By Scott Alessi

What's the face of tomorrow's Church in the United States?

Catholic young people seek to usher in era of faithfulness and activism

Raised in a culture of moral relativism and individuality, today's young Catholic generation is turning toward the faith in search of truth, purpose and a sense of belonging.

Unlike their parents' generation, studies have shown that Catholics in their late teens to mid-20s are embracing more conservative values and a greater interest in the traditional aspects of their Church. A recent Gallup survey found that 39 percent of young Catholics consider themselves either conservative or very conservative, compared to only 20 percent who describe themselves as liberal or very liberal.

A 2008 study by the group Faith in Public Life, however, found that young Catholics exhibited a tendency toward more progressive values on a wide variety of issues, including abortion and same-sex marriage. And while some young Catholics are voicing pro-choice ideals or advocating the ordination of women, those who are committed to their faith are more likely to follow the teachings of the Church.

"Those young adults who are grounded in their faith generally are more morally and socially conservative than their peers and, frequently, than their own parents," said Colleen Carroll Campbell, author of "The New Faithful: Why Young Adults Are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy" (Loyola Press, $14.95). And while the trend may not necessarily apply to young adults who consider themselves Catholic in name only, Campbell told OSV that those who choose to be active in their faith are not likely to spend time arguing against what the Church teaches.

"I think that's a generational difference we see between young adults and baby boomers," Campbell said. "Few young Catholics today see the point of belonging to a Church only to reject its most fundamental teachings and spend their time griping about what the Church stands for. They either want to embrace their Catholic faith with gusto because they see it as a source of truth and salvation, or they want to find some other way to spend their time."

Search for truth

While young people face many of the perennial issues that affect every generation, such as discerning what to do with their lives, forming relationships and dealing with peer pressure, they do so in a society where technology has made them constantly susceptible to mixed messages from the media.

Stephanie Wood, coordinator of the Catholic youth and young adult apostolate NextWave Faithful, said that the challenge of deciphering all of the information available to them has led many young people to look toward traditional aspects of their faith in hopes of discovering an absolute truth. Wood pointed to several trends among youths, such as an interest in the Tridentine Mass and Gregorian chant, as signals of their desire for more traditional forms of worship.

"Something unique about this generation is that we have a hunger for that which is genuinely true," said Wood, 28, who works with Catholic youths ages 16 to 26. "I think many young people recognize that so many things in their lives have been watered- down, so many of the messages are lukewarm or diluted, and they are rejecting that and really hungering for the values of their grandparents' generation, not their parents' generation."

She added that the shift constitutes a backlash against the messages young people have received from secular society.

"I think it is a desire to search for meaning in the midst of a media culture that is often so meaningless," Wood said. "I think that God has a desire in all of our hearts for something that is more, and when things become so watered-down, young people are turning toward tradition as an answer to seek fulfillment."

But according to youth minister Frank Mercadante, the young Catholic generation has a different understanding of truth than their predecessors. For something to be true for today's Catholic youths, he said, it must be applicable to their daily lives.

"They want to bring faith into a much more practical realm, making it real and making it work in their life," said Mercadante, executive director of Illinois-based Cultivation Ministries. "They are not interested in knowledge for knowledge's sake. They want to know that the Gospel message works in their daily life, and that is a challenge."

Building community

Another defining characteristic of young Catholics is their strong desire for community. Father Martin Moran, executive director of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association, said that many college-aged Catholics are drawn to campus ministry programs in search of fellowship and opportunities to help others.

"They are looking for a community, they love community service, and they want to give something back," he told OSV. He added that the generation's use of social-networking websites like Facebook has given them new opportunities to form bonds with other Catholics their age.

"Technology is helping them to build that bridge and to find some support systems," he said.

Mercadante added that having grown up with interactive technology, young Catholics are not content to experience Church simply by sitting in the pews. In focus groups with teens, he said that only those who are actively involved in the liturgy reported that they enjoy attending Mass.

"They are a very participative generation," he said. "They want to be involved in the general life of the Church, working side by side with adults."

Sign of hope

While Mercadante cautioned that the future role of today's young Catholics is not a guarantee, he said that if parishes can adapt to meet their needs, they will become dedicated leaders of tomorrow's Church.

"I'd expect them to be highly involved, to be very community oriented and to try to make a real difference in people's lives. I think they'll be a very caring generation and very caring leaders," he said.

Campbell added that the strong faith commitment of young Catholics could have a positive impact not only on the life of the Church but on other areas of society, such as politics, academics, business and entertainment.

"As they age, they are moving into more leadership positions and exerting more influence within the Church and the wider culture," Campbell said. "These new faithful are creating a domino effect of sorts as they spread the Gospel peer to peer and friend to friend.

"Although they face stiff obstacles in their attempts to share their faith, the existence and growth of their grassroots movement is a sign of hope for the future of the Church and our nation."

Young Catholics taking charge

Amid concern over the declining number of Catholic priests in the United States, young Catholics are showing a strong interest in serving the Church as lay ministers.

A recent study, conducted as part of the National Association for Lay Ministry's Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership project, found that one-third of Catholic college students and nearly half of post-college young adults surveyed indicated an interest in full-time lay ministry. Interest was strongest among young Catholics who are already actively involved in either parish life or campus ministry.

Respondents chose youth or young adult ministry as the type of ministry that they would be most interested in, with religious education and teaching in a Catholic school being the next most popular choices. More than 80 percent of young adults polled said that they felt lay ministry is a call from God, and more than 60 percent said that they see lay ministry as an opportunity to live out their faith and help others.

In the area of vowed vocations, half of young men surveyed said that they had seriously considered a call to the priesthood and nearly 40 percent of young women had considered religious life.

Scott Alessi writes from New Jersey.