and Bishop. In light of the challenges faced by the young people we will try to determine if they see the Church as relevant in the postmodern age in which young people live. We will briefly explore what aspects of the creed young people agree or disagree with in order to analyse which aspect of Catholic teaching are most difficult for young people to accept. The final section will focus on the response by youth ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to these areas of apologetic concern and try to determine the effectiveness of these from both the young people and youth ministers perspective. There will also be an analysis of the approach that they have adopted and a reflection on their strengths and skills. We will also consider inadequacies or weaknesses in their approaches that could potentially impact effective apologetics. The youth ministry training models will also be assessed and consideration given to whether or not youth ministers need to be better supported in engaging with apologetics in youth ministry. Chapter five, in the final chapter, we will conclude with some recommendations and conclusions from the study. The researcher will comment on the reliability of the research and its validity in relation to the research sample and approach taken in light of the findings. The researcher will then make some suggestions about ways forward for youth ministry in Ireland, potential opportunities and methods for apologetics for young people and leaders and potential areas of further study arising from the results of the research. The researcher will conclude the study with a synopsis of the key learning and significant findings and hopefully make a

contribution towards Catholic youth ministry and the role of apologetics within the new evangelisation.

Chapter 2: The Development of Youth Ministry in the Irish Church ". . . The future of humanity lies in the hands of those who are strong enough to provide coming generations with reasons for living and hoping" (GS 31).

The development of what became known as youth ministry is one of the fruits of the Second Vatican Council. How people participate in Church and reflect on their faith were key themes of the Council. The Church suggested that the young should become the first apostles of the young 6 and the young energised by many social changes of that time 7 , took up the challenge set by the Church. Pope Paul VI spoke of such changes that had occurred in the world and considered ways in which the Church should engage with the youth in the modern world, “It must constantly seek the proper means and language for presenting, or representing, to them God’s revelation and faith in Jesus Christ.” 8 It is difficult to ascertain whether or not the Church presented Christ in the language of the youth but the laity and in particular the youth were enthused and excited by the words of the Church during the Second Vatican Council. However, Gallagher argued that there was little pastoral planning, vision or definition for youth ministry and it was important that the Church utilised this new fervour amongst the youth.

Sharper &Eagleson (1980) 9 believed young people who seek

“The young should become the first apostles of the young, in direct contact with them, exercising the apostolate by themselves, taking into account their social environment.” Apostolica Actuosticum. 12, Flannery, op.cit. There were many fruits of this peer ministry model in the Church with Youth 2000 and Search familiar models in Ireland. 7 The Civil Rights Movement, sexual revolution and Gay Rights Movement were a few of the movements of the 60’s that attracted a youthful spirit. 8 Evangelii Nuntiandi, 56, Catholic Truth Society, London, 1976. 9 John Eagleson and Philip Sharper, et al, Puebla And Beyond: Documentation and Commentary., New York, Orbis Books, 1980..

fulfilment in the Church can be disillusioned when there is no pastoral planning to respond to their needs. It wasn’t until a decade later that the Church was moved into action with pastoral responses.

Models of youth ministry One of the most significant post Vatican II documents by a local Church was in 1975 by the USCCB, who published A Vision of Youth Ministry 10. This was a significant step for Catholic youth ministry and it was the first time that a model, vision, goals and objectives had been established. The document set out that youth ministry must be understood in terms of the mission and ministry of, the whole Church, the community of persons who believe in Jesus Christ and to continue His saving action through the action of the Holy Spirit 11. It also suggested that the mission of the Church and youth ministry is threefold: Evangelical, Developmental and Service 12. The development of youth ministry models had begun and contributors such as Warren (1982:4) suggests that the starting point for youth ministry is fourfold: The ministry of the Word, catechesis, evangelisation and reflection on the gospel; the ministry of worship, rituals and community gatherings; the ministry of guidance and counsel; and finally, the ministry of healing. The Latin American Bishops at Puebla, Mexico in 1979 were considering the way forward and aligned themselves with the needs of the poor in their approach to ministry and their approach to pastoral work was seen as radical. Puebla

Warren highlights that there was also a model for youth at 13

. Other models gaining momentum especially in the states

A Vision of Youth Ministry, Department of Education, USA Catholic Conference, 1975. This document was also updated both in the 1980’s and 1990’s. 11 Ibid pg3 this is similar to GS 44 (see footnote 3) 12 1. Evangelical - to proclaim the message of salvation. 2. Developmental – establishing and creating Christian communities based on faith, hope and love. 3. Service – to bring God’s justice and love to others through service in its individual, social and political dimensions. 13 The Church does not possess the option for youth by merely proclaiming that it does. The option for youth is only real when the Church lives it out. Young people know this and they will not be fooled…As a phrase, the option for youth, obviously has a nice ring to it. But as a serious guide for pastoral work with the young it offers some difficult challenges.” Warren, p.33.

replicate Kelly’s (1998) Ecclesial method 14 ; which has been adopted by groups such as Life Teen, Youth 2000 and Dead Theologians Society and have a strong Marian and traditional theme running through them. There have been many other models embraced by Catholics that are borrowed from Protestant youth ministry initiatives such as Shape and also many that are hybrid models of secular youth work and spiritual development 15. It is quite clear that it is difficult to define youth ministry or to select one perfect model but any model should encapsulate the Church’s mission. Pope Benedict XVI's first encyclical Deus Caritas Est, expresses the three-fold responsibilities of the Church: proclaiming the word of God (kerygma-martyria), celebrating the sacraments (leitourgia), and exercising the ministry of charity (diakonia) 16. Whilst it is difficult to set a youth ministry model in stone, we can see how the other models resemble the responsibilities set out by Benedict XVI and the mission of the Church but youth ministers are still looking clarity on how to do youth ministry within the Catholic Church.

Boran(1999:142) 17 believes that for youth ministry to

flourish, it needs endorsement by the church in order to be effective and he argued ‘It is clear to most church leaders today that pastoral work with young people demands at least some specialisation’. This endorsement came in 1997, the US Bishops refined their approach and they reemphasised to us that the whole parish community needs to be responsive to the needs and concerns of youth. They developed a comprehensive model for youth ministry which contains eight elements for well balanced youth ministry

. This model is widely accepted and

embraced in North America, Australia & New Zealand, parts of Europe and more recently Ireland. The development of youth ministry in Ireland Youth ministry in Ireland has its roots in Christian youth work and was the offspring of the informal education approach adopted by organisations like 14

See Kelly, Francis (1998): The Mystery we proclaim; Chapter 3 The YMCA approach and philosophy has been adopted by many Catholic organisations as has the SHAPE youth ministry model by Doug Fields. 16 Deus Caritas Est (25), 17 George Boran, The Pastoral Challenges of a New Age, Veritas, Dublin 1999 18 Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry” US Bishops, Origins, Vol 27: No. 9. 1997. 15

the Scouts or the YMCA. There were many religious congregations also trying to emulate the success of St John Bosco and the Salesian model for youth ministry. However, the Irish Church were silent about the role of youth ministry and when Pope John Paul II embraced and celebrated the international year for the youth by the United Nations in 1985,

the Irish

Bishops moved into action and issued a pastoral letter directed to young people, The Young Church – God’s Gift in your Care 20. The Young Church differed from the American or Latin Bishops approach and if anything borrowed from a more secular youth work perspective. It argued that we need to ‘listen to young people’

and that the old ways of working may not

work with future generations. There was a certain irony in these remarks after the recent sex abuse scandals in the Irish Church, the old ways definitely didn’t work and if anything damaged future generation’s willingness to trust the Church. However, Gallagher (2005:28) argues that this pastoral letter made no real impact on the Irish church and was largely ignored 22. To some extent this may be true but there was the employment of a number of Diocesan Youth Directors and there were many opportunities for young people to get involved with Church activities through pilgrimages to Lourdes or Knock and programmes like Search, Teen Encounter with Christ (TEC) and Catholic Charismatic Renewal flourishing in various dioceses. As the years moved on there was growing apathy amongst youth towards matters of faith, technological and social advancements and a post-modernist culture developed that ultimately led to the youth increasingly disengaging with the Church. The Irish Bishops neglected to comment on youth ministry again until 2005 when the Irish Bishops wrote an Episcopal letter entitled ‘Building faith in young people’ as young people prepared for World Youth Day in Cologne. Ironically asking; ‘what is it about the structures of power and the ideology of our modern culture that produces so much antagonism and

Pope John Paul II wrote and apostolic letter to young people in 1985 entitled ‘Delecti Amici’. The Young Church, God’s Gift In Your Care, Irish Episcopal Conference, Veritas, Dublin, 1985. 21 The Irish Bishops told young people:We want to listen to you. We need that time of listening to appreciate your hungers and your hurts, your anger and your hopes, your attitudes in many areas, including your experience of the church in Ireland now. 22 Gallagher, G. (2005) Are we losing the young church? Youth ministry in Ireland from the second Vatican council.Dublin: The Columba Press 20

dysfunctionality?’ 23 The abuse of power in the Church did create much antagonism, despondency and a degree of apathy. The Irish Bishops reflected on their failings in the past and considered what was needed for the future, (IEC 2005, pg 9) ‘We acknowledge that the traditional Church structures did not always reach out to, and listen to young people. That ministry needs investment in terms of money and personnel ..., an explicit ministry to young people is an essential, not an optional extra’ 24 .

The

Church has acknowledged the shortcomings and admits the need for youth ministry in the Irish Church. Again this document was full of much promise and potential, but failed to set the Church on fire. The only real practical development of youth ministry in Ireland was by the ‘Redemptorists’ and 25

those involved in youth ministry

in Ireland. They liaised with their

American counterparts and developed and delivered training in the American model of youth ministry. Other organisation such as Youth Link and Catholic Youth Care were also training Catholics for youth ministry but again there was no centrally accepted model by the Church for a more strategic approach to youth ministry. The recently published FDYM (Framework Document for Youth Ministry in Ireland, 2009) proposed a model for youth ministry in Ireland 26 that could be accepted by all. It included the goals, vision and eight key elements, adopted directly from the American model (Renewing the Vision, 1997) with some contextualisation for the Irish Church 27. The FDYM was not a pastoral plan, rather is situated the challenge of youth ministry in Ireland, within a framework of evangelisation. Even though it has not been implemented fully, there is hope it will complement the ‘National Directory for Catechesis Document – Share the Good News’, which was published in 2010 28. There

Building Faith in Young People was published by the Irish Episcopal Conference in 2005 and largely slipped under the radar. Pg 8 24 ibid pg 9 25 CCSR Michael Kelleher and others involved in the Youth Ministry Studies programme delivered it throughout Ireland to try to establish a network and develop the Catholic Youth ministry infrastructure. 26 A Framework Document For Youth Ministry in Ireland – Called Together. Making the Difference, (Published on behalf of National Committee of Diocesan Youth Directors & The Commission for Pastoral Renewal and Adult Faith Development of the Irish Bishops Conference), Redemptorist Publications, 2009 27 Based on the Renewing the Vision and Framework for Youth Ministry Document, the eight elements of well balanced youth ministry are the following: 1. Advocacy2. Justice and Service3.Community Life4.Pastoral Care5.Leadership Development6.Catechesis7.Prayer and Worship8.Evangelisation. 28 Share the Good News, National Directory for Catechesis in Ireland, Irish Episcopal Conference, Veritas, 2010.

was some strategic thinking and pastoral consideration given to both publications but it will be the outworking of these proposals that will grasp the hearts and minds of the people. Gallagher (2005:126) believes that ‘the history of youth ministry in recent decades is one of tension between different perspectives’ 29. There was certain ambiguity around ‘The Young Church’ document and ‘Building Faith in Young People’ offered true freedom but failed to deliver. However, it is interesting where youth ministry in Ireland is now positioning itself. The framework document places evangelisation and catechesis at the heart of youth ministry, which is significant if youth ministers are called upon to give reason for their hope. The challenge will be whether youth ministers embrace these changes and whether youth ministers will be giving the training, resources and opportunity to be involved in the New Evangelisation and the catechesis.

It is interesting that catechesis is being emphasised within youth ministry when this usual responsibility lies with the family and schools. The family are often seen as the primary educators or the domestic Church 30; but this is no longer the case in a changing Ireland. Westby (1996:14) argues that the family are in difficult circumstances and need the help of the ecclesial community and youth programmes that compliment the family efforts. If parents are not able to pass on the faith, where does responsibility lie? Pope John Paul II highlights in CATECHESI TRADENDAE(1979) the importance of the family for catechetical activity (CT68) but also mentioned the importance of the parish community as a pre eminent place for catechesis (CT67). The late Pope also suggests youth groups must play a role (CT47) and be supported by their priests in this process (CT62). As ‘Catechesis cannot be separated from the Church’s pastoral and missionary activity as a whole’ (CT18); it is important that youth ministers are equipped for such a task. In Christifideles Laici 46, John Paul II emphasised that ‘the Church has so much to talk to young people about and also that young people have so much to share with the Church’. As we explore youth ministry training and the experiences of young people in Ireland it is important to keep in mind the co-responsibility that exists between young people and their leaders. 29

Michael Paul Gallagher S.J., Clashing Symbols, Darton Longman and Todd, London, 1997. p.126. “Cultural Consciousness in Ministry.” 30 FC51

Youth Ministry training in Ireland The Irish Bishops and those involved in youth ministry, highlight the vision for youth ministry depends greatly on good leadership and the generous commitment of priest, religious and lay faithful. It also considered the need for competence based and accredited training in youth ministry. 31 Currently, in the Irish Church there are a number of options for Youth ministry training. Organisations like Youthlink:NI and Catholic Youth Care provide training at the lower level for volunteers and part-time paid employees. The Youth Ministry Studies programme (YMSP) which is an adaption of the American model for youth ministry is also available through the Redemptorists. Several universities also provide full-time and part-time courses in youth ministry and chaplaincy work. However, the one criticism of these training courses is that there is no joint up thinking or endorsement by the Catholic Church apart from the YMSP which needs contextualised to the Irish Church and the Framework Document for Youth Ministry makes a poor attempt at applying it to the Irish Church. These courses also miss out on the theological and theoretical underpinning which is unfortunately not good enough for those wishing to employ Catholic youth ministers. Catholic’s often have to supplement their youth ministry training with further courses such as those offered by Maryvale or other theological colleges. It is often the case that youth ministers often need to know the fundamentals of Church teaching before they even attempt to evangelise or catechise young people.

I have had to engage in apologetic conversations with many

Catholic youth ministers who simply don’t know or understand the faith they are trying to teach young people. Further research is needed into the impact of youth ministry training in Ireland. II. Young people in Ireland In 1979, the year of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Ireland; Mass attendance was around 90 % (O’Mahony, 2011) 32. According to the Irish Times, society has changed and people have changed with around a third of that number

A Framework Document For Youth Ministry in Ireland – Called Together. Making the Difference, (Published on behalf of National Committee of Diocesan Youth Directors & The Commission for Pastoral Renewal and Adult Faith Development of the Irish Bishops Conference), Redemptorist Publications, 2009 32 ICBC 2011, O’Mahony: Practice and Belief among Catholics in Northern Ireland

now attending 33. Research carried out by the Iona Institute (2011), found that the majority of 15-24 yr olds, those who would engage in youth ministry activities, do not regularly attend Mass or have an up-to-date informed opinion on Church teaching 34. It is apparent that on face value, attendance by young people at Church or in faith-based events has dramatically declined. Gerard Gallagher (2005:58) argued that there was a perception that “participation in Church was based on the misconception that faith was deepened through attendance.. However, gradually we had become, oversacramentalised, poorly catechised and not articulate in the fundamentals of faith. The system of handing on the faith in Ireland could not and did not respond to the changing needs”. That is a serious accusation by Gallagher, ‘over-sacramentalised, poorly catechised and not articulate in the fundamentals of faith’; however, this damning indictment is closer to reality than we think. Boran (1996:8) argues that “the church is on the verge of losing the most important social group for renewal, young people. The evangelisation of youth is seen today as a question of life or death for the Church” 35. So where and who are the young Church that the Irish Bishops wrote about in 1985? Boran identifies three constituencies of young people that could be considered the young Church: I.

Committed youth within the Church.

II.

Youth linked to social groups, sociologically or culturally.

III.

Youth indifferent to the Church

There is an increasing minority of young people (16% of 15-24yr olds) who stay part of the Church or have chosen to keep their faith alive as we seen from the Iona Research (2011). However, Gallagher (2005: 72) would argue that we can divide them in to a further 3 categories: I.

The Committed: many of these young people come from families that are committed Catholics and keen to be a part of youth ministry initiatives.

II.

The Conservative: There is a growing minority of young people who feel that the only way to be part of the Church is to radicalise some of its teachings, mainly due to their belief that the Church

The Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI Poll 2012 suggested that 34% of Catholics are attending mass every week. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0605/1224317296134.html 34 According to the research, 58% of these young people see themselves as Catholic and 16% of them attend mass weekly or more often. 35 George Boran, Youth Ministry That Works, Paulist Press, New York, 1996, p 8.

has gone silent on some aspects of doctrine.

Even though a

minority in Ireland this category of young people internationally is in ascendancy. III.

The Confused: Many young people are confirmed and welcomed in to the Church, largely ignorant and confused about what the Church is. Many drift from faith at an early age. The tradition of going to Mass on Sunday or regularly was possibly abandoned by their parents so the habit was not really imbedded. Usually when they participate in youth ministry programmes, they are on the sidelines and just glad to go along with everything.

To add to the categories, there are an increasing number of young people and adults that can be categorised as ‘unchurched’, which is, they have no real experience of Church, its traditions, teachings and what to do when you are there, this term is used regularly in Protestant circles but sits comfortably within modern Catholicism in Ireland. The attitudes and beliefs of young Catholics Walsh (2003:24) argued that many young people in Ireland today believe in God and are committed to Christ; they pray daily and are regular attendees at church; they are prepared to witness to their faith by full participation in liturgies and by caring for the sick, lonely, aged, bereaved and needy. They seek, too, to live out their membership of the Church community by supporting, for example, initiatives for peace, civil rights and the protection of the environment. Some of them enhance their involvement by belonging to groups within the Church such as Search or Youth 2000. Kohn (2003) believes that ‘young people today find it difficult to commit themselves and to take decisions that engage their whole life’. Being a committed young Catholic today means being counter-cultural and in the minority. Some young people have become increasingly disillusioned with the institutional Church and despise the hypocrisy, perceived wealth, the fact that so-called Christians fight each other in the name of religion (particularly in Northern Ireland) and without doubt the child sex abuse scandal/cover ups that have rocked the Irish Church. According to Iona Institute (2011:7), only 14% of 15-24 yr olds view the Church favourably, with the Child abuse scandal, History/structures, cover ups and abuse of trust cited as the main reasons for this unsavoury

response 36 . Research carried out by the Irish Bishops conference also concludes that there is some doubts around the main tenets of the Catholic faith; doubts about Heaven and Hell, Miracles, transubstantiation and confusing beliefs in ‘Reincarnation’ and ‘Nirvana’. Irish Catholic Bishops Conference research also highlights diverging opinions in regards to ‘Catholic Sexual teaching’ with 60% thinking that there is nothing wrong with homosexual relations or 80% not seeing a problem with pre-marital sex.

. There is a plethora of associated concerns around the whole area

of Catholic sexual morality with many young people using contraception and unsure of the Church teaching with regards to love and relationships.

The Amarach (2011) research explored the knowledge young people have of their faith. Worryingly it seems our catechists have failed to teach the most basic knowledge to our young people. As only 20% knew the term used to describe the turning of bread and wine into the Body and Blood (Transubstantiation) and over half were unsure how many Gospels there were in the Bible. So apart from problems with transubstantiation, what other tenets of faith do Irish Catholics call into question? The Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI Poll 2012 also suggested 8% don’t believe in God; 15% don’t believe Jesus is the son of God; and 18% don’t believe God created man, 25% of those who recite the creed don’t believe what they are saying. However, it is significant that well over 80% of Irish Catholics still accept these tenets 38. Van Duyvenbode (2009:3) argues that ‘affirming belief in God as vital, many young Catholics are seeking to discover exactly what ‘their God/god’ looks like, whilst others are investigating a range of answers from the typically orthodox at one end of the spectrum to denial of God’s existence at the other’. 39 Research statistics can often measure knowledge or understanding but it is difficult to measure faith or the truth as people feel it or live it. We don’t need research to tell us that some young people are disobedient to Church teaching and this isn’t a new phenomenon. Young people by their very 36

Iona Institute 2011 pg 7 O’Mahony 2011, Practice and Belief among Catholics in Northern Ireland: A summary of data from the International Social Science Programme Religion III (2008/9) survey for Northern Ireland & Ireland in a comparative perspective 38 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0605/1224317295576.html 39 CYMFED 2009, Mapping the Terrain 37

nature are risk takers and like to test boundaries. However, difficulties arise when the testing of these boundaries comes into direct conflict with the Catholic teaching. This is when a youth minister needs to support a young person and also guide them to a greater understanding and appreciation of Church teaching. It is evident that young people now more than ever need to know and understand their faith. They also need to know how to defend their faith in an increasingly secular and atheist society where many of their peers perceive them to be naive or conservative. Challenging the cultural climate is a major component of the new apologetics. The apologetics resurgence has been sparked ultimately by young people who are asking more questions about why people believe the things they do. Norton (2011:15) contests ‘Those who thought that young people in a postmodern world don't want an ideology were wrong’ 40. This is true, young people are aware of the latent apologetic conversations in culture; the role of women in Church, war and politics, poverty and discrimination, child abuse scandals, the New Atheism of Dawkins et al, Armageddon 2012, abortion, euthanasia , samesex marriage debate and New Age spiritual movies that subtly promote the occult such as Harry Potter 41. It is challenging to be a young person in today’s world with consumerism, relativism, social injustice, economic hardship, technological advancements and the individualistic culture of ‘ME’ attributed to the iY Generation

of millennial youth. It is important to

consider how youth ministers can utilize apologetic approaches that can play a role in the evangelisation and catechesis of young people. Apologetics as an approach in youth ministry

‘...Being ready always to satisfy everyone that asks you a reason of that

Norton, C 2011, 'The Return of Reasons', Christianity Today, 55, 9, p. 15, Religion and Philosophy Collection, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 November 2012. 41 Even Benedict XVI joined the Potter debate before he was Pope: "It is good that you shed light and

inform us on the Harry Potter matter, for these are subtle seductions that are barely noticeable and precisely because of that deeply affect (children) and corrupt the Christian faith in souls even before it (the Faith) could properly grow," said Cardinal Ratzinger. http://www.ratzingerfanclub.com/blog/2005/07/pope-benedict-xvi-andharry-potter.html 42

Tim Elmore coined the phrase the iY generation. In a nutshell, these young people don’t know the world without mobile phones and broadband internet. http://www.christianpost.com/news/generationiy-has-jekyll-and-hyde-problem-but-reachable-says-expert-47797/

hope which is in you.’ 43

This verse tells us to be ready, we may never encounter someone who asks tough questions about our faith, but we should still be ready to respond if someone does. Being ready is not just a matter of having the right knowledge or wisdom available; it is also an attitude of readiness and eagerness to share the truth of what we believe. We are to give a reason to those who ask the questions. It is not expected that everyone needs preevangelism, but when they do need it, we must be able and willing to give them an answer. This biblical passage is often referred to as the apologist’s mandate; however it also draws our attention to the biblical basis for the need for apologetics. Acknowledging that scripture commands it, Old and New Testament show examples of it and the early Church defended the faith. The Bible also speaks to us about natural revelation and historical evidences. However, exploring the biblical basis for why apologetics is needed is not enough and we have to explore the rationale for apologetics and assess the genuine need for it within the Christian world as it also has its critics.

McDowell (1999:49) argued that it's possible to overstate truth

claims. He's heard too many youth ministers and Christians claim that the evidence of the Resurrection is overwhelming. He adds that when young people encounter good counterarguments on the Internet or from a professor, their youth minister’s position suddenly lose credibility. Cardinal Avery Dulles (2005) referred to the ‘negative connotations’

that the term

apologetics has to Christians today. Dulles (2005:13) argues that many see the apologist as an aggressive, fundamentalist and opportunistic person who tries to argue with people to join the one true faith. Modernism and youth ministry ‘Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth’45. One of the early modernists, Alfred Loisy cited in Dulles (2005:277) contested ‘the profound and universal reason for faith is nothing but the 43

1 Peter 3:15 Douay – Rheims (English Standard Version) ‘But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always to satisfy everyone that asks you a reason of that hope which is in you.’ This piece of scripture is mandate of the apologist. 44 Cardinal Avery Dulles-The History of Apologetics (2005) 45 Pope John Paul II encyclical Fides et ratio on faith and reason

conformity of religion with the needs and aspirations of man’ 46. He was in direct conflict with the Church with his views and opinions regarding the Church needing to get with the times. Modernism was a real threat to the Church over one hundred years ago, however a definitive explanation of Modernism was provided by Pius X, who called it “the synthesis of all heresies” in his encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis. PDG is useful for apologetics today; as it highlights several areas of concern. Firstly as a subjectivist philosophy that has all the hallmarks of agnosticism. Secondly, religion is reduced to an irrational sentiment, whereby the supernatural is reduced to merely a religious experience. Thirdly, there is the avoidance of realism and an acceptance of symbolism as we cannot understand God’s revelation and we have an ever changing idea of the absolute. In this regard evolution of doctrine becomes central for the modernist. Fourth, faith must be subject to science 47. Fifth, the Bible is not divinely inspired but for modernists a collection of extraordinary experiences. This modernist idea was firmly put to bed by Pius XII encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu and Vatican II’s Dei Verbum. Sixthly, the historical Jesus debate has reduced Jesus to a mere man and the divinity of Christ to a psychological phenomenon 48. Finally, and most importantly for our investigation is how the modernist views the Church, which it sees as a product of collective conscience. Modernists believe Dogmas are fruits of sentiments and evolve; not only should dogmas evolve but so should Church structures and the liturgy. Loisy’s defence was that ‘the fundamental principle of modernism is the possibility, the necessity and the legitimacy of evolution in understanding the dogmas of the Church, including that of papal infallibility and authority, as well as in the manner of exercising this authority’ 49.

Modernist thought is prevalent even today amongst our youth; how many 46

Loisy, ‘Les Preuves’, 142. Pascendi, Para 17. On the side of science the independence is indeed complete, but it is quite different with regard to faith, which is subject to science . . . .” 48 Pascendi para30-31[T]hey proclaim that Christ, according to what they call His real history, was not God and never did anything divine, and that as man He did and said only what they, judging from the time in which he lived, can admit Him to have said or done.”. [T]hey oppose the history of the faith to real history precisely as real. Thus we have a double Christ: a real Christ, and a Christ, the one of faith, who never really existed[.]” 49 Cited by Father Arthur Veermerch, “Modernism,” http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10415a.htm 47

times have we heard young Catholics say ‘priests should be allowed to marry’ or ‘there should be women priests’ or ‘confessing your sins is outdated’ or ‘what’s the big deal with euthanasia, IVF and abortion anyway’ or ‘I don’t believe in God, I believe in science’ or ‘Jesus was just a good man, the rest was a good story’ and the ‘Church needs to get with the times’. We are currently living in a time of transition as we move from Modernist thinking to interesting yet precarious time of Post-Modernism. Drucker (2008 pg1), argued that every few hundred years in Western history, there occurs a sharp transformation… within a few short decades, society rearranges itself—its worldview; its basic values; its social and political structure; its arts; its key institutions… the youth will not even be able to comprehend the realities for their parents or grandparents. Postmodernism emerged from the apparent failures of modernism as a means for human progress and a moral framework for culture. Lyotard (1984:26) said, ‘although it is difficult to define postmodernism, the movement is characterized by the affirmation of radical and irreducible pluralism; the rejection of unifying metaphysical or religious claims; and suspicion toward binary categories that characterizes different regions of thought or ontological realities’ 50. Postmodern thinkers challenge modern thought on several fronts. Firstly, a postmodern perspective erodes the surety of human reason as the exclusive purveyor of truth. The claim that the mind can know objective truth, a truth that stands outside our world, is impossible. The post-modern youth rely on feelings, relationships, intuitions and experiences. Secondly, there has been a real paradigm shift between rational thought towards a more relativist approach to thinking. Matters of faith become experiential truths rather than rational truths. The danger in this is if the Church refers to itself as ‘The body of Christ’; it better do what Jesus did or young people will find spiritual fulfilment elsewhere. Thirdly, there is the sense that knowledge has been replaced by interpretation. Where in the past there was a monopoly on truth, with today’s youth there is a more pluralist perspective on truth. This has huge implications for any apologetic response within youth ministry. It is more challenging to say this is the ‘absolute truth’ when young people may perceive you to be judgemental or disrespectful of others views. Young people don’t want us to pontificate in 50

Lyotard, Jean-Francois. The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 1984.

youth ministry but to tell them practically how the Catholic faith will practically impact their lives. Finally, authenticity is key to a post-modern youth; they want to connect and to belong to a community who cares and loves and is genuine in all that it does or says it will do. They are not looking for something to believe in but more a place where they can come to connect in their brokenness, to experience God and hear God’s plan for their lives. Apologetics as a tool for the ‘New Evangelisation’ in youth ministry Pimlott (2008) asks, how does youth ministry prepare the next generation for dialogue in a multi-cultural, pluralistic society in a post-Christendom age? 51 Fifty years after Vatican II, issues of identity, rather than those of mission, occupy much of the Church’s energy; apologetics offers an attractive resource for the defence and promotion of Christian faith amidst the challenge of secularism. There is also now the establishment of a council aimed at promoting the New Evangelisation

within this

aggressively secular society were we now live. Apologetics and youth ministry are a natural fit in the sense that apologetics seeks to clarify the individual elements of faith’s content and so lends itself to the task of catechesis. The latest resurgence of Catholic apologetics among youth is explainable by the fact that in recent years there has been something to oppose. The ‘New Atheism’ and its acolytes, including Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and the late Christopher Hitchens, have provided fuel for the fire. Apologetics is reactive in this way, relying on opposition for its vitality and vigour; it is much harder to ‘do’ apologetics when the perils for faith are less explicit but is needed as Catholics move towards pluralism 53.

Apologetics is not an excuse for emotional proselytizing but rather healthy 51

Jo and Nigel Pimlott, Youth Work after Christendom, (Milton Keynes: Paternoster 2008). The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization is a council of the Roman Curia whose creation was announced by Pope Benedict XVI at vespers on 28 June 2010, eve of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. The Pope said that "the process of secularisation has produced a serious crisis of the sense of the Christian faith and role of the Church", and the new pontifical council would "promote a renewed evangelisation" in countries where the Church has long existed "but which are living a progressive secularisation of society and a sort of 'eclipse of the sense of God'." 53 According to Smith and Denton, "Catholic youth move relatively further toward pluralistic and individualistic approaches to faith" (2005. p. 76). 52

support for sharing beliefs in a supportive environment. Many youth ministers assume they know what’s best for the young people they serve and that their role is to supplement the formal, but non-proselytizing religious education they receive from school. Many would argue this is objectionable and surely this is brainwashing?

Those who have

confidence in the Gospel have no need to manipulate or coerce young people into accepting the message of Christ. Providing an opportunity for genuine exploration of faith and belief is far more likely to result in lasting fruits. 55 Pope John Paul II probably became the best known youth minister in the lives of our young people and he challenged young people to know Christ and subsequently to make Him known to others 56. John Paul II said: “This is what we need: a Church for young people which will know how to speak to their heart and enkindle, comfort and inspire enthusiasm in it with the joy of the Gospel and the strength of the Eucharist; a Church which will know how to invite and welcome the person who seeks a purpose for which to commit his or her life; a Church which is not afraid to ask much after having given much; which does not fear asking from the young people the effort of a noble and authentic adventure, such as following the Gospel”. 57 However, is the Church that Pope John Paul II envisages, too idealistic or realistic for the Irish Church? Do the old models work or do we need a new paradigm for youth ministry? Jones (2001:12) argues that ‘Instead of promoting a new paradigm, we must deconstruct the old paradigms and then propose a series of reflections on culture, the Church, and the state of youth ministry as we begin the third millennium’. We must also consider the ‘New Evangelisation’ and the implications it has for youth ministry in an increasingly atheist Ireland. The need for Post-modernist approach to youth ministry Veith (1994:193) highlights the threat of post modernism: 54

Danny Brierley, Joined Up: Introducing youth work and ministry (Cumbria: Spring Harvest, 2003), p.10. Danny BrierleyJoined Up: Introducing youth work and ministry (Cumbria: Spring Harvest, 2003), p.11 56 L’Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition, April, 1997 in message to young people of Rome. See also Vatican Publications for his Statements on young people, which take up a similar theme. 57 Pope John Paul II, World Day of Prayer for Vocation, 1995. 55

“Whereas modernism sought to rid the world of religion, postmodernism spawns new ones. Unconstrained by objectivity, tradition, reason, or morality, these new faiths differ radically from Christianity. They draw on strains of the most

ancient

and

primitive

paganism.

Even

the

deconstructionists speak in mystical terms… ”. There are serious implications for responding to the changing cultures of our times. Mercadante (2008:10) believed youth ministry is not only transitioning to a new generation of youth, but we are also experiencing an epistemological passage from a modern to postmodern understanding of the world. While Boomers were born into the height of modernity, Millennials are indigenous to the postmodern era 59. The implications of this way of thinking are profound. The church has to look a lot more like Jesus in order to attract postmodern Millennials. Mercadante (2008:12) contests that ‘The Church, as “the treasury of truth” may be attractive to the modern mind, but leaves post moderns lacking. Post moderns are looking for the Church to live, be an example of, and embody the gospel message. Evangelization, practiced as the proclamation of Jesus, may have to give way to “immanuelization,” where our communities of faith are the presence of Jesus to the world.’ This is why so many of the young people are attracted to service. Young people profoundly encounter Jesus through identifying with his mission and through the eyes of those they serve, almost reversing the conventional order of spiritual growth. These same young people are attracted to ‘Pentecostal Movements’ and the ’New Monasticism’ offered by ‘Emerging Protestant Churches’. Summary There is an opportunity for youth ministers to make better use of the apologetic approach but only if they are ready and ultimately trained to do so. As we have seen the need for apologetics is huge with young people but they also want authentic leaders, like Pope John Paul II who they loved. 58

Gene Veith, Jr., Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture [Wheaton: Crossway, 1994] p 193 59 Boomers and Millenials are names given to youth culture at different times, Boomers children of the 60’s and 70’s and millenials 90’s and 00’s

John Paul had the ability to state ideals forthrightly without closing off openness toward the other perspective regardless of the other's religion or lack thereof. Like the youth of today, John Paul seems to respect, as something sacred, religious faith and moral commitment wherever he finds it; without wanting to minimise the problems or real inconsistencies in the position of young people. In their abiding affection for Catholicism, coupled with openness toward other faiths, could we not see an intuition, not of relativism, but of a religious alternative to the indifferentism of secular culture? This means that the evangelization of our youth should be aimed, not at undoing the inconsistency and indifference that is experienced by many, but about engaging in a new way; a New Evangelisation that involves all baptised Catholic’s as co-responsible ‘artisans for renewal’ in the Church.

Before beginning this study, it is worth noting that the researcher has found it very difficult to identify any previous research or study relating to apologetics in youth ministry. There are also gaps in research relating to Catholic youth ministry in Ireland and the best account of this is by Gerard Gallagher. There is also an absence of any historical account of apologetics in Ireland and it is possible, with St Patrick’s conversion of the pagans and the modern quasi-religious conflict in Ireland there is ample evidence of apologetics taking place. The purpose of this study is thus to start a conversation with apologetics being at the heart of evangelisation and catechesis in youth ministry.

Chapter 3 Research Methodology Howard and Sharp (1983:8) define research as â&#x20AC;&#x153;seeking through methodical processes to add to bodies of knowledge by the discovery or elucidation of non-trivial facts, insights and improved understanding of situations, processes and mechanismsâ&#x20AC;&#x;. Research uses reasoning to create experience and that experience tests the reasoning. A key aspect of research is its systematic and often meticulous approach to the establishment of fact and new conclusions. Cohen and Manion (1998:12) concluded that research is the combination of both reasoning and experience and must be regarded as the most successful approach to the discovery of truth. A Qualitative Approach

There are a few different social research methods used in this research which makes it difficult to determine whether or not this research is quantitative or qualitative. A questionnaire will be used as part of the study and one may consider that the research will inevitably be quantitative. However, whilst Denscombe (2003) acknowledges that quantitative research is concerned with numerical data and statistics; however, it is important in this research that the study has a resounding qualitative edge. Tesch (1990) states there are common elements and two strands in understanding qualitative research. Firstly the concern for meanings and the way in which people understand things and secondly the concern with patterns of behaviour. These elements are important to consider in this study as questions may mean one thing to someone and something else to another, for example, asking someone if they believe in God, they may say yes but the reality is they do not believe in the God of the Bible. During focus groups it was important to keep this in mind. The added quality of data received in interviews and focus groups can give the researcher valuable insights or make them aware of blind spots in their own approach to the study. Haralambos and Holborn (2002:31) point out that qualitative research is much more likely to present a true picture of young peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ways of life, experiences, attitudes and beliefs; which is an important aspect of this research. A multi-method approach can add richness to research by producing figures, statistics and insights that are attractive to educators and policy makers. Cohen and Manion (1998:87) defined triangulation as the use of two or more methods of data collection in the study of human behaviour. A multi method approach of focus groups, semistructured interviews and questionnaires will help with triangulation. Denscombe (2003) argues that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;seeing things from a different perspective and the opportunity to corroborate findings can enhance the validity of dataâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. However, they may not provided definitive proof but they do give some confidence that the meaning of the data has some consistency across methods and that the findings are not closely tied up with a particular method used to collect data. Laws (2003) cited in Bell (2005:29) points out that whilst using the triangulation approach the data may not match at all. Cohen and Manion (1998) confirm that confidence can only be achieved as far as normative research is concerned when different methods of data collection yields substantially the same results. The researcher believes there will be a direct correlation between the different

quantitative and qualitative data collected. Reliability and Validity Bell (2005:24) argues that whatever procedure for collecting data is selected, it should always be critically examined to assess to what extent it is likely to be reliable or valid. Reliability is the extent to which the procedure produces similar results under constant conditions on all occasions. For example would you get reliable responses to a questionnaire if you told the youth group before the focus group that their opinions didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really matter. Wragg (1980:13) questioned whether two interviewers would get identical responses whilst using the same procedure or process. Though it is unlikely that they would get similar responses and many variables are at work in the interviewee environment, it is important that all procedures are consistently followed to return reliable data. Denscombe (2003:37) sets out the measures to be employed to safeguard the reliability of research. He argued that by designing the research methods to be neutral in effect, reliable data can be created. The researcher took this into consideration during the design of questionnaires and interview schedules and made sure appropriate language was used. It was important to be neutral especially during the interviewees with those leading youth ministry as I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want anyone feeling threatened in anyway by questions.

Denscombe (2003:37) offers reassurance though by

suggesting reliability can be proven by providing accounts of the aims of the research and its basic premises, how the research was undertaken and the reasoning behind the key decisions.

Validity is a much more complex concept in research than reliability and difficult in that sense to accurately define. Sapsford and Jupp (1996:67) see validity as the design of the research to provide credible conclusions; whether the evidence that the research offers can bear the weight of the interpretation that is put on itâ&#x20AC;&#x;. In other words does the research do what it says it does; and are its conclusions an accurate outcome to the structures and procedures that are in place. Action Research The researcher chose action research as the strategic approach as he is currently involved in faith based community youth work. This adds an

important

dimension

the

research

can

informative,

transformative, and participative experience. Action research can also improve practice in the chosen study area. However, Edwards and Talbot (1994) argue that practitioner research can only be called action research if it is carried out by professionals who are engaged in researching, through structured self reflection, aspects of their own practice as they engage in practice. I can affirm that I am continuously involved in ongoing professional development and reflect practice. Denscombe (2003:72) sets out four features of action research. Firstly it should be concerned with practical real life issues or problems. Secondly it is about bringing improvement or change to these issues or problems so we respond more effectively to these issues. Thirdly it is characterised by a cyclical approach where learning, evaluation and self reflection are taking place; such as the Kolb Learning model which the researcher embraced. The final aspect of action research is active participation by the researcher. Denscombe (2003:74) mentions that from the very beginning; action research was involved with practical issues. The kind of issues and problems, concerns and needs, which arise as a routine part of activity in the real world. This study reflects on the real world: 1. the contribution of youth ministry and its priorities. 2.

Young peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s understanding and

challenges of the Catholic faith and 3. Youth Ministry approaches to apologetic issues. Cohen and Manion (1998) state action research is an approach which is appropriate in any context when specific knowledge is required for a specific problem in a specific situation, or when a new approach is to be grafted on to an existing system. Action research is a good research strategy for those who have identified a problem or issue that needs investigated and hopefully leads to improvement or recommendations been made to practice in that area. Bell (2005:47) confirms that this is particularly important if the issue has been highlighted within a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s everyday work or field. The research has evolved from the researchers experience within Catholic youth Ministry; where youth ministers donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the answers and young people have lots of questions. Action research provides a way forward for the professional which, while it entails a certain degree of reflection, adds the systematic and rigorous collection of data to the

resources the professional can use to achieve the improvement in practice (Denscombe 2003:75) and this is what I am hoping the study will achieve. Sample profile The sample used in the study includes young people and youth ministers involved in youth ministry contexts, in parishes, religious orders and the Diocese of Down and Connor. In total 66 young people took part in the study. I have gained permission and access for each of the groups through their youth minister. The eight Youth ministers who were involved in the semi-structured interviews come from different backgrounds and have vast experience in youth work, youth ministry. I also conducted a semistructured interview with Bishop Donal McKeown who is the Chair of the Irish Bishops Conference for youth ministry and the co-author of the Framework Document for Youth ministry produced in 2009 and the ‘Building faith in young people’ document produced in 2005 by the Irish Episcopal Conference. Methods of data collection As Cohen and Manion (1998) mention the benefits of triangulation the researcher has used three methods of data collection to enhance his confidence in the findings. The rationales for the three methods employed are outlined below.

Questionnaires for young people (appendix 2) Questionnaires were chosen initially as a method of data collection because they were easy to use, economic and they are familiar to the young people who often fill out questionnaires or surveys in school, on the internet or in magazines. However the researcher chose the questionnaire method to collect quantitative data quickly and hopefully to justify and correlate with the qualitative findings. It’s not just as easy as designing a questionnaire handing it to the sample. Cohen and Manion (1998) commented that a questionnaire must be constructed in a way which is “clear, unambiguous and uniformly workable. Its design must minimise potential errors from respondents…engage their interest, encouraging their co-operation and eliciting answers as close as possible to the truth”. The

researcher had designed the questionnaire with this in mind and the action research strategy allowed a certain degree of trial, error and improvement that went on during the questionnaire process of the research. A copy and schedule of the questionnaire and the process is found in (Appendix 2). The concept of size of sample often arises within research in order for the sample to be adequate and stand up to scrutiny. Cohen and Manion (1998) suggest that a “sample size of 30 is held by many to be the minimum number of cases if the researcher plans to use some form of statistical analysis to his data”. Denscombe (2003:113) states there are many benefits of a data collection method such as a questionnaire. Economically they bring in a high amount of data for a low cost. Questionnaires supply standardised answers as all respondents get the same questions and the idea of giving pre-coded answers for the respondents allows a speedy collation and analysis of data by the researcher. However on the other hand pre-coded answers may cause frustration or help the researcher’s bias. For example, do you believe in God, Yes or No may not be enough options for some people. The honesty can never be measured in a questionnaire and it is one of its major downfalls as a tool to collect accurate data. Burns (1990) also points out that there is a difficulty of securing an adequate response whilst an inherent difficulty is the lack of interaction and whether those given the questionnaire would interpret and understand the questions being asked. To dispel Burns (2000) thoughts the researcher distributed the questionnaire to a small sample group and made the changes necessary after hearing their interpretations or difficulties with the questionnaire. Focus Groups (appendix 1 & 6) Young adults aged 18-25 were involved in this form of qualitative research in an informal group work setting. There will be a baseline focus group held at the beginning of the study and an evaluative focus group at the end of the study. To determine if youth ministers adequately addressed some of the views from the initial focus group. The focus groups carried the main themes of the research and the questionnaire with the researcher using a broad focus groups structure and questioning (see appendix1). The researcher used Wilson’s (1997) model

for focus groups which outlines the following common elements: a small group of 4-12 people; a trained researcher/facilitator; a meeting of between 1-2 hours; selected topics identified; a non threatening environment; an exploration of the participants perceptions, attitudes, feelings, ideas and encouragement and utilisation of group interactions. Bell (2005) states that in the formation of a focus group there is an intention that the participants will interact with each other. Hayes (2000) also warns about the dangers of the groups not being carefully balanced. It was also important to identify a good gender balance of individuals prior to their involvement as Denscombe (1998) warns about young men hogging the centre stage. The venues where the focus groups took place were considered safe by the participants after consultation with the researcher. Bell (2005) confirms that it is crucial that there is a safe environment and that it is comfortable in order that the group engages fully. For example, exploring faith with a priest or parent in the room may impact reliability.

According to Bell (2005) focus groups have one clear advantage. They enable the researcher to interview several people at once. This is far less time consuming than individual interviews. The fact that it means several different perspectives are being given on a topic is very valuable. It also supports Zellerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (1993) theory that one of the major opportunities of focus group research is the exploration of sensitive topics. This approach enabled participants to share more freely and express their feelings, thoughts and perspectives in a supportive and safe environment.

The size of the group may be important in terms of getting accurate data collection. Denscombe (2003:118) warns of the possibility that people will be reluctant to disclose thoughts on personal or sensitive matters or the more extrovert characters may affect proceedings. Robson (1993:67) also warns of the situation developing where an individual regards their opinion as different to the groups causing them to be quiet or have a watered down opinion. However, the researcher was prepared for this and used his group work skills and observation skills to observe participant body language and respond when space or interventions were needed; whilst making sure the task was complete and that all participants had participated.

Semi-Structured Interviews (Appendix 3 & 5 ) The interviews were central as part of the triangulation process. The researcher followed up aspects of understanding and themes arising from the questionnaires and focus groups. Bell (2005:89) highlights the advantages of semi structured interviews; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A skilled interviewer can follow up ideas, probe responses and investigate motives or feelings, which a questionnaire can never doâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Bell (2005:90) noted that where specific information is required, it is generally important to develop structure in the interview. The structure may limit the data collected. However the data will be more precise and this will add to the reliability of the research. It was important to take environmental factors into consideration during interviews; such as seating, warmth and safety of venue. Denscombe (2003:67)

confirms

privacy

and

seating

arrangements

that

allow

comfortable interaction are important. There is a disadvantage with interviews as they can be time consuming as they involve spending long periods of time with a small selection of individuals. This is one of the downfalls of interviewing but they provided rich data for the researcher. The interview structure and schedule can be found in Appendices. Ethical considerations The young people and participants were paramount to the research and this meant that ethics were vital in safeguarding their well being. Safeguarding their well being requires direct and indirect action by the researcher. Denscombe (2003:103) comments, researchers should operate with honesty and integrity. These values are important in building trust and receiving accurate data from the sample. Honesty is a difficult attribute to convey to the participants but the researcher always tried to operate with honesty, integrity and embracing the core values of Youth Link. During the data collection it was important to be honest will all the participants about what the research was about and why the researcher was carrying it out. This enabled the sample to have an understanding of the research and its projected outcomes. It also allowed a transparent process to develop within the research. Whilst transparency is important; ethically the research should be actively seeking the informed consent of the participants.

Connolly (2003:51) and Denscombe (2003:116) both highlighted the importance of respecting the rights and dignity of participants. The sensitive nature of the study and the context of it taking place within the Church environment; ethically it was important to obtain the samples informed consent. To address the ethical concern of informed consent the researcher informed participants of the purpose of the study and why they felt an input from them would be valuable. Each participant was also made aware that they should feel free to ask any questions that came to mind in relation to the study. Bell (2005:119) draws attention to good practice or protocol to enable informed consent. Participation was voluntary and participants were free to refuse to answer any questions and withdraw from the interview at any time. The researcher whilst not having a set protocol briefed each participant prior to doing questionnaires on the study and about their participation in it. It was vital to make sure while there is consent; confidentiality isn’t breached so there was a brief contract during focus groups. The researcher informed participants that their anonymity would be protected by keeping all quotes from the data retrieved anonymous. The participants of focus groups and interviews were told that audio tapes would be destroyed 30 days after recordings. The researcher also felt it was good practice to instruct the group for confidentiality reasons to abide by the rule “what you hear here, what you see here, when you leave here let it stay here”. This was to ensure any sensitive issues are kept within the focus group rather than leaving participants vulnerable when they leave. This was a reality in one case when one young adult who was gay talked about how they felt about Church. As Denscombe (2003:116) points out, “it’s the researcher’s job to avoid any painful experiences of the participant being exposed without adequate and appropriate means of resolving any sensitive issue.

Chapter 4 Presentation and Analysis of Findings The data collected during the study returned rich quantitative and qualitative information. The questionnaires, interviews and focus groups helped to give a better understanding of faith, perspectives and experiences of young people and youth leaders involved in youth ministry. The research has produced many finding which are relevant to this study and will be thematically presented and critically analysed in this Chapter.

Background of respondents Firstly, it is important to contextualise the study with some background statistics. In total 75 people took part in the study that number includes the 8 Youth ministers and Bishop Donal McKeown. The participants came from a range of different youth ministry contexts: including urban/rural parish, religious communities, diocesan and several faith based organisations. This gave a broad scope of the reality on the ground for many of the young people and their leaders. Initially, the researcher had aimed to involve 80 young people in the study but this fell short due to several reasons including: time availability, commitments and the fact that those under-18 years of age were not asked to participate in the study due to ethical considerations.

Young People involved in the research less than 1 year

1-3 years

4+ years 21-25 years old

18-20 years old

Male Female

Gender of young people

Age range of young people

How Long have you been involved in Catholic Youth Ministry

One interesting characteristic of the participants is the gender break down with two thirds of respondents female. This is in no way reflective of the demography of the local areas but possibly suggests that young women are more interested in faith matters than males. However, gender based participation in faith based youth work should be of some concern to all those involved. Where are the young men? Maybe the preventative educational approach of St John Bosco is missing in youth ministry or maybe faith exploration is seen as a more stereotypically female thing to

do; again where are the male role models in our society and is this a new phenomena? Recent research by ‘Lifeway’ found that over 70 percent of the boys who are being raised in church will abandon it during their teens and twenties and many of these boys will never return 60. Set this against the backdrop of the New Atheist Movement being a ‘boys only club!’

and

we are left with some interesting debate, especially in regards to the theme of this study. We will draw out some of the implications of young men not participating and the rise of the New Atheism. The age range and longevity of respondents are indicative of the youth ministry projects asked to participate in the study’s ability to engage with young adults and to keeping them interested and involved in ministry. This would seem contrary to the recent Benedictus

report which was

endorsed by Bishop Donal McKeown and presented by a selection of young adults in the diocese who concluded that there needed to be more communication about what’s happening, outreach to young adults and opportunities for Catechesis. However, it is evident from the Benedictus report that young adults in the diocese are thirsty for Catechesis and evangelisation in this year of faith. Share the Good News (2011) states young people must be not merely receivers of evangelisation but active participants so it is important to involve youth in this important area 63. There is also the stark reality to be faced in youth ministry in Ireland which Archbishop Darmuid Martin (2010) concedes "young Irish people are among the most catechised and the least evangelised” 64. These are strong words by one of the most outspoken leaders in the Irish Church and they resonate with the thoughts of Gerard Gallagher in his (2005) book, Are We Losing The Young Church? Youth Ministers involved in the research

Research carried about my Lifeway in American and featured in an article on http://churchformen.com/menand-church/where-are-the-men/ 22/04/13 61 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/26/new-atheism-boys-club 62 Benedictus, (2013) Diocese of Down and Connor http://www.downandconnor.org/blog/2013/02/22/1february-2013-benedictus-report-young-adult-ministry/ 63 Share the Good News: Irish Directory for Catechesis: Irish Bishops Conference 64 Archbishop Martin speaking at an Oder of Malta function in2011: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=26390

The youth ministers who were interviewed came from a broad spectrum of the Church and there was diversity within the group, pertaining to age, gender and experience. The one note of caution was the number who had not received any specific Catholic youth ministry or theology training. Four of

the

participants

had

experienced

the

Youth

Ministry

Studies

Programme . Some of the others had secular youth work training and a keen interest in youth ministry, but is this enough. The current formation options for Catholics interested in youth ministry are inadequate and often miss the mark. The ‘Youth Ministry Studies Programme’ which is considered the mandatory training for Catholic youth ministers, according to one of the interviewees is “outdated, overpriced and not contextualised to the North of Ireland” and others acknowledged that it lacked practical assessment. There is clearly a need to review this training so that it can meet the needs of those youth ministers; many of whom have little or no theological or catechetical training.

Youth ministers were also asked: “Do you feel the Catholic Church understands and values the role of youth ministry?” They ambiguously responded; which demonstrates that there may well be a lack of understanding or undervaluing of youth ministry as a whole. One interviewee commented that “the Church has more interest in Catholic education and teachers”; another commented “Sometimes there is a tokenistic approach where they like to get young people along to certain events just to look cool or relevant”, and another commented “if it was a 65

A training programme model endorsed by the Irish Bishops Conference and modelled on the Renewing the Vision document by the American Bishops and adopted by number of other Catholic Countries throughout the world.

school report it would say “could do better”; finally, one youth minister said “it seems to be the Protestant Churches understand and value it more and what we really need to do is put the Framework document into action to prove they are serious about youth ministry”. I think these comments and perspectives bring youth ministry in Ireland into question and will lead many to consider whether youth ministry is necessary? Whilst this can seem quite negative, one interviewee did interject with some positive thought: “while the Church may appear to be aloof this is not the reality. Documents from Vatican II encourage engagement with youth, Pope John Paul II, initiated World Youth Days and wrote a letter to the youth of the world and Pope Benedict XVI gave young people the YOUCAT; and young people are heavily involved in initiatives and pilgrimages in Ireland and abroad”. Are the true educators, parents, priests and teachers or is youth ministry a valid method of passing on the faith? The challenge for youth ministers is helping others to understand youth ministry and value it; maybe then it will have the same parity of esteem with Catholic education.

Pope Benedict XVI in his introduction to the YouCat (2011:8) leaves a challenge for youth ministers and young people alike. He argued that ‘we must know our faith like an I.T. specialist knows the inner workings of a computer or how a classical musician knows a piece of music’. Pope Benedict XVI also goes on to say ‘we must know the faith better than the generation before us.’ Are these comments by Pope Benedict XVI idealistic and unattainable? Some of the interviewees thought these sentiments were slightly idealistic and were unsure if young people wanted to know their faith with such depth. It is important to investigate; do young people really want to know the inner workings of their faith? And are youth ministers able to give them a reason for the hope they have in Christ and His Church 66? Before we explore the thoughts of young people and further scrutinise the role of youth ministry, it is important to reflect on the initial baseline focus group which enabled the researcher to draw out themes and develop potential hypotheses (Appendix 1).

1 Peter 3:15 (NIV) the great apologetic mandate from St Peter shows us the importance for having a reason for the hope that is within us. Blessed Pope John Paul II also highlighted the importance of reason in his encyclical Fides et Ratio.

This raw data produced by this initial focus group has helped to establish the key themes within the research and has also given some focus and direction in regard to the questioning of youth ministers and young people in the study. An action research evaluative focus group was held at the end of the study and some of the suggestions were put to this group which will be analysed before the conclusion of the study. The key themes to be analysed will fall into three broad areas: 1. Catholic Youth Ministry in Ireland: Investigate the reasons why young people are involved in Catholic youth groups? Does youth ministry accomplish what it sets out to achieve? What factors are working to enable effective youth ministry? Are youth ministers and young people singing off the same hymn sheet when it comes to the priorities for youth ministry? 2. Challenging Beliefs: We will analyse the difficulties research participants face in their lives and exploring the difficulties they have about their faith. Briefly exploring personal creeds and the different things we believe about the Catholic faith. Reflecting upon post-modern challenges and the relevance of the Church in a rapidly changing environment. 3. Apologetics in Catholic youth ministry: Is defending the faith an essential part of youth ministry? Are youth ministers equipped to engage in apologetics? How common is it to engage in apologetics? How do youth ministers respond to the challenging reflections from young people? Are youth ministers effective in their response and what needs to be done to enable them to be more effective?

Catholic Youth Ministry in Ireland ‘…….an explicit ministry to young people is an essential, not an optional extra’ 67 (FDYM, 2009:4) Unfortunately, according to the research, youth ministry is still an optional extra and there needs to be extensive investment to implement the FDYM. As Archbishop Martin (2010) recognized: “Probably my greatest discouragement as Archbishop of Dublin comes from the failure of interaction between the Church and young people. I visit parishes where I encounter no young people. I enquire what is being done to attract young people to parish life and the answers are vague. Many experiments flourish for a while and then die out. Everyone knows that there is a missing generation and perhaps more than one, yet there are not enough pastoral initiatives to reach out to young people.”

There is some great work going on and some dioceses are currently carrying out audits of the current youth ministry provision existing within parish and faith communities. The reality on the ground is that they are few and far between; especially in comparison to the smaller protestant Churches in Ireland. Down and Connor, the second biggest diocese in Ireland only has 10% of its parishes engaged in youth ministry and some of that is supplemented by religious communities and new movements 69 . Bishop Donal McKeown, in the interview accepted that “we are at a transitional stage, moving from a place where the community handed on faith to one where we need to be more intentional about how it is passed on” 70 .

The Church can often make excuses for lack of action or

Building Faith in Young People was published by the Irish Episcopal Conference in 2005 and largely slipped under the radar. 68 http://www.catholicbishops.ie/2010/05/10/address-of-archbishop-diarmuid-martin-on-the-future-ofthe-catholic-church-in-ireland/ 69 An Audit of Youth ministry in Down and Connor in (2008) excluding Catholic youth centres who engage in more secular based youth work activities showed limited engagement in youth ministry provision. St Louis sisters, Redemptorist Community, Kairos Community(youth initiatives), Search and Youth 2000 are providing youth ministry on a para-church basis. 70 Bishop Donal is Chair of the Committee for Youth and Young Adult Ministry and a member of the Council for Education at the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference

implementation around pastoral initiatives in diocesan or national matters. GDC (182) outlines: “the Church, while regarding young people as “hope”, also sees them as “a great challenge for the future of the Church”.

It is no longer acceptable to blame external factors such as transitioning times or internal factors such as transitional leadership; but we need to put in place adequate systems and procedures that will enable one generation to pass on the faith to the next, young people are not just the future of the Church but the ‘present’. As Archbishop Martin (2011), sets the challenge: "We have to completely, radically change the way we pass on the faith…Our parishes are not places where evangelization and catechesis are taking place." 72 Anxiety about change can sometimes leave us with our heads in the sand but something alternative needs to be tried and tested as the old ways are no longer working.

To critically assess how faith is currently being passed needs a thorough investigation on the role of family, schools and teachers and clergy. However, for the purpose of this study it is important to primarily identify the contribution of youth ministry to the faith formation of young people. Through the questionnaires young people were asked ‘how did they get involved in youth ministry, their rationale for getting involved and what do they enjoy about going? What is interesting in regards to how young people get involved in youth ministry is the evangelistic nature of the outreach that occurs. The most common response by young people was the personal invitation or gentle push from family, friends, clergy or youth minister. This indicates that there are Catholic’s at work trying to create ‘intentional’ communities were catechesis and evangelisation can occur. Young people imply through their responses that whoever asked them to get involved also shared some sense of hope, joy and benefit for being involved in a youth ministry. For example, one young person said ‘my friend said it was good craic and you get to have many amazing experiences and that there are loads of nice people’ or ‘I heard another young person talking about it at Church and it inspired me to join’. There is something spiritual in terms of the personal encounter or invitation as it mirrors the ‘The road to Emmaus’ 71

The General Directory for Catechesis refers to two other documents to highlight these thoughts. (Gravissimum Educationis 2; Christifedeles Laici 46). 72 th Archbishop Diarmuid Martin in interview with Catholic News Service on May 16 2011 http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1101942.htm site accessed 03/04/13

story. It also highlights the essential ingredient of purposeful relationships in the evangelisation and outreach process. Fox (2005, pg 25) argues that ‘sharing the Gospel message is the deeper and more fundamental act of encouragement’ 73 at the centre of this invitation. Over 80% of respondents mentioned another person as responsible for their involvement in a Catholic youth group.

This proves that personal invitation works and it is a

significant step of pre-evangelisation

for young people. Respondents also

concluded that a reason for wanting to go was centred on two key themes; Curiosity and a sense of belonging to a community. What may be alarming is the fact that very few wanted to go to learn more about the Catholic faith or to experience a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. There may be evidence in an interest in “moralistic therapeutic deism 75” rather than Catholicism. However, this is somewhat intricately tied up in the intrigue and curiosity that led them to wonder, ‘what is the reason for the hope and joy that exists in my friends?’ One important factor in both the invitation and their acceptance of the invitation was the voluntary participation, young people actively involved in their own faith journey. Which leads us back to the age old question, is faith taught or caught? In Catholic schools across the country faith is often taught rather than caught but if religious education/catechesis involved voluntary participation how many would get caught and taught. Catholic religious education and catechesis in Ireland is changing rapidly and it is important youth ministry plays a complementary rather than subsidiary role in this process. All of the respondents agreed that youth ministry was enjoyable and they highlighted fun and friendships, safe space, deepening of faith, personal and

social

development,

expanding

knowledge,

new

experiences,

pilgrimages, living out your faith in action. It is quite clear that youth ministry is having a definite impact on the young people, but does it achieve what it sets out to achieve. Almost 90% of young people believed that all youth 73

Evangelisation from the inside out: bringing faith to the young human development 26/4 (2005 pg 25) T.C. Fox 74 Share the Good News: Irish Directory for Catechesis (2011, pg 14) highlights pre-evangelisation as a significant first step in the evangelisation process. 75 Moralistic therapeutic deism is a term that was first introduced in the book Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (2005) by sociologists Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton.

ministers should be trained in Catholic theology of some sort. This highlights the fact that young people believe that their youth minister should know their faith and be capable of answering difficult questions that they may have and it gives them authority and credibility when discussing faith matters. Almost 94% of the respondents agreed that their youth minister was a good role model and someone who inspires and influences them in their faith. This correlates with the research by Carotta and McCorquodale (2012) exploring ‘influencers’ in young Catholics faith. This study established that half of the young people (52%) believed youth ministers played a significant role in their faith development; with family members, especially the mother being seen as influential (73%); teachers (36%) and religious (40%) had less influence 76. This study shows that the influence of the family has not waned and it is still very much the first Church 77. Pope Paul VI in his encyclical ‘Evangelii Nuntiandi’ observed that people listen more to those that witness the faith in their lives rather than teachers of the faith 78. This is true as young people respect post-modern values of integrity, authenticity 79 and credibility. This is why young people find the life and example of Jesus Christ as attractive and meaningful; although there is an apparent disconnect when they don’t see this in their experience of Church.

The FDYM outlines four goals for youth ministry: summarized they concern the following: 1. Personal, social and spiritual development; 2. Becoming a disciple of Christ; 3. Active role within Catholic community; and 4. Catholic community overcoming prejudices they have of young people. A key aspect of this study is to determine whether youth ministers help young people to understand and defend their faith; hence the first two goals are of primary importance in considering the contribution of youth ministry to catechesis and passing on the faith. In the chart below, it is evident that all youth ministers interviewed agreed that their youth ministry provision helped young people to spiritually develop and to become disciples of Jesus (see Appendix 2 for questions). Upon reflection, youth ministers were in no way going to put themselves up for criticism by saying ‘no’ to either of these 76

Growing Catholics Factors Influencing the Faith Development of Religiously-Active Youth Michael Carotta, Ed.D. and Charlotte McCorquodale, Ph.D.February 2012 77 Familiaris Consortio 9 & 51 78 EN 41 79 Jones (2001, pg37) sees the move from relevance to ‘being rea’l. Arguing that young people want authenticity and a range of other post-modern values.

questions, but interestingly, half of those interviewed didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realise that there were goals for youth ministry within the Irish Church and again only one youth minister out of the eight was familiar with or had read all of the relevant documents within the Irish Church which referred to youth ministry 80 . This leads to bigger questions in regards to communication within the Irish Church on new pastoral initiatives and Episcopal documents or if they have any value on the ground. Youth ministers need to be informed and involved in the development of strategies, new models of working or documents that will impact young people; if not the Church could be accused of tokenism or just paying lip service to matters of youth. Bishop Donal argues that the FDYM â&#x20AC;&#x153;is not intended to be a dead document. It is one that will need to be discussed, implemented and evaluatedâ&#x20AC;? (2009, Pg7). If it is not a dead document the Church needs to resurrect its relevance and importance to those involved in youth ministry and also address concerns that the document has a lingering essence of the shared praxis model promoted by Thomas Groome 81.

Young people mostly agreed that youth ministry was meeting two of its main goals, however there were some differences of opinion but these

The Young Church (1985), Building faith in young people (2005) and FDYM (2009). Ex-priest Thomas Groome has been outspoken on many aspects of Church teaching and has been a advocate of the shared praxis model and promoting the hermeneutic of discontinuity.

were primarily down to the use of language

and young people seeing

themselves as responsible for their own spiritual development which resonates with GDC 183 which argues that ‘Young People are active participants in their own religious development’.

It is clear from the

questioning and responses that youth ministry is making a positive impact on the faith development of young people and enabling them to become ‘Disciples of Christ’. However, what is not clear is how youth ministry achieves this; the priorities that exist within youth ministry and to what degree young people have questions of faith addressed. Priorities for Youth Ministry The FDYM highlights eight elements for a well balanced youth ministry. It acknowledges that ‘though evangelisation and catechesis are at the heart of youth ministry, the presentation of the eight elements is not made in any order of priority’ (2009, pg 26). Catechesis cannot be separated from the Church’s pastoral or missionary activity as a whole (CT18)

and as such

the author of FDYM should not shy away from the fact that catechesis and evangelisation are huge priorities in the face of an absent, uninformed generation. Whilst the document doesn’t advocate priorities for youth ministry it is clear that there are many needs that are not responded to within the Irish Church and there is an obvious disconnect when comparing and contrasting what young people, youth ministers and the Bishop responsible for youth ministry in Ireland see as a priority and also their perceptions of each others priorities. The matrix model of the eight elements of youth ministry (Appendix 2.2, 3.2 & 5.2) is somewhat difficult to comprehend and this may have influenced the results and impacted upon the validity of these result even though it produces interesting findings. Denscombe (2002, pg154) argued questionnaires should avoid technical jargon, should be kept simple and questions should be vital to the research. However, technical or confusing the matrix may have been, the returned data clearly shows that there are differing priorities in youth ministry for all the key stakeholders.

During a focus group there was some discussion around being a disciple of Jesus Christ sounding very Protestant and some young people didn’t feel comfortable or fully understand this term. This is an unfortunate hangover from the conflicting theologies that exist within Northern Ireland. 83 Catechesi Tradendae 18

Priorities for youth ministry Prayer & Worship Pastoral Care Leadership Development Catechesis Evangelisation Community Life Justice & Service Advocacy 8

Rank in order of importance: 1 being of most importance and 8 being of least importance. (adapted from FDYM 2009) Bishop Donal Mckeown

Youth Ministers

Young People

One of the biggest surprises when conducting this research was that young Catholics want to engage with prayer and build a relationship with Jesus and to learn more about their Catholic faith through catechesis. Though young people struggled with some of the language particularly terms such as catechesis and evangelisation

, it was evident through their

conversations and responses that young people wanted to know the genuine truth about their faith and Church teachings rather than a social/community project as they can get that need met elsewhere. They wanted to have time for prayer and to be active participants in the liturgy and sacraments. It had initially been assumed that there would have been an interest in justice in service project as previous research conducted by Sowney (2011, pg47) concluded but his sample were schools based and not necessarily involved in youth groups, that may explain the disparity. There is also a direct correlation between what youth ministers see as a priority and what young people see as a priority, though this may be 84

The term ‘Evangelisation’ has some Protestant connotations and young people are somewhat hesitant to this word, so it was important to explain that its about telling others the Good News of Jesus and ‘Catechesis’ was a term many of them never knew but they thought it was something to do with the Catechism.

because respondents are trying to give the right answer rather than an honest answer. What is also interesting is how both groups value pastoral care, advocacy and justice and service as of less priority. When young people’s rights, equality and advocacy are at the heart of secular youth work models. Similarly, pastoral care embodies the Gospel message of Jesus who said ‘what you did to the least of my brothers you did it to me’; it embraces youth at risk and the vulnerable within society. If these aren’t seen as a priority for youth ministry than there is some sort of disconnection with our understanding for the Gospel. However, maybe the challenge with these aspects of youth ministry is that they involve action of some sort and maybe youth ministry is for the comfortable; Pope Francis has already challenged many with his servant leadership and unorthodox ways 85 . Maybe during his Papacy justice and service will gain greater traction within the church. Bishop Donal conceded ‘It appears that young people today don’t want to belong to a broad Catholic Church but a truer Church’. It is important not to analyse these finding without the knowledge of the whole body of research as it will become apparent that even though young people and youth ministers see prayer and Church teaching as important, there is a real contradiction when we identify the challenges of our faith in the study.

Whether he is rejecting the opulence or showiness associated with the role of Pope or washing the feet of young offenders in Rome? Pope Francis has stirred the hearts and minds of many.

Perceptions of youth ministry priorities e i g Prayer & Worship h Pastoral Care t Leadership Development e l e m e n t s

Bishop Donal Mckeown perceptions of young peoples priorities

8 5

Youth Ministers perceptions of young peoples priorities

Catechesis

Evangelisation 1

Community Life

Young People perceptions of Youth minister priorities

Justice & Service

Advocacy 0

Rank in order of how they perceived priorities: 1 being of most importance and 8 being of least importance

From the above chart we can see that there is a significant divergence of views on the perceptions of the priorities for youth ministry. The implications for these perceptions may not be clear from the offset but they become apparent when we see what youth ministry activities and initiatives are delivered in parishes and faith based groups. For example, youth ministers think young people want initiatives centred on justice and service, advocacy and community life and thus programming is often about ‘doing or discussion’ rather than ‘experiencing or learning’. Youth ministers may get caught up in programmes such as building houses in Africa, shoe-box appeals for Romania and cleaning up the local park or maybe its leadership training, teambuilding, fun and icebreakers. There is a danger that young people may get involved in these things but like many projects they are time orientated and eventually end. Consequently, we have failed to meet their needs and merely kept them occupied for a term or two. However, we must also recognise that they will have been witnesses of faith in their communities, parish and family. Also a sense of purpose and meaning will have been nurtured and young people will have personally, socially and spiritually developed; thus meeting one of the FDYM goals for youth ministry. It is essential that we meet the needs of young people and through all our efforts we ensure that there is some sort of catechesis consistently

happening on an ongoing basis (CT18). For example, Catholic Social teaching when we are doing Justice and service projects, referring to encyclicals such as Humanae vitae when we are discussing challenging issues such as abortion/contraception or teaching prayers and traditions when we pray with young people. Bishop Donal humorously mentioned a young person who said he liked the smell of the ‘Tantum Ergo’ which shows we may give experiences of adoration but fail to catechise or explain the deeper mystery. Dr Robert McCarty (2005, pg 11) argued that we are ‘Experience rich and language poor’ in our youth ministry projects. We often enjoy what we do but don’t know why we do it or what it means. This has a similar parallel to the thoughts of Gallagher (2005) who contested we were ‘oversacramentalised and poorly catechised’. Smith (2005, pg112) argued that One way to gauge people’s interest in different matters is to track their language use. What do people talk about? How often do they use different kinds of key words and phrases? So maybe if young people are not talking ecclesiological language or lack the theological lingo, it may just be that they are not interested. Bishop Donal McKeown during the interview quoted the maxim of St Anselm of Canterbury “fides quaerens intellectum” which is faith seeking understanding. This is a good principle to have in mind when working with young people in youth ministry. It is important to distinguish between a superficial spirituality or moralistic therapeutic deism and a genuine quest for the Truth that is with Jesus and His Church. Another danger in the analysis of the confused perceptions each has of the other is the fact we are being disingenuous and possibly not true to ourselves in expressing our needs/priorities. Cardinal Sean Brady (2011) reiterated, “What is really important is that we have confidence in Jesus Christ, in his message and its meaning in our lives. Then and only then we can become authentic witnesses, handing on this gift to others and especially to our young people”.

Are we doing the things we don’t really

want to do and avoiding the things we do want to do because we are afraid what the other may think? Are we afraid to engage with catechesis and evangelism and to use an analogy from St Paul; giving milk instead of solid 86

Launch of Share the Good News: Irish Directory for Catechesis (2011)

food because we think they are not ready 87? This would seem apparent but youth ministers are only going by what they know and there is a lack of research or assessment on the actual needs of young people in Ireland. Whilst there was obvious divergence of opinion regarding evangelisation and catechesis; it was important to gauge whether youth ministers valued both. One of the supplementary questions asked of the youth ministers was whether or not they thought catechesis and evangelisation were central to effective youth ministry; they all agreed that it was vital and also agreed that young people should be actively involved even if they didn’t know what the terms mean. Young believers are called to be active in evangelization and “artisans of renewal”

and we know that Catechesis

cannot be separated from the Church’s pastoral or missionary activity 89. Bishop Donal in his interview also highlighted the importance of kerygma and considered catechesis as a moment of evangelisation 90 while also mentioning the importance of koinonia, leitourgia 91, diakonia and martyria 92. What is important is that catechesis engages with the post-modern youth and all the challenges that they are faced with today (Catechesi Tradendae 53). The FDYM may not be the silver bullet for all the youth ministry problems, in fact it is confusing with its goals, elements and themes. Cosmetic changes made to RTV and calling it the FDYM in Ireland seems to be lazy; but others say ‘no need to reinvent the wheel’. However, if the ‘wheel’ is not working maybe a new model for youth ministry in Ireland is essential; especially as the context

is different to USA. Gallagher (2012) argues

“I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready” (1 Corinthians 3:2 (New American Revised Edition) 88 GDC 183 ‘Therefore young people cannot be considered only objects of catechesis, but also active subjects and protagonists of evangelization and artisans of social renewal.’ (Christifedeles Laici 46; General Catechetical Directory 89) 89 Catechesi Tradendae 18 90 This echoes the thoughts of GDC 63 and also the highlighted six moments of evangelisation outlined in the Share the Good News: Irish Directory for Catechesis (2011) 91 It is worth noting that FDYM neglects mentioning the importance of liturgy and how to engage young people in this; also the introduction of creative digital liturgies and how this impacts the faith. 92 Martyria –our personal witness, the testimony of living Christian lives; Kerygma –our proclamation and communication, dialogue, preaching, catechesis; Leitourgia –our celebration of the Sacred Liturgy and the Sacraments; Koinonia –our fellowship of communion in Jesus with the Trinity and each other; Diakonia –our service, care of and charity toward others, particularly the vulnerable 93 Ireland has its own issues such as being a country were Catholicism is the main religion, religious conflict has tarnished the nation, child abuse scandal, rich heritage and tradition left by the Irish Catholic saints and scholars from years gone by and the huge missionary focused mindset of the Irish Church.

about a change in structure; “For too long, some of the methods and supports offered to young people emerged from a particular period in Church. Reality has changed and therefore some of these methods need to be discarded or updated.” 94 The Young Church (1985, p.20) gives us a more simplistic model for youth ministry “six graced roads to discovering Jesus as Lord”.

Any new model for youth ministry needs to be

adequately contextualised to the culture and needs that exist currently in Ireland. It also needs to address the challenges, apologetic concerns and issues for this generation. Challenges of faith in post-modern times Boran (1996, p8) argues that “the church is on the verge of losing the most important social group for renewal; young people! The evangelisation of youth is seen today as a question of life or death for the church” 96. The stark reality of terms like ‘life or death’ gives us a sense of urgency about hearing and responding to young people today. It was important for the researcher to understand the challenges that currently exist and all of the research samples were asked about the challenges of being a Catholic in a modern world, in order to determine the impact and influence of contemporary culture on our young people. The research sample were asked “Does the modern world impact upon your life and faith?”; not surprisingly all responded “yes” and with a retrospective glance at ‘Gaudium et Spes(51)’, we can see how the Church aimed to nurture the youth 97 in modern times. It is important to explore how living in the modern world impacts our lives and faith; Cardinal Pell (2006) argued that “Too many young Catholics have been led by the pressures of contemporary propaganda, whatever might be said about the inadequacies of family life and Catholic religious education”. 98 There is also the impact on personal, social and spiritual development by this iY generation who are consumed 94

Mr Gerard Gallagher speaking at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, 10-17 June 2012, Dublin, Ireland: “Where is the Young Adult Church Today? Tuesday 12th June 2012 95 The six roads are: Solidarity, Service, Sacraments, Sunday Mass, Scripture and Silence. 96 George Boran, Youth Ministry That Works, Paulist Press, New York, 1996, p 8. 97 PASTORAL CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD GAUDIUM ET SPES PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS, POPE PAUL VI ON DECEMBER 7, 1965 (51)”Various organizations, especially family associations, should try by their programs of instruction and action to strengthen young people and spouses themselves, particularly those recently wed, and to train them for family, social and apostolic life.” 98 Cardinal Pell speaking at an address to the National Catholic Education Commission’s annual conference 29/9/06 http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive//ldn/2006/sep/06092905

by technology. Archbishop Vincent Nichols, cited in Cassata (2012) accused Facebook of contributing to a sense of social alienation and the breakdown of face-toface communication. Archbishop Nichols told The Sunday Telegraph, “I think there’s a worry that an excessive use or an almost exclusive use of text and emails means that as a society we’re losing some of the ability to build interpersonal communication that’s necessary for living together and building a community.”

Whilst there is

truth in Pell and Nichols arguments, it can be easy to externalise all the blame when considering the impact of the modern world and focus on the negatives. Pope Benedict XVI given a different angle, “Young people in particular, I appeal to you: bear witness to your faith through the digital world!....Employ these new technologies to make the Gospel known, so that the Good News of God’s infinite love for all people, will resound in new ways across our increasingly technological world!" 100 it is important to see the opportunities as well as the challenges. Youth ministers were asked “what some of the main reasons are for young people not engaging with Church?” All mentioned the impact of hedonistic/narcissistic lifestyles and the prevailing secular, consumerist and nihilistic culture. It is easy to generalise and externalise the cultural influence but when pushed further some of the answers included: rejection of a parent’s values/belief/ideals, Catholic education, boredom, not being relevant, Catholic controversies and scandal, unsatisfactory answers to questions, poor catechesis, apathy, agnosticism and atheism. Similarly, young people agreed when asked the similar question and they cited the following reasons for youth not engaging with Church. The answers included ‘they are sceptical and don’t believe’, ‘too busy and it’s not on their radar’, ‘they have been hurt by the scandals and abuse in Church’, ‘don’t know about it and what It all means’, ‘they believe in God but you don’t need to go to Church to prove it’, ‘they see it as not being cool’, ‘no reason to go since they made their confirmation’, ‘it goes against their lifestyles’ and ‘they don’t feel welcome’. The fact that the Sacrament of Confirmation is colloquially referred to as a ‘Sacrament of exit’ is most disturbing but there are other pertinent issues such as inclusion, conflict with teachings, 99

Cited in Cassata (2012) The Catholic Answer; Jan/Feb Issue: Catholic Facebooking: How should a Catholic use social-networking websites? By Jamie Cassata 100 Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican City, May 20, 2009

coolness or relevance and sadly a real sense of a lack of evangelisation and catechesis. Recently in the media child abuse allegations, gay marriage and the abortion debate seem to be regularly newsworthy items and ways to attack the Catholic Church. It was pertinent to ask the research sample: ‘Does the portrayal of the Catholic Church in the media impact upon your faith?’ An overwhelming 89% believed that the Catholic Church’s portrayal in the media had an impact on their faith. Though some believed it had a positive impact and encouraged them to be more Catholic; others felt deeply challenged and confused. Bishop Donal McKeown spoke of a former Methodist President who said to him during the deep crisis in the Irish Church, “they are only lampooning you because you are the only ones left who are worth lampooning”. The ‘Beatitudes’ and in particular, ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted….for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven’

101

is some

consolation for those deep hurts that exist within the Irish Church. It is important to acknowledge the damage caused by Child abuse in Ireland and the thoughts of Pope Benedict XVI (2010) offer some solace: “I wish to offer you a particular word of encouragement. Your experience of the Church is very different from that of your parents and grandparents. The world has changed greatly since they were your age. Yet all people, in every generation, are called to travel the same path through life, whatever their circumstances may be. We are all scandalized by the sins and failures of some of the Church's members, particularly those who were chosen especially to guide and serve young people”. 102

Pope Benedict XVI remarkable letter to the young people of Ireland was unprecedented in the modern papacy and showed young people his genuine concern. Whilst there are the more significant challenges that impact our faith such as child abuse, it was important to explore the challenges and struggles that young Catholics and youth ministers experience in order to know how to respond. The research sample was asked, “What are the biggest challenges/struggles in regards to your Catholic faith?” A perplexed and pensive expression dawned on most 101

Matthew 5:11 PASTORAL LETTER OF THE HOLY FATHER POPE BENEDICT XVI TO THE CATHOLICS OF IRELAND; Chapter th 9 19 March 2010

102

respondents as they contemplated the challenges or struggles they face with their faith. It became apparent from young people involved in the study that their challenges and struggles were nothing out of the ordinary. Comments such as ‘faith not being cool’ or ‘Boring at times’ or ‘misconceptions from family and friends’ or simply not knowing their faith or unsure if they agreed with all of it or not. I sensed there was a slight degree of apprehension from the young people regarding the initial questions so the next question was designed to give them a bit of freedom in their response. They were asked what aspects of Catholicism do they think are challenges/struggles for other young Catholic’s? This generated a bit more energy and rapidity in the responses. Young people argued some of the same from above but other theological and ecclesiastical opinions poured forth. They thought other young people struggled with the following: •

Taking the Bible literally.

•

Rules and regulations in the Church.

•

Relevance of the Vatican and all its wealth.

•

Old men controlling the show.

•

Church hating gay people and not allowing gay marriage.

•

Boring sermons and an unwelcoming Church.

•

Attitudes towards young people.

•

Lack of opportunities in Church is different from Protestant Churches

•

Going to and understanding the Mass.

•

Contraception and spread of AIDS.

•

Religion and politics in Northern Ireland.

•

Catholic beliefs such as the afterlife; Saints & Angels, celibacy, miracles and concepts like the ‘Trinity’ and ‘Transubstantiation’. At the heart of some of these comments is underlying evidence of poor catechesis and religious education but also a failure on behalf of the Church to address some of these concerns. The challenge in interpreting data such as this is how reliable is it? There is a sense of ‘is ‘this’ really about ‘that!’ Are they masquerading some of ‘their’ challenges or struggles as ‘other young people’s’? Or are they being influenced by an aggressive secular culture which sees faith as not part of contemporary culture? Fr Groeschell cited in The Priest (2012:32) argued that young people “drift into a kind of indifferent agnosticism or to be taken in by the powerful and alluring secularism that our culture offers as a substitute for faith”. The

challenge for youth ministers is trying to get to the heart of the real issues, challenges and struggles and to develop an apologetic for some of these concerns. Interestingly, I asked Bishop Donal what he thought were some of the challenges or struggles young Catholics faced. He said ‘The challenge to accept the transcendent is a serious challenge for many young. They often find the transcendent in movies like the ‘Shawshank Redemption’ or ‘Les Miserable’s’

103

rather than the experience it in their Catholic faith”. This is

interesting as it could be an obstacle to self-actualisation

104

or knowing their

vocation or call in life which is linked to an encounter with the transcendent. He also commented that ‘Our society doesn’t encourage permanence in anything and that the focus on the individual, makes it very difficult for many young people”. Saddened as young people are compelled by relativism and the temporary allure of the new atheism; Bishop Donal agreed with Alistair McGrath who stated ‘atheism as a philosophy hasn’t created beauty’105. Whilst atheism may not have created beauty it leaves challenging questions for many young people who never experience God or the transcendent. Bishop Donal acknowledged that everyone faces challenges and struggles to their faith and for him his struggle was the failure of the Church to grasp the fruits of Vatican II. He argued that “the Church has been in defensive mode ever since the Reformation, managing the situation and managing the institution’. He suggested that if we are to help young people in their challenges and struggles “we must rediscover the mystery of Vatican II and the wisdom of Lumen Gentium: which highlights the mystery of God’s action in the world as a sign and sacrament of God being reconciled to the world”. The challenge is how do we help young people to experience the transcendent and encourage permanence in a morally relativist society. Youth ministers were asked to reflect on what they were challenged or struggled with in regards to their faith. For youth ministers a common 103

The Shawshank Redemption was a famous movie from the 1990’s exploring themes of forgiveness, perseverance and freedom. The Musical Les Miserable also captured the heart of the imagination with its themes of suffering and redemption. 104 Self-actualisation was a term used by Humanist psychologist Abraham Maslow when he discussed the hierarchy of needs (1967) which are particularly applicable to young people’s lives today. 105 Alistair McGrath argues in his book “the twilight of atheism” ‘What beauty has atheism created?’

denominator for most of them was a struggle with Church politics and the inner workings of Church. Similar to Bishop Donal’s comments about managing the situation and institution, there was a real sense of the institutional/structural church sometimes being an obstacle to letting young people hear the Good News. When pushed on this they talked about having to keep certain people on management committees or structures conciliated in order to get the job done. There was also a sense of trying to find a balance between the liberal and conservative wings of the Church and the labelling that sometimes occurs in regards to youth ministry projects. Youth ministers also highlighted as challenging the feeling of isolation when doing their jobs and several commented on the need for spiritual direction or non-managerial supervision to keep them motivated and on task. Carroll (1998) has described supervision as a ‘form of retreat’ and Rennie (1992) would say it is an ‘intentional reflection’ or ‘turning back on self’ and this may be necessary for youth ministers. They were also challenged by a ‘culture of apathy’ in the Church, a lack of volunteers and practical help. There was also the question of equity in terms of how certain groups or organisations seemed to be better supported by the Church. Another respondent commented about the difficulties they faced when they were ‘being too Catholic’ and the culture within the Church had almost made them apologetic for being an orthodox Catholic and respectively another commented on lack of training in theology to be able to answer the difficult questions young people or adults ask. When asked about the challenges and struggles of young people around their Catholic faith it appeared easier for youth ministers to respond to this question, prompting the researcher to consider is there some sort of transference between young people to the youth minister or vice versa. The youth minister’s rhymed off a significant number of challenges and struggles that included: •

Issues of gender/identity and sexuality

•

Scandal and history of Church in Ireland

•

Vatican wealth

•

Catholic education

•

Women’s rights, female Priests and the role of women.

•

Priestly marriage

•

Mass (understanding it, engaging with it, why do you have to go)

•

Not feeling welcome in Church

•

Contraception

•

gay marriage

•

Anti-authority and not liking the power or influence of Catholic Church. Youth ministers mention a range of challenges that exist within youth culture such as: underage drinking, drugs, anti-social behaviour, body image, sexuality, school issues, mental health issues, family breakdown, violence and anger management, cyber bullying, pornography, relativism, the consumerism of today, culture of celebrity, lack of role models in society, growing up in a divided society and identity confusion. When you consider the complexities of youth culture today and the difficulties young people face growing up it becomes apparent that a pastoral response is needed in dealing with some of the above before we can even start to help young people to develop a relationship with Christ and His Church. Young people were subsequently asked what impact growing up in the modern world has on their lives. Young people commented that ‘fitting in’ is difficult and staying up to date with the latest gadget, musician, TV show or fashion accessories. They also talked about the huge pressures facing them with the ‘economic depression’, university fees, parental financial security, studying, body image and uncertainty about the future. Young people identified technology and social networking as playing a huge role in their lives and one young person described ‘Google’ as the fount of all knowledge. Young people get their answers to life on the internet and the problem with this is that the answer may not always be correct and tragically websites such as ASK.FM have led to bullying, self-harm and ultimately suicide amongst young people. Youth ministers and the Church must engage in this cyber arena if faith is to have any counter-cultural influence in this post-modern world. It is evident by the responses of the young people that the Church isn’t engaging adequately or providing another way or is in no way appealing to the plethora of noise and influence impacting young people’s lives. This ultimately leads us to consider whether the Church is relevant to young people. Relevance versus Transcendence

Is the Church relevant in young people's lives?

Young People

NO YES Youth Ministers & Bishop

Selak (2013) argues that young people “want the church to ask the questions we are asking, rather than ones that seem trivial at best and irrelevant at worst. Catholicism can recover from mistakes, but one thing the church cannot recover from is being irrelevant.”

106

It is significant that

39% of respondents don’t see the Church as relevant, particularly because they are the committed youth that Boran (1996) and Gallagher (2005) referred to. However, the problem may be to do with the terminology and interpretation of what it means to be relevant. There may be different perspectives on ‘what is meant relevance?’ but probably the most pertinent questions are ‘why does it have to be relevant to young people’ and ‘how does it convince young people it is relevant?’ Do young people want the Mass to include hymns from Rhianna, the Roman Missal to include some slang and sermons to be fun and engaging? The danger and folly of youth ministry becoming entertainment is that it lacks credibility, authenticity and depth or substance. Shenk (1995), citied in (Jones 2001, pg 57) concluded that “the engagement of the Church with modern Western culture has resulted in the marginalisation of the Christian faith”. Subsequently, Protestant youth ministry has suffered in recent years with its postmodernist approach and there is a considerable movement in the emerging churches towards a new monasticism and a multisensory approach to 106

Annie Selak argues in an article entitled “the Church that young people want” that relevance is the key to winning back the lost youth. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/thechurch-young-catholics-want/ 14/2/13

exploring the Christian faith. Bishop McKeown spoke of the greatest challenge for young people is accepting the transcendent. Pope Benedict XVI (2011) also argued that we need to be ‘open to the transcendent’; 107 echoing the words of St Paul 108. We are apprehensive about giving young people the transcendental experience because we are worried that we might end their fun, and thus have them leave the Church. However, maybe we are misreading them and our understanding of relevance.

The recent Northern Ireland Young Life and Times study (2012), by the University of Ulster shows us that almost half of young people interviewed see their religious identity as very important, with a quarter seeing it as not important at all and the rest indifferent or not having a religious identity. These statistics may highlight a faith identity wrapped up in a complex conflict in a divided community but also point out that a considerable amount of young people see their faith identity as important and no doubt relevant. The challenge for many youth ministers isn’t how do we make the Church more relevant or fun, it is about how we have serious conversations about faith and doubt and also faith and reason. BFIYP (2005:4) states ‘many feel unable to have a serious discussion about their faith and doubt’…and subsequently ‘religious illiteracy is growing’. Maybe it is the case that in trying to be relevant we have been entertainers rather than evangelisers. It is about how we give young people the opportunity to experience the transcendent, to evangelise and to offer them a countercultural reality. Weigel (2013, pg 82), reminds us that “evangelical Catholicism seeks to be a culture forming counter-culture for the sake of the world, its healing and its conversion”. The ascent of the ‘new orthodoxy’

109

and ‘retro-actives’ 110 are some examples of the counter-

insurgency and Bishop Donal conscientiously challenged us to consider that ‘the respect for the diversity of God’s gifts will help more than the 107

Pope Benedict XVI Homily at Mass on the Occasion of the Compostelian Jubilee Year Nov 6 2010 http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=9454 108 Saint Paul who, in the midst of so many tribulations, setbacks and solitude, joyfully exclaimed: “We have this treasure in earthenware vessels, to show that such transcendent power does not come from us” (2 Cor 4:7). 109 The term ‘new orthodoxy’ identifies Young people who sometimes complaining of their wishy-washy substance-less catechetical training in the post-Vatican II Church, connect deeply with the faith, as well as the beauty of the Latin Mass and Gregorian chant, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and the Rosary. 110 Heather G Grennan (2011) defined young people who embraced traditional styles of worships such as ‘Adoration’, ‘Rosary’ and interest in ‘ecclesiology’ as ‘retro-actives’.

idolatry of the institution or dogma’. The ascent of the new orthodoxy has the danger of missing the beauty and diversity of the Catholic faith and focussing on issues of Discipline, Dogma or Doctrine. Claibourne, (2006, p.117) argued “Doctrine is not very attractive, even if it's true. Few people are interested in a religion that has nothing to say to the world and offer them only life after death, when what people are really wondering about is whether there is life before death”. Contrastingly, CS Lewis (1977):132), reflected that ‘doctrines are like a map are essential for the journey’. Dostoyevsky once said “Beauty will save the world”, young people need to understand the innermost beauty at the heart of Church teaching before they can live it in their lives. Personal Creeds for Cultural Catholics

Before moving on to the next section, I want to acknowledge rather than over-analyse the above findings. For me the most significant factor in these results is the fact that they are gathered from ‘committed Catholics’ rather than non believers. The ‘Amárach Research’ (2011:8), found that almost half of the Irish public don’t agree with the teachings of the Catholic Church and an Irish Times poll (2012) discovered many don’t believe in the main

tenets of the Catholic faith 111. This highlights the need for and importance of apologetics in youth ministry. For many years any Catholic who challenged Vatican teaching was labelled an ‘à la carte’

112

Catholic. Over the years, rising numbers of 'a la carte'

Catholics simply turn up at the altar for the sacraments like baptism, communion and marriage and funerals. Archbishop Martin (2010) controversially urged non-believers to walk away from the church. He said: "It requires maturity on those people who want their children to become members of the church community and maturity on those people who say 'I don't believe in God and I really shouldn't be hanging on to the vestiges of faith when I don't really believe in it'."

113

Archbishop Martin’s challenging

sentiments resonate with the concept of a ‘fewer but truer Church’ 114; but how many Catholic are ‘a la carte’ or as Bishop Donal mentioned in his interview; ‘ethnic Catholics’ 115 ? This is something that will need further study but it is no doubt one of the greatest difficulties in the Irish Church and has parallels with the ‘Parable of the Sower’ in regards to where the Word of God grows and where it struggles. However, Smith (2005:88) suggests that ‘the de facto dominant religion among contemporary teenagers in the United States is what we might call “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” The creed of this religion can be summarised as follows: 1. A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth. 2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions. 111

According to the Ipsos MRBI 50th anniversary poll in November 2012 in the Irish time http://www.irishtimes.com/news/catholics-beliefs-not-always-by-the-book-1.558571 112 an ‘à la carte’ Catholic was a term made famous by Cardinal Basil Hume for those Catholics who pick and choose what they like and leave the rest. 113 Archbishop Martin speaking on the RTE documentary ‘Would you believe?’ in 2010 http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/archbishop-urges-lapsed-catholics-to-leave-the-faith26800595.html 114 Back in 1971, then-Professor Joseph Ratzinger,now Pope Benedict XVI, forecast in his book Faith and the Future (Franciscan Herald): "From the crisis of today the church of tomorrow will emerge—a church that has lost much. She will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning. In contrast to an earlier age, she will be seen much more as a voluntary society, entered only by free decision." 115 ‘Ethnic’ or ‘cultural’ Catholics is a term used to describe catholic who go to church because that’s what Irish people do. They may not have a faith but going along to occasional services proves their allegiance.

3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. 4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when he is needed to resolve a problem. 5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

The danger of ‘moralistic therapeutic deism’ from an apologetic perspective is that it has infiltrated the Christian Churches and stinks of relativism. This mindset is popular amongst our youth. It manifests itself by young people having Rosary beads in one pocket and contraception in the other. This “I’m OK; You’re OK” attitude has even sold many books with ‘empty Hell’ theories coming from universalist thinkers 116 . The challenge for youth ministers and apologists is identifying it as it is often well camouflaged and masquerading as something else 117. Apologetics in youth ministry "Always be prepared to make a defence to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence" (1 Peter 3:15)

Apologetics in youth ministry Have you ever had to defend your faith? No

Were you able to defend your faith effectively?

Yes 0

We have so far explored the contribution of youth ministry, its strengths and weakness and the differing priorities for youth ministry that exist with the different stakeholders. We have also identified the many challenges and struggles young people and their leaders face in living their faith in a Church operating in post-modernist world. We have highlighted the divergence of opinion when it comes to Catholic teachings or beliefs. This 116

Rob Bell, a prominent Christian writer and Pastor has caused controversy in recent years preaching that ‘Love Wins’ and God’s mercy is so great, that we will all make it to heaven. 117 For example; a Catholic in support of gay marriage often directly cites Christ and his love for the marginalised and the oppressed without really deeply thinking about the implications to family life.

leads us to acknowledge past failings in spreading the ‘Good News’ and passing on the faith. Whilst evangelisation and catechesis are key to faith development in young people, defending the faith is also of great importance especially in the face of the challenges and adversity in these difficult letter

times.

The

great

apologetic

maxim

from

Peter’s

118

challenges us as we attempt to defend our faith with humility and

holiness. In this section we will explore the need for apologetics in youth ministry, consider some of the concerns from young and assess the responses of Catholic youth ministers. Ivereigh (2012, pg8) contested that “the Catholic faith ‘scandalizes’; it causes people to react strongly and to ask hard questions”. From the above chart we can see how prevalent the need to defend one’s faith is in youth ministry. Almost 9 out of 10 respondents had to defend their faith at some time in their lives. However, respondent’s ability to defend their faith effectively was poor with almost 4 out of 5 respondents admitting to not being able to give an effective apologia. These findings are somewhat contradictory as respondents have actually attempted to defend their faith, which is to be commended. However, there is an honesty in their second answer as they consider their response inadequate or lacking some sort of theological underpinning. M.P. Gallagher (1996, pg 6) suggests, we adopt a strategy of ‘how can I know all the answers when talking about something as profound as the mystery of God’. This is true as we often answer from our hearts without engaging the mind and thus give inadequate answers to key questions about the gift at the core of life, ‘our faith’. Pope Benedict XVI (2012) emphasizes that there is a real ‘need for an articulate, engaged and well informed laity… with the courage to counter a reductive secularism’ 119 and hopefully youth ministers intentionally engaged in apologetics can also help make a contribution to countering this rampant secularist culture. Responding to difficult questions During the initial focus group with the young people; several apologetic concerns became apparent. Even though the diversity of thought and opinion can be lost in such a summary; I have summarised these into ten statements for the purpose of the research. The following areas of 118 119

1Peter 3:15 Pope Benedict XVI during an address to American Bishops: January 2012

apologetic concern correlate with the statements/concerns of the young people: 1. Evidence for the existence of God 2. The problem with evil and suffering 3. The Bible and modern thought 4. The Divinity of Jesus 5. The Papacy and Magisterium 6. The Sacraments 7. Gay marriage 8. Sex before Marriage 9. Child abuse and Catholic controversy 10. Protestant misconceptions about Catholicism These ten areas were also mentioned as areas of challenge by the young people who took part in the questionnaires who highlighted the challenges and struggles of being Catholic. It is important to bear in mind that those involved in the research were not just the ‘unchurched’, but they were the ‘committed, conservative and confused’ that Gallagher (2005, pg 72) referred to. It is easy to say there is no need to have apologetics within the Church because it is full of believers; or that apologetics is for atheists or for dealing with Muslims. However, this is far from the truth as those involved in the study are the ‘committed Catholics’ who still have many concerns that have never been adequately addressed. This shows that even within Catholic youth ministry; there is a need to respond to these concerns effectively; such as explaining ‘a good and loving God’ to a young person who has a family member terminally ill with cancer or ‘why sex before marriage isn’t the best way forward’ or ‘how gay marriage damages the family’ or ‘how Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. If we don’t address these concerns, we will have committed young Catholics who don’t know their faith or how to defend it. In the study 90% of respondents wanted to be able to know and defend their faith. This shows young people want to ‘be ready’ to ‘give an explanation’ to those who ask for a ‘reason’ for their ‘hope and faith’. This shows young people want to engage in apologetics and are interested in learning more about their faith. All the youth ministers have had to defend their faith at some stage and again the all agree that their responses could

be better.

Are the current responses effective? The chart below attempts to measure the effectiveness of the apologetic responses from youth ministers in order to determine what can be done differently. During this section of the study we hear how youth ministers would respond to a young person with such an assertion.

Firstly, I asked them to rate how difficult each question was to respond to; on average most participants thought the assertions were between easy and somewhat difficult to respond to 120 ; which showed confidence in dealing with difficult questions. However, this disparity became apparent when I asked them how they thought they answered. Again, there was

120

The average rating for difficulty for all ten assertions by the youth ministers was 4; which showed that whilst the assertions appeared easy there was some level of difficulty in answering them.

honesty and overall they thought they answered slightly above average 121 but all agreed they could do better. The interviewees were subjectively rated based upon the apologetic responses given and those that were potentially available to them and they rated as just above average 122. It is important to briefly explain the rationale for the rating of the youth ministers and to identify some of the apologetic responses that were neglected before we can determine if presenting young people with the truth works. For a more in-depth discourse and analysis on each of the ten assertions with suggestions for improvements please see (Appendix 4). Developing apologetics within for youth ministry This was a controlled experiment and youth ministers were put on the spot and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have all the answers available to them right there and then. There were also many other factors that impact the reliability of this data; such as having a conversation face-to-face with a young person in a safe environment where there is a pre-existing relationship and you can get to the heart of the assertion or question at mind. In this situation, the youth minister knows how to best use their skills and what approach works with a particular young person. However for the purpose of the study there are several observations to be made from the returned findings. Firstly, it is noticeable that there is a lack of theological knowledge or language in the responses. Secondly, there are inadequacies in the practice of apologetics in terms of their engagement with the questions or approach; whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Socratic or dialogical. Thirdly, there is a conflict or tension between their response and potentially upsetting the young person with the honesty and truth of Church teaching. This makes you assume where their loyalties lie; with the young people or with the Church? Is it about defending the faith or making a young personal feel OK? Finally, it is evident that they have no training in apologetics or awareness of the potential benefits for youth ministry nor is it referred to in youth ministry models or approach. A fundamental theological weakness One of the most alarming observations gathered through the youth 121

The average rating for the response for all ten assertions by the youth ministers was 5.5. This may highlight an acceptance by the youth ministers that they have not got the perfect answer or could do with some help. 122 The average rating by the researcher for the response for all ten assertions by the youth ministers was 5.5.

minister’s responses was the lack of theological or ecclesiological language. This was apparent in the responses to the questions regarding the belief in God, the problem with evil and suffering and the Divinity of Christ. The respondents lacked some proficiency in terms of their explanation and understanding of fundamental theology. There was a missed opportunity to refer to the Catholic Catechism, Church documents, early Church fathers or other great ambassadors such as Augustine, Aquinas, Pascal or modern thinkers like Kreeft or Hahn. Again, reference could be made to Smith (2005) who suggested the language we speak is the language we know and where our interests lie or McCarty (2005, Pg11) who suggests we are “experience rich; language poor”. Speaking the right language is particularly pertinent in Northern Ireland; where there are challenges associated with theological differences. Therefore, it is important to have some understanding of basic Catholic teaching especially for those engaged in inter-church work or community relations who are at the cold face of difficult theological reflection and dialogue. This highlights the importance of having some theological understanding and ability to present the truth. However, this in no way means that the youth ministers failed to answer the question. They compensated for their lack of theological language or ‘Church talk’ by speaking with passion and conviction and using their own personal witness and experiences to back up their arguments.

Benedict XVI highlighted that proclaiming the Word is one of the three fold responsibilities of the Church 123 and there is no doubt that these youth ministers proclaim the Word of God daily in their ministry. However, Bristow (2009, pg8) argues that “Catholics need to know at the present time how to draw on the riches of their own Tradition to be able to confront the new issues of the twenty-first century, and explain that Tradition in the language of today 124”. The vast rich and beautiful heritage of the Catholic Church could be expressed to young people without them feeling dumbfounded or confused and it could be complemented by introducing the Catechism or YouCat for further reference and study. The fact that most of the youth ministers had little or no theological training highlights a major gap in their 123

Deus Caritas Est 25 Pg 8, Christian Ethics and the Human Person ‘Truth and Relativism in Contemporary Moral Theology by Fr Peter Bristow, 2009 FAMILY PUBLICATIONS OXFORD MARYVALE INSTITUTE

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formation. It also highlights that their employers may not see them as catechists or ‘passers on of the faith’ but merely as mobilisers or engagers of youth. Again, raising the question of where the responsibility of catechesis lies? Is it only parents, teachers or Priests that have the responsibility to pass on the faith or do youth ministers have a role to play? The future of humanity lies in the hands of those who are strong enough to provide coming generations with reasons for living and hoping 125; and if this is true, surely youth ministers are key advocates. Almost 90% of the young people questioned thought that youth ministers should have some sort of theological training. This would give youth minister’s authority on the subject, credibility and also underpins their practice with theological foundations and insight for pastoral issues. Pope Benedict XVI reminds us of the need for an articulate, engaged and well informed laity in order to counter the reductive secularism we see today. 126 Finding an apologetic approach ‘Socrates is a doer of evil, who corrupts the youth…’ (Plato, Apology, 24) Jesus may have been the quintessential master when it came to clever questioning but there is a skill in asking questions. One thing observed when asking the questions and monitoring the responses of youth ministers, there was a sense that they wanted to question the questioner rather than attempt to answer the question or to give a defence of their faith. There was definite Socratic approach being used to either educate or inform but I was unsure if this worked as it led to more questions than answers. Banks et al (2013) would argue that Socratic dialogue is integral for informal education in youth work and helping young people to learn 127. However, youth ministry is different from youth work and it is more like a process of Socratic evangelisation or catechesis that takes place. Thus, Socratic evangelism starts where the person is at, and works from there, in a steady, and often slow, progressive discovery of the truth. Barna (1995, pg115) lists many reasons why this generation is open to the Socratic method, including their love of talking and discussing ultimate realities, their 125

Gaudium et Spes no. 31 Pope Benedict XVI during an address to American Bishops: January 2012 127 Banks, S. & Armstrong, A. with Booth, M., Brown, G., Carter, K., Clarkson, M., Corner, L., Genus, A., Gilroy, R., Henfrey, T., Hudson, K., Jenner, A., Moss, R., Roddy, D. and Russell, A. (2013) Using co-inquiry to study co-inquiry: community-university perspectives on research collaboration, Journal of community engagement and scholarship, forthcoming 126

dislike of didactic learning methods and imposed principles, their need to have their feelings separated from the facts, the relational basis of the method, and the true ownership it gives to someone who discovers truth in this way 128. Barna’s thoughts resonate with the post-modern youth of this world that don’t seem to care much for the formal scholastic method employed by St Thomas Aquinas. However, Ley (2011, pg28) sees flaws in the Socratic approach and argues that the ‘how do you feel?’ or ‘what do you think?’ questions lead young people down a different path. Firstly, looking inwards and reflecting on their emotional responses and secondly, forming an opinion based on an inadequate explanation and understanding. There is a need for a more teleological

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approach that comes to a more

definitive conclusion. There is a responsibility that lies with the youth minister as a catechist; as a catechist is an educator who facilitates maturation of the faith which those being catechised obtain with the help of the Holy Spirit (GDC 244). One youth minister highlighted the importance of follow up and staying on topic. It may mean asking a young person about the granny who was sick with cancer rather than getting into theological debates regarding God’s omnipotence. Whilst it is good to get straight to the point with a teleological approach it is also worth journeying with the young person through a more dialogical approach through conversations, if time allows. It is important to remember as St Justin Martyr famously said ‘whoever can speak out the truth and fails to do so shall be condemned by God’ 130. This is similar to the story of the men on the road to Emmaus but the final outcome will be dependent on the relationship as Pope Paul VI contested ‘modern man listens more to witnesses than teachers’ 131 . All youth ministers had one thing in common in their responses and that was their ability to engage in the aesthetical approach. Whilst, they may lack theological prowess they made up for it in their ability to help young people see beauty. They were quick to point out the ‘fruits of faith’ whether that was living chastely before marriage or the holistic benefits to going to confession with a priest. They 128

Barna, George. Evangelism That Works. Ventura: Regal Books, 1995 Teleology was explored by Plato and Aristotle, by Saint Anselm during the 11th century AD, and later by Immanuel Kant in his Critique of Judgment. It was fundamental to the speculative philosophy of Hegel. 130 Dialogues were used in the early Church, for example, St Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho 131 Evangelii Nuntiandi 41 129

also pointed to the beauty of the Church and the rich heritage, liturgy and traditions and the examples of the lives of the saints. This approach appeals to the heart and it is more attractive than engaging in rationale debates over the existence of God or getting into the legalities of other aspects of Church teaching. Brumley (2002, pg34) argues “by reducing the case for Catholicism to rational arguments, the misguided apologist neglects many things that bring people to faith or help them to overcome their objections to it”. In C.S. Lewis’s last novel, Till We Have Faces, a character called the Fox, a rational teacher, comes to learn at the end of the story that mere reason is “glibness … a prattle of maxims … all thin and clear as water.” It was Lewis’s way of saying that reason was utterly inadequate when it comes to apprehending what he called “the richness and spirituality of real things”.

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This is so true and to take it a step further,

there is nothing worse or more damaging than an overzealous apologist telling the world about the splinters in their eyes and failing to see the forest in their own. The challenge for youth ministers is having the appropriate apologetic approach and strategy for each time they are called upon to make an account for their hope and faith and responding with gentleness, humility and holiness. Listening, loving and praying for the young people in their care should be central to the lives of an effective youth ministry. Divided loyalties One of the great challenges in youth ministry and especially engaging in apologetics is building and maintaining a relationship with young people. We have seen in this study 94% of young people see their youth minister as a role model. In regards to the apologetic responses, there was a real sense of not wanting to offend or ‘rock the boat’ or even alienate or lose young people through harshness or party line responses. There was a genuine fear in answering some questions head on and giving a definitive answer. This was particularly applicable to the questions relating to Catholic sexual ethics or morality. All youth ministers agreed that the Church doesn’t hate homosexuals but failed to acknowledge that the Catholic Church teaching, basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity 133 ; tradition has always 132

Michael Ward’s reflections on CS Lewis http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2013/03/04/apologetics-politics-and-our-moral-imagination/ 133 Gen 191-29; Rom 124-27; 1 Cor 6:10; 1 Tim 1:10.

declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered” 134. There was also some trepidation in regards to saying that sex before marriage is equally wrong or highlighting the dangers. Only one youth minister spoke of the emotion and spiritual damage it does to the whole person and the fact that it is a sin. The youth ministers seemingly collude with popular modern thought and neglect the realities of sin. Pinsent (2010) alarmingly contest, that many societies no longer promote the principle that sexual acts are for marriage and procreation

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and we definitely aren’t living in a prolife age;

and Kreeft (2001) argues that the most notable physical effect of the sexual revolution is death 136 . However, I don’t think the youth ministers are colluding with modern thought or that they believe that sex before marriage is ok. I believe their loyalties are somewhat divided causing them to sit on the fence. The inner most values and principles are centred on the young people and they do not want them to feel excluded or alienated by telling them the Church teaching and the deeper truths that exist within it. Pope John Paul II encouraged young people to ‘rediscover the wealth of wisdom, integrity of conscience and the deeper interior joy, which flow from respect for human sexuality’ 137. This is the type of approach that is needed from youth ministers; the approach of Blessed John Paul II who was able to bring Christ into the most difficult of places. Youth ministers in their practice embody some of the values of secular youth work such as inclusion, equity and equality and respect for diversity

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but sometimes when these values

clash with Christian values and principles youth ministers can feel caught in no man’s land with one foot in the Church and one foot showing solidarity with the young people. There may be divided loyalties but one thing is clear; that there is a judgement call being made to either tell the young person the Church teaching, delay telling them or telling them that you disagree with that particular teaching. A youth minister is deciding what is best for that particular young person and they can see the bigger picture that we cannot see for that individual young person. The ‘turn or burn’ 134

CDF, Persona humana 8 CTS, LUMEN 2010 136 There has been a rise in the number of sexually transmitted diseases, deaths through AIDS, abortion and increased infertility rates. More die through abortion than all the war deaths of mankind accumulated. 137 Pope John Paul II, speaking to the youth in his homily during the World Youth Day 1996, in Denver, Colorado. 138 DENI, Model for Effective Practice in Youth work, 2003 (CDU) 135

strategy

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does not have the same power as the call to love and as John

Paul II affirmed ‘the most profound longing at the heart of man is the desire to love and the desire to be loved’ 140. We all want to be loved and we all live in a world of brokenness. Offering half-hearted answers or half truths serves nobody and leaves the young people feeling unsatisfied or disillusioned. In a world of confusion we need clarity, where there is darkness we need hope and where there are lies and myths we need the truth. Through their love of Christ and His Church and the young people they minister to; and through the help of the Holy Spirit; youth ministers will be able to determine that Jesus is the only Way, the genuine Truth and the source of Life 141. Putting apologetics on the agenda From the study it is obvious that there is a need for apologetics with 90% of respondents having had to defend their faith at some point in their lives. The most significant aspect of this study was actually giving the youth ministers the opportunity to respond to difficult and challenging questions. This process for many of those involved helped to stimulate the desire to learn more about their faith. It also highlighted for others the gaps and inadequacies in their formation as Catholics and also as youth ministers. There was a real sense that they had not been adequately catechised which correlated with thoughts from Gallagher (2005) and Archbishop Martin. There was also a sense that they were kinaesthetic or pragmatic learners who learnt by doing and experiencing rather than being taught or trained. This further showed the inadequacies in youth ministry training. To date the researcher cannot find a Catholic youth ministry model or training programme that makes reference to apologetics.

There is also sense that the philosophical approach and reasoning skills were lacking from the skills set of youth ministers and as Blessed Pope John Paul II highlighted the importance of faith and reason in his encyclical

139

Infamously, the ‘turn and burn’ approach of Westboro Baptist in USA has damaged the Christian message of love with their offensive ‘God hates fags’ campaign. 140 This was one of John Paul II favourite quotes taken from Redemptor Homini. 141 John 14:6

Fides et ratio

142

‘faith and reason are like two wings on which the human

spirit rises to the contemplation of truth’ and interestingly he devoted his third chapter to the maxim of St Augustine, ‘intelligo ut credam’ (“I understand in order to believe”). Philosophy and reasoning are central to most theological, art, scientific or literature courses as they engage the mind and the soul and equally should apply to youth ministry. Robbins (2001, Pg78) argued their importance and that a discerning youth minister will be able to retool Piaget’s cognitive model or Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning to help with the engagement of different age groups in youth ministry and to develop these skills through conversations. Most of the youth minister’s knowledge has been self taught through reading books by Scott Hahn or Peter Kreeft or accessing websites such as Catholic Answers. One of the youth ministers realising their own inadequacies in regards to knowledge of the Catholic faith took responsibility by reading ‘Catholicism for Dummies’ and then purchased the Catholic Catechism and he has just finished the Jesus of Nazareth series by Pope Benedict XVI and is currently completing a diploma in theology. There is certain wisdom in these actions, taking responsibility for your own learning and engaging selfcatechesis to discover the beauty of the truth in our quest for God. Blessed Cardinal Newman who explored conscience and wonder as avenues towards God reflected ‘if I am asked why I believe in God, I answer that it is because I believe in myself’ 143. It is paramount that as youth ministers we engage in continued professional and personal development. If we believe in God, ourselves and the young people we work with it is important we are best equipped for the job and we help to evangelise and catechise our environments. It is up to youth ministers to put apologetics on the agenda. How were their responses received? There was an evaluative focus group made up of young people who took part in the initial focus group; the primary task was to reflect on the responses of the Youth minister’s. Firstly, I carried out a brief recap of the common apologetic concerns and then presented the young people with collated apologia from the youth ministers in an attempt to address some of their concerns. I asked them to rate how well they thought the youth ministers answers dealt with the concerns at hand. They rated the youth 142 143

Pope John Paul II (1995) encyclical Fides Et Ratio on faith and reason Blessed Cardinal Newman cited http://www.newmanreader.org/works/apologia/part6-2.html

minister’s responses as just above average at 6 (see Appendix 6), which begs the questions? How did they know what the perfect answer was when their own understanding was limited; it is possible that they were being hard on the youth ministers. I asked them did they learn anything from this exercise and they all agreed that they learnt something about their faith and that they enjoyed the opportunity to contemplate and discuss key aspects of what they believe because they never got the opportunity at school and you never get the opportunity at Mass. This shows a willingness to engage and to be actively involved in the faith. They wanted to learn more about their faith in the youth group and also wanted to know how they too can be supported in defending their faith when someone challenges them. Supporting youth ministers to engage in apologetics One thing is clear in this study, youth ministers need support; not just in apologetics but in basic theological training that underpins practice. They also need support in the practical aspects of youth ministry and the resources to carry out the job effectively. All youth ministers thought it was important to know the correct answer when a young person asks a difficult question. However, they also accepted not knowing an answer shows humility and humanity. They thought it was good to tell young people to research the answer themselves or that they would get back to them next week with an answer. The danger with this is young people may get their answers on Wikipedia or from another perspective or not come back to their youth group. Some youth ministers thought referral was good, whether that was a book, website or priest. Others recommended the ‘YouCat’ as an essential for every young Catholic. Youth ministers were asked the question ‘Do you think you are adequately equipped and supported to respond to thoughts and questions like these?’ They all responded ‘No’ based on the ten statements and their responses or lack thereof. They accepted that they need to do a lot of reading on their faith themselves and explore some of these difficult questions. It gives them integrity, credibility and authority if they know the faith that they help to pass on to young people. Some accepted that they had no or little experience with a Bible or the Catechism and wouldn’t feel confident speaking about the ‘in and outs’ of their faith. Training was suggested as the best solution for this but not just for youth ministers but all Catholics. All youth ministers

felt that spiritual direction and training opportunities or support in personal and professional development courses that are distinctly Catholic like Maryvale would be mutually beneficially and make them more informed and more effective. One youth minister poignantly summed up what he felt was needed; ‘an overhaul of the catechetical approach was needed not just in Down and Connor but in the Irish Church. It is embarrassing doing this interview today as I realise that I don’t know the answers to some pretty basic questions and I think to a degree my parents failed to teach me but who taught them. My school teachers taught me how to received the Sacraments and more about world religions and how to pass a test on Marks Gospel and my Priests taught me that it is important to go to mass every Sunday and give money to SVDP’. This sums up the sense of an over sacramentalised, poorly catechised laity and sadly gives a picture of how the family, education system and Church has let down a generation or two. We need to educate Catholics in their faith regardless of whether they go to a Church youth group or not.

We need to reconsider how we educate, catechise and most importantly evangelise Ireland. As Archbishop Martin reflected ‘Our Catholic education system is far from producing what Newman considered the characteristic of a Catholic laity’. Newman indicated: ‘I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it’ 144. But as Bishop McKeown mentioned in his interview that in the early Church it wasn’t just about intellectual ability but they had a passion, their hearts were touched. We need to consider how we continue this ‘New Evangelisation’ in an Ireland where St Patrick would have preferred Pagans who didn’t know Christ to those who reject all things Christian. The Prayer of St Francis is particularly poignant in these challenging times. How do we spread the Gospel message of Love in a world of hate; Hope in a world of hopelessness, Truth in a world of lies, Peace in a world of violence and healing in a world of suffering. 144

Blessed Cardinal Newman (The Present Position of Catholics in England, ix, 390).

We need to support our youth ministers to evangelise their environments and spread the Gospel message and if necessary use words.

Again,

Archbishop Martin notes a word of caution ‘The paradoxical thing is that the farther the Church goes in adapting to the culture of the times, the greater is the danger that it will no longer be able to confront the culture of the time. It will only be able to speak the language of the culture of the day and not the radical newness of the message of the Gospel which transcends all cultures. It could become a type of civil religion, politically correct, but without the cutting edge of the Gospel’. Bishop Donal laments, ‘if we stand for nothing, we may fall for anything’ (2005, pg8). This is the harsh reality of doing nothing or compromising everything; likewise youth ministry must reflect on these findings and the signs of our time in order to meaningfully pass on the faith to young people, and if necessary, engage in apologetics.

Chapter 5: Conclusion

As we conclude this study and assess the contribution of youth ministry and consider the need for apologetics in a post modern age; we reflect on the words of Pope John Paul II (1995) who shares his needs assessment: “This is what we need: a Church for young people which will know how to speak to their heart and enkindle, comfort and inspire enthusiasm in it with the joy of the Gospel and the strength of the Eucharist; a Church which will know how to invite and to welcome the person who seeks a purpose for which to commit his/her whole existence; a Church which is not afraid to require much after having given much; which does not fear asking from the young people effort of a noble and authentic

adventure, such as that of following the Gospel.” 145 The Preceding chapter explored the thoughts and experiences of the young people and youth ministers actively involved in youth ministry in the Diocese of Down and Connor and some reflections from Bishop Donal McKeown. The findings support previous research by Gallagher (2005) and Boran (1996) who expertly give an accurate account of the contribution of Catholic youth ministry in Ireland. The findings also give credence to recent survey’s 146 and research 147 which have explored the attitudes, belief’s and practice within the Catholic Church in a post-modern age. The research also highlights the disparity between knowledge of the faith and practice. Gallagher’s (2005) criticism of an ‘over sacramentalised and poorly catechised’ young church also reverberate across the study and we are left to wonder will the FDYM 148 and the Share the Good News

149

documents

ever be implemented or will they remain fruitless in their efforts to bring about change. One of the key aspects of this study was the action research approach that was taken. This approach was aimed at reflecting on practice in Catholic youth ministry in order to inform and improve practice. It is important to now highlight the key conclusions drawn from the study and also to reflect on how practice could be improved. There will also be consideration given to furtherance of this study through identification of key themes or issues that arose through the development of the research. The Contribution of Catholic Youth Ministry This piece of research was limited in scope due to the ethical consideration given to involving those aged eighteen and under in the study. The study loses certain richness and reliability as it doesn’t involve this key group and also misses out on the opportunity to hear from the ‘unchurched’ or those not actively involved in Catholic youth ministry. However, one thing that became apparent in the study was that most youth ministry projects have a

145

Pope John Paul II (1994) World Day of Vocations http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/messages/vocations/documents/hf_jpii_ mes_18101994_world-day-for-vocations_en.html 146 The Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI Poll 2012. 147 Research such as ICBC 2011, O’Mahony: Practice and Belief among Catholics in Northern Ireland and the Amárach Research 2011 148 FDYM set its intentions by declaring that it “is not intended to be a dead document. It is one that will need to be discussed, implemented and evaluated” (2007, Pg7). The proof will be in the pudding as it is a document that has not went beyond the discuss stage. 149 Share the Good News: Irish Directory for Catechesis (2011)

heavy reliance on young people aged 16-25 participating in their projects. This may be a disenfranchised group as the Benedictus (2013) report does suggest, but is it equitable that all our energies go into this age category. This shows not just a gap in provision but an over emphasis in involving those who are less likely to be regularly going to Church. It became clear that young people who participated in the study got involved in youth ministry due to the invitation of another person. This shows that evangelisation works and that a personal invitation is essential. Young people cited curiosity and friendship/sense of belonging as their reasons for getting involved. Very few mentioned to deepen their faith or learn more about the Catholic faith. This potentially highlights that Catholic youth ministry is too closely aligned to secular youth work and that young people do not go to Catholic youth groups to be spiritually fed or see catechesis or faith development occurring in elsewhere. There is a suggestion that some of the young people are interested more in ‘moralistic therapeutic deism’ rather than the Catholic faith. However, to contrast this, in general, young people agreed that they had become ‘Disciples of Christ’ through their participation and that it had helped them to develop in a personal or spiritual sense. This fact cannot be argued with as youth ministry is definitely meeting its established goals and youth ministers are to be commended for their hard work and effort in this matter. However, to what extent someone is a ‘Disciple of Christ’ or what measurement is used to determine how much a young person has spiritually developed. These questions would need further reflection and study to establish the reliability and validity of this data. One of the most significant findings of this study was the confusion surrounding the FDYM and also the different priorities of the key stakeholders. It is important to acknowledge that the question around prioritising the eight elements of youth ministry was complex and confusing. Also, asking people to prioritise areas is unhelpful as the FDYM states ‘though evangelisation and catechesis are at the heart of youth ministry, the presentation of the eight elements is not made in any order of priority’ (2009, pg 26). However, I think it was valid to ask respondents to prioritise youth ministry as all the evidence suggests that catechesis and evangelisation are missing from Catholic youth ministry.

The findings showed significant correlations between what young people and youth ministers thought in regards to the priorities for youth ministry. The startling realisation that young people wanted to deepen their prayer life and know their faith and evangelise surprised the researcher as other studies; particularly one carried out by Sowney (2011) suggests young people are more interested in social justice. However, later in the study, it became apparent that young people who didn’t know their faith, wanted to know their faith and in many cases were not given the opportunity to know their faith as the youth ministry priorities were elsewhere. This leads me to believe that the focuses of youth ministry priorities are wrong or energies are misspent.

The differing perspectives on youth ministry priorities

occurred when I asked the young people and youth ministers what they thought each other’s priorities were. It was evident that there was some divergence of thought and there was a noteworthy difference between reality and perception. This led me to believe that youth ministers were acting on their perceptions and that is why young people are not being catechised or evangelised and equally this is why young people engage in so many youth ministry activities that build community and keep them busy rather than developing a relationship with Jesus and getting to know the faith more. To play with the idea of a self-fulfilling prophesy; if we treat young people like they don’t want to know their faith or like they won’t want to engage in evangelisation or they won’t want to spend an hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament then that’s what we will get. Albert Einstein, once humorously quipped, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." It would appear that in Catholic youth ministry in Ireland this is exactly what we have being doing and a paradigm shift is needed to move youth ministry into the 21st century. The differing perceptions are also perplexing for youth ministers as when they compare and contrast the priorities and perceptions they will notice and accept the gaps and possibly acknowledge that the old way no longer works. We also need to work more collaboratively in ministry and see young people as co-responsible for the passing on the faith. 150

150

Donal Murray, Youth in the Church – A Shared Challenge, (Dublin, Veritas), 1985. “When one reads about the subject of Youth Ministry…there are two different emphasises at work. There are articles which are directed mainly towards clergy and religious and which understand youth ministry as an activity of adults aimed at the evangelization and

Challenging Beliefs in a Post-Modern Ireland: Throughout the research there was a real sense of tension between what the Catholic Church teaches and what Catholic young people think or feel about their faith. Clearly we are on the verge of losing the most important constituency in the Church, our young people. The importance of preevangelisation, the old evangelisation or the New Evangelisation takes on greater emphasis and meaning when we are faced with the reality of losing the young church. There is a need for the Church to renew its commitment to young people in more genuine ways. There is also the responsibility to develop pastoral strategies that are efficient and appropriate to postmodern needs that face people today in a changing Ireland. The research highlighted the fact that young people felt the burden and challenge of growing up today in a fast-paced consumerist society where God is merely a theory or a way to live your life. Youth ministers also acknowledged the challenge of ministering in these times when they are dealing with issues that did not exist in the past. The portrayal of the Catholic Church in the media was seen as negative and of having an impact on young people’s lives where they felt helpless in defending the Church. There was also evidence that young people are increasingly embracing relativism and an ‘indifferent agnosticism’ they think it sits comfortably with their faith. The concept of ‘moralistic therapeutic deism’ was referred to as young people today have a strong post-modern value base and moral code. Many of their beliefs are contradictory and in conflict with the teachings of the Catholic Church; but this does not change their love for their faith and their participation in Catholic youth ministry. The difficulty of ‘a la carte’ and ‘ethnic’ Catholics are referred to being a problem to deal with in modern Ireland. The counter-insurgency of evangelical Catholics; including the ‘New Orthodoxy’ and ecclesiastical movements operating in these difficult times shine some light in the darkness. The challenge is how you make dogma and doctrine engaging and interesting to young people who seen things through relativist goggles; maybe the introduction of the catechesis of young people. There is another set of material which sees youth ministry as an activity of young people themselves, evangelising and catechising each other…far from being opposed, these two must go together.” P.8.

YouCat is the perfect answer as it has generated a renewal of interest in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Briefly exploring personal creeds and the different things we believe about the Catholic faith it became apparent that apologetics in youth ministry is necessary and urgently needed; as some don’t believe in the fundamentals of the faith. There were also disparities between those who seen the Church as relevant and those who said it wasn’t relevant. The irony in their response is that whether they see the Church as relevant or not they still participate. Bishop Donal highlighted that the problem isn’t relevance but experiencing the transcendent which gives youth ministers a few things to consider about how they can make their youth ministry relevant and giving young people the opportunity to experience God. Apologetics in Catholic youth ministry It is without doubt that apologetics is essential within youth ministry with 90% of all respondents having needed to defend their faith at some stage. The challenge for youth ministers in responding to some apologetic concerns unearthed some startling realities. It was noticeable that there is a lack of theological knowledge or language in the responses.

Youth

minister’s have also discovered some limitations in their apologetic responses when dealing with difficult questions and also acknowledged possible gaps in their training in regards to theology and catechesis. Pope Benedict XVI reminded us of the need for an articulate, engaged and well informed laity in order to counter the reductive secularism we see today. 151 There were some deficiencies in their approach and this could have been improved upon by engaging in reasoning or philosophical debate. However, the pastoral approach adopted by all youth minsters in their responses was sensitive and considerate showing gentleness and humility. It is evident that they have no training in apologetics or awareness of the potential benefits for youth ministry nor is it referred to in youth ministry models or approaches. This was echoed by young people who thought all youth ministers should have some sort of theological training and Catholic youth ministry training. There could also have been better support for youth ministers from a diocesan and national level with little or 151

Pope Benedict XVI during an address to American Bishops: January 2012

no resources available to support catechetical approaches to youth ministry. Bishop Thomas Olmsted warns of the dangers in youth ministry of becoming ‘too ministry focussed and not doing the ‘hard work of bearing witness to Christ in one’s profession’

152

and Pope Benedict also talked

about the importance of the witness offered by the lives of believers’ 153. Undoubtedly, youth ministry bears a lot of responsibility but as John Paul II agreed, it is a great and noble adventure. Practical Recommendations From an action research perspective there is lots of learning I can reflect upon to improve my practice and that of my friends and colleagues involved in youth ministry in Ireland. It will also be important to make this known to the Church. 1. There is affirmation in the fact that youth ministry is working to some degree or another with young people involved agreeing that it meets its goals. However, we need to determine how do we know someone has developed spiritually? 2. We need to involve the family more in youth ministry as there are weaknesses in how we pass the faith on. Sending info sheets home or homework for young people may be a good way to engage. 3. The FDYM is a confusing model and needs to be simplified or a new model suggested. Youth ministers should not accept the current vacuum in youth ministry and should call for FDYM to be implemented, evaluated and amended to an Irish context. 4. Young people’s views and perspectives need to be listened to in a forum appropriate to the age. There should be the establishment of a catholic youth forum in all dioceses in Ireland, where young Catholics can have their say and impact change or at least represent their parish or youth group. 5. There need to be priorities for youth ministry with strategic and operational goals that can be developed in each diocese. Youth ministry needs to be measured and outcomes need to be established. Possibly measuring participation levels, understanding of faith and personal, social and spiritual development. This needs to be adequately financed if it is to be taken seriously. 152 153

The Sower, April 2009, Pg 11 Porta Fidei 6

6. The Catholic Church needs to provide suitable training for those interested in Catholic youth ministry. It needs to improve the infrastructure and capacity to engage in youth ministry and learn lessons where applicable from the Protestant Churches in Ireland. 7. Improved collaboration and exchange of existing resources will prevent duplication of work and help to stimulate new initiatives 8. There needs to be more opportunities for young people to ask difficult and challenging questions in a safe space where they can have their voices heard and hear the true response to questions of faith. 9. We as youth ministers need to engage in catechesis with young people more often instead of assuming that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to know about the faith or that it is not relevant to them. 10. As youth ministers we need to be able to engage in apologetics and defend the faith. This may mean reading books, going online to Catholic Answers or engaging in training. 11. There needs to be support networks for youth ministers to learn from each other and to improve their own practice. Reflective practice group supervision and spiritual direction would be beneficial. 12. We need to engage with social networking and new media technology and to utilise its potential for apologetics, catechesis and evangelisation. Many of the ungodly conversations happen online where there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a Church presence. 13. We need to not be afraid to be Catholic and not afraid to pray with young people or follow Church teaching. We need the courage of people like St Maximilian Kolbe to stand up for what we believe. We need to pray more for young people, for our youth ministry projects and for our Church. Involving the wider Catholic community in prayer and inter-generational support would be beneficial. 14. Finally, we need to consider a paradigm shift in thinking about youth ministry in an increasingly atheist Ireland. We also need a new model that embraces the Irish people and is contextualised sufficiently. 15. It would be important to build upon the FDYM and develop a new model that is creative and Irish-centric. I recommend the development of a new model for youth ministry. The PATRICKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S model attempts to be a new way forward.

Prayer & the Sacraments

Social Justice

Active Participation

Kerygma

Personal, Social and Spiritual Development Teaching Community

Inspiring Leaders

Reconciliation and Renewal

The PATRICKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S model highlights eight areas of priority for youth ministry and builds on the great legacy of St Patrick and embraces the realities of the division in Ireland and the aftermath of the death of the Celtic Tiger. 1. Prayer and the Sacraments: Helping young people to deepen their prayer lives and greater participation in the sacraments. (Leitourgia) 2. Active

Participation:

Giving

young

people

the

opportunity

and

responsibility to be actively involved in the life of the Church and encouraging the service and volunteering. 3. Teaching: Helping to educate young people about the reason behind their faith and helping them to become the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;artisans of renewalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and active catechists and apologists. 4. Reconciliation and Renewal: Giving young people the opportunity to be reconciled with their God and neighbours in an Ireland recovering from the impact of conflict and affluence. 5. Inspiring Leaders: giving young people the opportunity to become inspirational leaders who will be witnesses of hope in their communities and inspire others to do the same. (Martyria) 6. Community-building up the Kingdom of God in our communities through activities that help gather individuals to celebrate the diversity and beauty of community. (Koinonia) 7. Kerygma-Spreading the Good News and being active evangelisers in our schools, youth groups, universities, families, communities and world. 8. Social Justice in a Global village: To show support and solidarity with those less fortunate in our communities and the world and exercising the ministry of Charity. (Diakonia)

Furtherance of the research As an initial study intended to be the basis for more dedicated research, it is appropriate that the shortcomings of this research should be outlined for future reference, to be built upon at a later time: 1. The research is limited by its focus on young adults aged 18-25; with the majority of those involved in the study A-level students aged 18 years old. This was due to ethical considerations and practicalities and access to groups because of child protection policies and procedures. Research with a variety of age groups would also be of comparative interest. 2. Gender balance would have been useful for making more meaningful comparisons but there is also a significant issue relating to male participation in youth ministry programmes. It would be valuable to explore further the concept of males belonging to longterm groups, to see whether they would be attracted to particular types of group or whether short-term experiences would be a more attractive option. 3. The practical list of the eight elements of youth ministry did not achieve its intended purpose, which was to discover which area was of greatest priority to focus on. If the research was to be done again, it would be worth approaching the question a different way; either by altering the options, the language used, changing the question structure or allowing the young people to orally choose one which was their particular favourite. It would also be important to explore and identify who decided on the eight areas as significant enough to be included in the model. 4. Further exploration of the disparity between perceived Church priorities and the priorities of young people and youth minsters is vitally important. It would also be worth considering what mechanism is currently in place to hear the voice of young people and youth ministers and participation structures such as diocesan or national Catholic youth forum may help. 5. It would be valuable, for comparative purposes, to explore the differences between catechesis, evangelisation and apologetics in different cultural contexts as the FDYM is based on an American model which doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite fit to the Irish context, especially the complex issues of Northern Ireland.

6. It would be useful to investigate who influences the faith of young people most effectively; is it family, teachers or the clergy. It was clear in the study that Catholic education wasn’t exactly teaching young Catholics their faith; so there is scope for the Catholic education system to reflect upon its role and function. 7. An investigation into whether or not Catholics in Ireland are ‘Poorly Catechised’ as Gallagher (2005) suggested. How can we measure catechesis and for comparative purposes what nations are well catechised and why? 8. Analysing what makes the Church relevant to young people would be a useful study with consideration also given to the correlation of their experience of the transcendent and relevance. 9. The whole concept of ‘a la carte Catholics’ needs to be studied in the light of the research which show many respondents don’t believe the core tenets of the Nicene creed and struggle with the core teaching of the Catholic Church. What makes them go to Church on a Sunday if they don’t believe what they say each week at Mass? 10. A more in depth exploration of the apologetic concerns of young people would be necessary as this study was just a small sample and was representative of merely church going young people. It would be important to highlight what influences these concerns and determine whether if there is any correlation to current affairs. For example, gay marriage is an important issue for young people, but is this just because it is in the media spotlight. 11. A study of the impact of apologetic responses on learning would help to establish whether or not it is a beneficial endeavour to defend the faith and present the truth to another. It would also be useful to determine which apologetic approach is most effective. For example, whether the scholastic, Socratic or the aesthetic approach works best. 12. A study of how frequently Catholics, particularly in Northern Ireland have to defend their faith. Anecdotal evidence would suggest that Catholic’s have to regularly defend their faith. If this is true and it would be worth testing this hypothesis, what is the Church’s response? 13. It would be important to determine if theological training equips

youth ministers to engage in apologetics and determine if current youth ministry training programmes are sufficient in the formation of youth ministers. 14. Finally, it would be worth considering in a context other than the Irish Church whether or not apologetics is necessary in youth ministry and are youth ministers adequately equipped. In this study we have discovered the significant contribution of youth ministry and the challenging circumstances we are all facing an increasingly secular world. The study aimed to find out if apologetics was needed in youth ministry and it became apparent that it was needed urgently, alongside good catechesis and hopeful evangelisation. It is important that youth ministers are ‘Always ready’ by ensuring they are continually personally and professionally developing through training, engaging in theological study and reflection. They need to do this in order to be able ‘To make a defence to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you’ and they need to ask the Holy Spirit to help them to have the gift of ‘Faith and Reason’. Defending something as personal as your faith can be challenging and you need the courage and conviction to engage in apologetics. However, it is so important ‘to do it with gentleness’ and with a humble heart that is respectful of those asking the questions. It is vital we engage in prayer with all our apologetic adventures and also with holiness ‘and reverence’ (1 Peter 3:15). Pope Francis tells us “Jesus teaches us another way: Go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers, go out and share, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as spirit.” This is the challenge for the Catholic youth minister engaged in apologetics.