The Young will lead the Revival
I am a millennial and I turned 40 yesterday. I can officially no longer count myself among the those who consider themselves “young.” Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel old… but I’m definitely not young. I liked being young. I liked what youth signifies. When you are young, your future is not yet defined. Young people have a tremendous sense of mission. They want to set the world on fire and they have the time and energy to do just that. I frequently remind others that every revolution in the world has started with young people. If you want to know why things get stuck and don’t change, it is often because the leadership is old and stagnant. Case in point, look at the age of the leadership at the RNC and DNC national conventions and you will understand why nothing changes or gets done in Washington DC.
I am currently in attendance at the National Eucharistic Congress, a major event at the center of the National Eucharistic Revival. The desire for this revival is to see revolution and renewal in the Catholic Church. The desire is for the Gospel message to be once again presented to the world and that all would be invited into communion with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. If you are not privileged to be at the congress, let me tell you, the energy of this event feels young. While there are people of all generations and from all walks of life in attendance at the congress (from Generation alpha - Baby Boomers), the vision and general feeling of this congress feels different than anything that I have experienced before at a Catholic event.
It actually isn’t surprising to me that the event has a youthful energy. Part of the reason why I have so much hope for this revivalist movement is because of the leadership that was selected to run it. Bishop Andrew Cozzens was tasked with the effort to put this revival and congress together. In my opinion, the best move that he made was selecting Tim Glemkowski, a millennial, to be the executive director of the Eucharistic Revival. Tim’s hand-picked team is mostly millennials… and if the congress is any indication, this team has crushed it. My generation was given an opportunity to lead and revival is happening because of it.
(Granted, the check-in process at the congress was a bit of a mess. Millennials are not known for excelling in logistical planning. If you are at the congress and waited over an hour in line for your credentials, my generation apologizes for that).
I recently had a conversation with my parents (of the Baby Boomer generation) who said they were tired of all of the responsibilities they have in their parish. They lamented that they “have to do everything,” because there isn’t a younger generation stepping up to replace them. My response to them was that they should quit and step aside. Millennials and Generation Z don’t want to step into the shoes and fill in the ranks of the generations before them. They are not going to join the Altar and Rosary group at the parish or serve pancakes at the Knights of Columbus breakfast. If young people are not filling the ranks of the old parish ministries, it is likely because it is time for those ministries to die. The younger generations want to carve their own paths, share their unique gifts and ideas, and start their own initiatives. Take note of the success of the National Eucharistic Congress, the first eucharistic congress in the United States in over 80 years. This is what happens when you give leadership to a younger generation… we see renewal and revival.
In my experience, when it comes to taking leadership and shaping the vision of ministry in the Catholic Church, too often my generation has heard, “wait your turn.” When we put young people in the background, we stifle the work of the Holy Spirit and everyone in the Catholic Church suffers. It is long past time for millennials to be given the reins in the Catholic Church. Our generation can only barely be considered “young” anymore. Generation Z is just around the corner and they need to be empowered and given opportunities to share their unique gifts as well. A true revival of love for Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church depends on our young people.
