About Those Parishes
I had two startling conversations last week about priests and parish membership. With a millennial, I was asked about the point of joining a parish. “What’s the point of parish membership if I’m going to Mass and already have a strong young adult community on my own?” A faithful Catholic, this young woman honestly didn’t see the value of being in a parish community.
I relayed this story to an older gentleman, also a practicing Catholic. He surprised me as well and said, “I go to two or three churches for Mass. I’m not surprised any more when Catholics are part of several communities for worship.”
Feeling like I was much older than my mid-forties reveal, I reflected on all of this. Is parish membership still a thing?
The increasing mobility of young people, the continued “beigeness” of many parishes and the decreasing lack of relationship with our priests- all of this can lead one to doubt the value of parish membership.
But wait- hold the phone. Let’s push back on this a bit.
A good priest can…
enliven a community
equip people in unique ways
bring healing to our lives when we need it most
keep us accountable in objective ways
remind us of our true dignity as sons and daughters of God
In my own life, several priests have had such a profound impact on me that I can’t imagine my discipleship without their influence. Jesus knew what he was doing when he gave the Church priests. Even with the current landscape of scandal and infidelity among some of our priests, I’m not ready to throw in the towel.
Our priests need our encouragement. Think of the last time that you prayed fervently for a priest by name- has it been a while?
As Lent draws close, I invite you to hold up for reflection the relationship you have with your local priests. This recent video with Fr. Mike Schmitz (a campus minister) answers a number of questions related to priests- perhaps a good resource for your ministry with young people.