Where are the Youth? Where are We?
Where are the youth? Are we looking in the right places? Are we asking the right question(s)? Should we also be asking, where are we?
To identify the specific focus, we as Maryknoll Affiliates are speaking of 20-, 30-, and 40-year-old young people in the western world. Why are they not joining us? The two contrasting responses appear to be: 1) We just need to let go of the pursuit. It’s a phantasmal dream to think young people today would be interested in joining. After all, the operative religious institutional paradigm has so many questions attached to it as to make it essentially irrelevant to the many, many young people. 2) Suggest that we actually do offer something that many young people are asking for, if not always explicitly expressed. Choosing #1 implies a clear-cut pathway forward – Stop looking. It has some merit. Choosing #2 potentially offers many creative pathways forward that could be meaningful, even something many are longing for in their lives. What follows focuses on option #2.
The Summer 2026 edition of the Notre Dame Magazine dedicates several articles to what young people are looking for as well as what they are fearing. Admittedly, the Magazine is addressing primarily young undergraduates but should easily extend to older youngsters. One article highlighted how students at ND and elsewhere are flooding into courses that nurture the inner life, such as, at ND, Life Design: The Art and Science of Human Flourishing; at Yale, The Science of Well-Being; at Stanford, Designing Your Life. Another article featured a highly attended theology course at ND, The Heart’s Desire and Social Change developed by Rev. Daniel Groody, CSC at the behest of the students. Groody began by paying attention to “What are the questions the students are asking?” The questions and the themes therein revolve around interest in spirituality and social justice.
After reading this edition of the ND Magazine, what leaped off those pages was that spirituality, social justice and life’s meaning are also at the essence of who we are as Maryknoll Affiliates, all of Maryknoll. Why therefore aren’t young people flooding into Maryknoll? Is it our connection to institutional religion and its associated isms, holding onto an old model and a dying paradigm, that young people aren’t in churches, or simply that most of us are chronologically old. Why would a 20 to 40 y/o want to join an Affiliate Chapter of 60 – 80-year-olds? Undoubtedly, there are more reasons. And too, the outside culture and youth themselves need further exploration.
Without trying to directly respond to those elusive questions, listed below are some suggested considerations and actions that might open avenues of possibility for inviting youth. One thing for sure is that we need to move into their spaces before inviting them into ours…i.e. get into the mix.
Considerations & Actions
· Speak to Today’s Questions – How can faith respond to immigration, care of creation, violence, nefarious ideologies? How can hope be woven into my life? Who & where is God
· Lead with Mission rather than Vocation – Join groups advocating for change, e.g., Indivisible, Catholic Climate, MOGC’s actions, migrant support. Sponsor and participate in immersion trips
· Hold Specially Designed Retreats – on contemplative prayer, spirituality, nature, faith and justice, how one can make a difference
· Start Small Virtual Communities (Chapters) – monthly or quarterly virtual groups of welcome and acceptance leading to a deep feeling of camaraderie that offers a safe and engaging space to speak to meaningful issues. Include reflection, a chance for action and discernment. Connecting faith to daily life
· Have an Expansive Spirit & Adaptable Ways to Participate – YouTube channel, podcasts, hybrid meetings, intergenerational book groups, special weekend events
· Have the Young Adults Facilitate – discussions, organizing, planning, suggesting/developing new initiatives
· Utilize (become more familiar with) Digital Technology – video shows, video reflections, social media, zoom & similar technologies
· Build Intergenerational Relationships – shared actions, e.g., book clubs, Habitat for Humanity type initiatives, retreats, immersion trips
· MAC 2027 – be sure to include young people in the event and planning
So, rather than asking how we get the young to join the Affiliate Movement, which we’ve been asking for decades, wouldn’t we have more of a chance to invite and engage the young if we rather asked, "How can we embody the vision (Maryknoll charism) so it becomes a living movement of Spirituality, Community, Global Solidarity & Action. It seems young people will more likely consider joining if they see us, not as another organization to join, but as a welcoming community wherein, they’ll find a nurturing community, purposeful service initiatives, and a space to deepen their faith (inner life).