Certainly, the biographical elements that fueled the media success of “God’s influencer” are compelling: a teenager in sneakers and jeans, passionate about video games, who created websites on Eucharistic miracles. But by focusing too much on these anecdotal aspects, are we not missing the spiritual depth of his testimony? The core of Carlo Acutis’ message Read more
New Zealand’s young people are facing diminishing employment opportunities. Data shows the only statistics growing regarding youth employment, training and education are those recording their unemployment and disengagement from learning. Unrewarding start In the year to March 2024, Radio NZ says 12.4 percent of 15 to 24-year olds were not in employment, education or training Read more
Sian didn’t set out to become celibate – at least not to begin with. At the tail end of 2021, freshly single and out of a 100-day lockdown, the 27-year-old was in a delicate headspace. Tapping into the sex-go-round For Sian, the dating apps had become an obsessive regime in curating profiles and swiping endlessly. Read more
Women play a vital role in passing on the faith to the next generation. But when 99% of Catholic churches have a male preacher this Sunday in a world where 50% of the Catholic population are women, it’s time for our daughters and granddaughters — and sons and grandsons — to see us naming out Read more
Questions about young people and how to engage with them were the focus of Pope Francis’s conversation with Hungarian Jesuits last month. “How do we best engage with young people?” he was asked. “For me the key word is testimony,” Francis responded. “Without testimony, without witnessing, nothing can be done. “You end up like that Read more
Anyone paying attention to religion in America has heard about the trend, especially among young Americans, toward disaffiliation with institutions, including the Catholic Church. So I arrived at a recent talk on “Seeking Common Ground Across Generations” prepared for dire and depressing statistics. But I walked away with hope, thanks to speaker Ellen Koneck, executive Read more
Speaking to thousands of young Italians at St Peter’s Square last week, Pope Francis urged them to seize life. Have the courage to follow Jesus despite the fears and insecurities you might have, Francis said. He began his speech after riding around in his popemobile greeting youth before the event started, listening to testimonies from Read more
A new global survey shows the depth of anxiety many young people are feeling today about climate change. A majority of them report feeling fearful of the future, sorrowful and doomed. The Bath University-led survey questioned young people from 10 countries. Its focus concentrated specifically on young people’s emotional reactions to climate change. Claiming to Read more
Researchers are warning religious leaders, teachers and parents there isn’t going to be a simple “back to normal” approach for young people after the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather, we should all be looking for ways to help them experience “the new normal.” That’s the argument from Springtide Research Institute, which surveyed 2,500 members of Generation Z Read more
A New Zealand religious leader is calling on members of his congregation to focus on what is necessary for life rather than being caught up with pious denials; particularly during Lent. He says he was cheered by a recent reading at Mass where a group is bewailing the fact that their “good deeds” go unnoticed Read more