(CNS photo/John D. Kelly, courtesy Irish Catholic)
By Anna Weaver
Hawaii Catholic Herald
About 90 people filled the Mystical Rose Oratory at Chaminade University of Honolulu on Oct. 9 to hear Marianist Father James L. Heft speak on the topic of “Empty Churches: Where have all the young people gone?”
The answer? There are many factors, and Catholics shouldn’t lose hope for the younger generations, according to Father Heft.
In his engaging, 50-minute lecture, the priest used frequent anecdotes from his 60 years as a Marianist and research done at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies (IACS).
Father Heft, who co-wrote a 2021 book on disaffiliation as seen from an interdisciplinary perspective, started IACS in 2006 and is its president emeritus and the Alton Brooks Professor of Religion.
“The best image I have in my own head of what we have been going through for the last 50 years easily is nothing less than a tsunami, one that just doesn’t come in one gust but continues to roll,” Father Heft said. “It’s deep, it’s a little difficult, it’s disorienting. It’s not easy to pinpoint the reasons for disaffiliation.”
He pointed out that a lot of the focus on declining numbers of Catholics fails to look at the increasing numbers of Catholics in Africa, South America, and other areas outside of North America and Europe.
Statistics also have shown that Catholics have held on to members better than mainline Protestant denominations.
Secularization has changed but not ended religion’s power, Father Heft said. People practice a more private form of faith today, and politics now has more influence over religion than vice versa.
Father Heft also spoke about social media’s isolating and addictive qualities that can lead people to replace in-person relationships with online ones that make them feel more alone.
The depth and flexibility of one’s religious tradition are essential, Father Heft said, and they mature together.
To the largely older crowd, the priest said, “Some of you worry yourselves to death about your grandchildren, whether they’ve been baptized. I would say don’t be so worried, but radiate some joy and some beauty. That’s going to draw them more than anything else.”
“I recommend that we be careful not to assume that media coverage gets at the deeper realities of life and draws attention to the importance of practice and membership for growth in the Christian life,” Father Heft concluded. “We need to be careful of using social media, affirm the compatibility of science and Catholicism, and suggest thoughtful ways of reading the Bible.
“I believe that Catholic communities that do not foster spiritual experiences, that teach only abstract ideas and hold uninspiring rituals, continue to contribute to the growth of disaffiliation.”
Marianist Father James L. Heft speaks at the Mystical Rose Oratory at Chaminade University of Honolulu on Oct. 9. (HCH photo | Anna Weaver)
After a short break, a four-person panel shared what they took away from the talk. The panelists were Andrew Ancheta II, Chaminade University’s activities coordinator; Melissa Ching Benjamin, a member of the Chaminade Board of Regents; Katie Gaitan, a high school English teacher at Sacred Hearts Academy; and Father Vincent Vu, pastor of St. John Vianney Parish in Kailua.
There was talk about the spiritual hunger of young people, “going deep” into our faith, and how to create spaces for young people to have the freedom to explore their faith.
At the end of the event, Father Heft was presented with the Mackey Award for Catholic Thought, given to each year’s lecturer. It’s in honor of the first president of Chaminade, Marianist Father Robert Mackey.
As the event was running overtime, organizers deferred questions until after the program.
Known as the Mackey Marianist Lecture until 2021, the annual lecture is the biggest keynote address for the Marianist Center of Hawaii each year. After being livestreamed for several years, the event was held in person and online Oct. 9.
The Marianist Lecture is sponsored by the Marianist Center of Hawaii, Chaminade University and St. Louis School. Organizers describe it as fostering “inclusive dialogue on Catholic Thought and Catholic Responsibility.”
Topics in recent years have focused on racism, climate change and synodality.
