Fr. Richard Sheehy PP explores what it means to ‘pass on the faith’ and how he has worked with this in his Dublin parish.
I approach this topic with certain trepidation and reservation. The former is a simple acknowledgement that I am no expert in the area of evangelization, merely a fellow struggler in the field.
My reservation is with the title of the series itself, which suggests that faith is a neatly-wrapped package that can be passed from one generation to the next – rather like ‘pass-the-parcel’ or a rugby ball – where the only responsibility for each successive generation is not to drop the ball.
Even if we accept that the context for, and the challenges to, faith are different for each generation, the title nevertheless implies that if we do the right thing, mission will be accomplished.
I believe that faith is mystery. It is primarily a gift of the Holy Spirit, not something which can be simply handed on, and it requires a free response. Secondly there is no magic formula for bringing people to – or back to – faith. All we can hope is that by the witness of our lives as individuals and members of a community of faith, we help other people to catch ‘whisperings of faith’.
It can be consoling to remember that not everyone who heard Jesus preach walked away enthralled or became a disciple. Think of the rich young man (Mk 10: 17-22) or Jesus’ question to his disciples, ‘Will you also walk away?'(Jn. 6:6 7).
Thus parents need not feel guilty if, in spite of their own belief and practice, their children don’t seem to have ‘caught the bug’. There are all sorts of routes that can help people come to faith, but none come with any cast-iron guarantee. Our task as Christians perhaps is to prepare the ground for faith and to offer support, encouragement and example to those willing to undertake the journey.
I am fortunate to minister in the parish of Rathmines, which has more the feel of a city-centre parish than of a suburban one. The church is situated on Rathmines Road, and I am continually impressed with the number of people (many of them young people) who drop in to the church as they are passing. To light a candle? To say a prayer? To find space for themselves… who knows?
Many of them may not attend Mass regularly or at all, but somehow the need to find a place where they can encounter the sacred is important. The hunger for God is there.
If you sometimes get disheartened about the future of Christianity, being around Rathmines church on a Sunday evening is a tonic. There are two evening Masses: a folk liturgy and a Taizé-style Mass, both well attended, particularly the former. If I am not the celebrant, I like to stand outside the church to welcome people as they arrive (though this can be misinterpreted as my checking to see who’s late!). Along with older parishioners and young families, it is refreshing to observe the number of young people who come to both Masses, some arriving with their friends, others on their own. These are young adults who choose to come to Mass on Sunday, who are looking for something, whether they realize it or not.
What brings them? Undoubtedly many are drawn by the quality and liveliness of the music. But what draws them initially isn’t necessarily what makes them stay. One of our young adults said recently that when he first came to Dublin, he was looking for a church where he would find other young people. At a time when to believe and practise is to go positively against the trend, it can be encouraging to find a place where other young adults gather.
There is a certain informality about the liturgy, and we actively seek to involve young people as ministers of the Word and of the Eucharist. Young people will rarely volunteer for such ministries of service, but often respond favourably when asked.
Over the past two years we have developed a ministry of hospitality after the Folk Mass. Refreshments are provided by our Young Adult Group, and one of the group issues an invitation to the congregation at the end of Mass each week.
One of the things that has struck me is that though people may arrive late for Mass, no one leaves early, even though the liturgy may go on for a good hour. If liturgy is nourishing of people’s sense of faith and of community, they will stay.
With the assistance of a Jesuit deacon resident in the parish, the Young Adult Group organizes a faith-sharing meeting for 20-30s directly following the tea/coffee. This often involves a shared reading of scripture and discussion in small groups, where people find it easier to share their questions or comments.
I am frequently amazed at the depth of their reflection and the quality of their personal relationship with Christ. Many of the young adults of non-Irish origin find the group a great way to get to know other young people, and many friendships are formed, leading to meals out together and trips away.
As important to young people as finding a personal approach to faith and experiencing a sense of belonging, is the desire to give something back to the community – the call to service. While this is an area we have yet to develop fully, a good example was the willingness of the group to organize one of the Holy Week liturgies for the whole parish community.
I could not end this piece without reference to pilgrimage as a particular way of ‘preparing the ground’. Whether walking to Santiago de Compostella, cycling to Lourdes, fasting on Lough Derg or climbing Croagh Patrick, the physical effort involved and sense of companionship which pilgrimage fosters, opens the heart to the mystery of God’s loving and guiding presence. It does so in the midst of the everyday, as two unknown disciples discovered long ago on the road to Emmaus: ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us along the way? (Lk.24).
This article first appeared in The Messenger (July 2008), a publication of the Irish Jesuits.
