-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Wishing all Goanetters | | a Prosperous | | and | | Happy New Year - 2006 | | Goanet - http://www.goanet.org | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A CRISIS OF FAITH ?
A study conducted by the Don Bosco order of priests finds that Catholic youth are in danger of moving from the community to groups that offer a greater sense of belonging Manoj R Nair A study of Catholic youth in India has warned that young people in the community could be heading towards a crisis of faith' and that they might move away from the Church to join groups that offer a more vibrant sense of community and belonging. The study conducted by priests of Don Bosco's Salesian order as part of the centennial celebrations of their presence in India says that the views of Catholic youth on birth control, sexuality and violence seem to be drawn from the general society they live in rather than from the Catholic faith, which has strong views on these issues. However, the three-year long all-India study, makes a distinction between faith and belief and added that there is no crisis of belief'. The study said that while the Church was successful in transmitting its religious dogma', it had not been effective in helping to conveying an appropriate faith. "Hence, the danger could be that in a crisis situation, these young Catholics may easily fall away from the religion and join other groups that offer them better prospects of internalisation and a more vibrant sense of community," the study said. Therefore, the study concludes that the challenge the Catholic Church has to face is to convert its "believing and belonging youth" into "faith-ful youth". They have to be helped to move from an inherited religion to a personally appropriated living out' of their Catholic religion, the study suggested. "This means that while the youth think that faith is important, when it comes to practising the faith, there are difficulties," said father Darryl D'Souza, director of Tej Prasarini, the communications wing of Don Bosco. Bandra resident Richard D'Souza, father of a 20-year-old said that while most churches had plenty of youth groups, the young "have a tough schedule with jobs, academics and sports like my daughter had," he said. The Don Bosco order, founded in Italy in AD 1859 by St John Bosco, is known for its work among the young. The study was initiated by father Adolph Furtado in July 2002 and then continued by father Cyril de Souza and social activists Josanthony Joseph and Johny Joseph. The study proposed to draw up the religious profile of contemporary Catholic youth in India to find out what they think and know about their religion, and whether they feel they live it out in practice. The study targeted boys and girls between 12 and 25 years. Questionnaires were sent to 5,000 people across India, in 10 languages; only 3,609 responded. The findings, compiled in a book "Lord I believe. Increase my Faith" - The Response of Catholic Youth to Religion will be released later this week in Bangalore. THE YOUTH SAY In my parish in Orlem, there are a lot of activities for the youth. A lot of young people are also active in the programmes. However, I do feel that many of them do not necessarily practice what is taught in the church. Lyndon Rodriques, 13 Orlem, Malad In my parish, the youth is very involved in church activities. I am part of the choir and I feel that there is a sense of belonging. Caroline Santos, 21 Vakola, Santacruz I do not mind missing the weekly mass as long as I pray at home or elsewhere. But I do not think that the youth lack a sense of belonging. It varies from person to person. I believe that as long you are a good human being, attending prayer meetings does not really matter. Alison D'Souza, 20 Bandra THE CHURCH SAYS We cannot make a generalised statement that there could a crisis of faith. This would be unfair to the young people who are greatly involved in church activities. There are lot of programmes for the young and there are youth animators in parishes. They have good programmes in faith development and faith formation. In fact, compared to earlier times, the young understand faith as a personal surrender to God rather than just dogmatic truths and rituals. Of course, there would be some youth who are not interested. Father Anthony Charanghat, spokesperson for the Archbishop of Mumbai I have observed that in Mumbai, more than 80 per cent of the churches are geared to create a niche for young people. There are youth masses and a youth director who is a priest. There are efforts to bring alive the meaning of the gospel in such a way that young people can connect. There are special efforts to bring young people to the Church. The Church has already recognised the need to create a sense of belonging among their youth. But it is difficult to assess the impact of such programmes. It takes time. In fact, one of the three most important things discussed at the synod of 2001 was youth and the extent to which the Church can give them a sense of belonging. Dolphy D'Souza, president, Bombay Catholic Sabha, the largest lay Catholic organisation THE STATISTICS SAY * Only 29.2 per cent of the youth claim to go to church everyday, while 82.8 per cent claim to pray every day. * 15.5 per cent feel that religion is hardly important or not important. * However, 99.5 per cent pray, implying that they make a distinction between religion and their relationship with God. * 5.3 per cent have questions about the existence of god, while 8.7 doubt whether God cares for them. * 68 per cent said that they would choose to be a Catholic given a choice, 24 per cent a Christian (not necessarily Catholic) and 6 per cent choose to be free of any religion. (ENDS) SOURCE: http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpaper.asp%3Fsectid%3D2%26sectname%3DCity% 26sess%3D114804811 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions | | | | Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages | | Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls | --------------------------------------------------------------------------