Hamilton youth engagement growing

Pictured left: Students from Hamilton diocese Catholic schools mark Ash Wednesday. The diocese is seeing a rise in youth engagement post-COVID.

Accompanying young a focus of ‘Moving Forward Together in Christ’ initiative

A post-pandemic resurgence is being felt through a revitalized youth and young adult engagement in parishes across the Diocese of Hamilton.

And with more organic roles for children and youth, and a clear priority on creating a welcoming home for the next generation, the diocese is doing what it can to support its youth’s growing interest.

Nicole McCowell, director of youth ministry for the diocese since 2021, has witnessed this trend evolve firsthand.

“We’re certainly seeing a resurgence of the priority for the accompaniment of young people across the diocese,” she said. “It looks different in every parish and every space, but certainly the desire to recognize that our young people are present and that we need to be offering them a home and offering them an opportunity to engage with their faith in various parishes across the diocese.”

This growth stems from the diocese’s “Moving Forward Together in Christ” initiative, launched under Auxiliary Bishop Wayne Lobsinger. The project involves a listening process across parishes, accompanying young people as a key direction and prompting active steps toward more varied opportunities for involvement.

While the Diocese of Hamilton notes that individual numbers are the responsibility of each parish, general observations point to increases in children’s liturgy programs offered every Sunday, as well as through youth groups restarting and young people integrating into the sacraments and parish life more organically than before.

“We’ve seen a number of parishes integrate young people into their hospitality ministries beautifully and more than they ever did before,” McCowell said. “The diocese is integrating our young people and inviting them to be altar servers or lectors, some parishes even including them as Eucharistic ministers. We are actively encouraging that too, so that our young people are not only attending, but taking active roles in our parishes too.”

McCowell also noted that as much as the diocese remains committed to the revitalization of children, youth and young adults, parish communities and young families are encouraged by the growth.

“You can see that different parishes are talking to one another and being inspired by one another by what has been going on,” she said. “They are seeing the call from the parishioners, too, that the parishioners want more, and they want a home for their young people.”

The  director attributes a chunk of the recent momentum to young families feeling confident returning to church after the pandemic, along with older young adults seeking deeper faith and community. McCowell said a similar resurgence of young adult groups is being felt at the same time.

The newfound vitality is reshaping the diocese’s youth ministry future, with more active participation beyond just church attendance.

“What’s most encouraging is seeing all the people who care for young people coming forward to say, ‘I want to make this possible. I want to ensure young people feel welcome and at home in our Church,’ ” McCowell said. “That’s been the most encouraging thing for me because immediately post-pandemic, it was tricky to step forward, and now we’re seeing that resurgence of folks coming forward to say yes to mentoring and accompanying young people.”

In Toronto, a swell of young adult interest has been felt as well over the last year. The Office of Catholic Youth told The Catholic Register that OCY growth in parishes with youth ministry has increased from around 12 active parishes in 2013 to 115 today.

Associate director of youth ministry John MacMullen said 800 more kids attended summer camps run at parishes this year than last, while the office’s Edge Camps hosted upwards of 650 kids this year.

As with the OCY in Toronto, the Hamilton diocese is offering strong support. The department for evangelization and catechesis offers sacramental formation, support and direct faith formation for children not in Catholic schools, while parishes receive aid for summer Vacation Bible Study programs. The Office of Youth Ministry also runs the Frassati Leadership Program for Grade 10 students diocese-wide, which pairs participants with mentors to apply lessons in their communities year-round. Faith formation also extends to adult volunteers supporting youth ministries.

Parishes throughout Hamilton have noticed the revitalization and are taking advantage of resources like Children’s Liturgy of the Word, a weekly guide that tailors Gospel readings and texts to young audiences. At St. Patrick Parish, the influx of young families has pushed the 11:30 a.m. session to capacity, prompting a pending expansion to the 9 a.m. Mass with the hopes of providing more young hearts an opportunity to experience Christ in a unique way.

Diana Quildon, the RCIA and Children’s Liturgy coordinator at the parish, says the current offering has reached its capacity of 48 children. The long-running Children’s Liturgy Program brings children from out of the pews and into age-appropriate conversations about the weekly liturgy.

“This program has always been a way to allow young parents to be in the church by themselves for a few minutes and listen to the word while their kids go off and get the same message that the priest is giving their parents, but with child-friendly language,” she said.

Along with text and readings from the Children’s Liturgy of the Word program, social media and YouTube videos geared towards weekly topics are often used.

Having witnessed the blossoming initiative first-hand, Quildon attests to the impact of the program on many children.

“I look at them and I realize how aware they are, more so than I think I would’ve been aware at that age. Some of them ask you questions sometimes, and you think, ‘Are you sure you are only four?’ ” she said with a laugh. “They are gathering this faithful information for later use in their life. They are really noticing and understanding what is going on around them, which shows that it’s a growing faith, but it is also a part of their everyday lives that we are trying to teach and guide them through.”

The Hamilton’s Children’s Liturgy of the Word program’s specific readings combine major topics and themes, such as the Ten Commandments and respecting guardians and teachers through different stories from the Bible and Gospels. This way, children are not only taught about various Scripture passages, but also how they relate to living their faith day-to-day.

The program also incorporates current events of significance, adding to the wrap-around approach of faith and its role in children’s lives. Earlier this year, the program discussed the death of Pope Francis and the subsequent election of Pope Leo XIV, and more recently, the canonization of young Catholics Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati.

St. Patrick’s plans to expand the program stem both from the current model’s inflated numbers, as well as the parish’s overall influx of young adult and family parishioners, a noticeable trend throughout the diocese.

As talks continue about expanding the program to the earlier Sunday Mass, St. Patrick’s is looking for a handful of volunteers to assist in delivery, especially youth. It’s a deliberate effort on the part of Quildon and staff, who believe that through volunteering with the children, more young Catholics will find themselves acting as role models, as well as being intimately present through their participation each Sunday.

“We want to encourage them to be the example for the younger kids that we know they are; it’s a way of developing their own faith journey as well, and they will be stronger adults for it,” Quildon said.

By Luke Mandato

Published on The Catholic Register website