Next generation share journey, exchange wisdom with CTA elders

by Jeanne Grammens Hidalgo

Younger adults were a tangible presence at the 1999 CTA Conference. Over 400 people age 42 and under found their way to Milwaukee to share their stories of pain and disillusionment, faith and hope: tales of journeys in which many realize they are no longer travelling alone.

The sharing began in a formal way on Saturday with a wisdom exchange between the younger and the older generation. Older panelists were Theresa Kane, RSM, who grew up in a New York City neighborhood church, and Dennis Haugh, raised in the 1950s on Chicago's South Side and now an organizer of Rocky Mountain CTA. Their younger partners were Albert Hidalgo and Amy Sheber Howard, both 30-something parents whose faith was formed in the post-Vatican II church of the 70s, and 23-year-old Bridget Brownell, an intern at NETWORK, who found acceptance in her college Newman Center but as a graduate is struggling to find her place. The audience matched the panelists' stories with their own questions.

"Do I continue to work for social justice as a Catholic in the church?" asked Anice Schervish, 22, who currently volunteers in Chicago's Amate House and identifies with women who are hurt and wounded within the church.

"Why do I take my daughters to a place where they are second-class citizens?" asked Paul Stoltz, 32, who was moved to tears when he told of his seven-year-old daughter speaking to a female minister in another church. "She's not going to get that where I am," he lamented. "You can't keep a whole group of people out. I see the hypocrisy. Why am I passing this on?"

"What is the relevance for our teen-age children?" asked Barbara Potts, CTA leader in Ann Arbor, Mich., who considers herself part of the "bridge" generation, between the pre-Vatican II and post-Vatican II Catholics. "When my teen-age daughter goes to Mass, she gets an upset stomach. It just doesn't seem to reach her."

"What's filling the void if the Catholic Church isn't reaching people?" asked panelist Hidalgo, father of four, who has been searching for a parish where liturgy is celebrated dynamically and questions are allowed to be asked.
"How do we make liturgy meaningful for our children?" asked panelist Howard, a Denver, Colo., CTA activist and mother of two young children, who says this is a big item on her agenda.

In response to the anger, frustration and despair, a ray of hope was shed by the Wisdom Generation. "We have seen dramatic changes over the years," said Kane, recipient of the CTA 1999 Leadership Award. "When I grew up we were passive. We didn't ever think to question. The more educated we became, the more we probed, and this caused great tension. There has been a radical shift. We cannot even grasp the significance of it, but we also know that young people are not going to attach to an institution that is not life-giving. I want to hear more of their stories. As a church, we need to be about that."

That sentiment was echoed by many at the conference, especially by those who work with youth. "The young are searching but they feel a definite void," said Susane Peiffer, 24, a Luther Seminary graduate student and youth minister. "They can find God in the trees but not the church. We have to show them how scripture can be relevant and how there is a place for their gifts."

The dynamic discussion continued in a more casual way later that evening as about 75 came to a reception in their honor. There, many voices articulated deeply felt concerns: acknowledging the marginalized, doing social justice, enduring stale liturgies, sustaining spiritual needs, reaching out to college students and those immersed in volunteer corps, balancing family needs, and dealing with the stifling nature of a hierarchical church.

"It is amazing how fast the desert can hit you," said one young woman. "It feels like there is no way out. There is no water. You have to grab onto the positive experiences and know that those are at the heart of our faith."

"Education and spreading the word is really important," said Kevin Ahern from Valhalla, N.Y., editor of Progressive Catholic Youth magazine. "We must take leadership roles and stand up for what we believe even though we might be criticized."

As young and old came together, many experienced the empowerment that comes when stories are heard, and renewed hope that we travel together. Hidalgo summed it up: "It was amazing at the closing liturgy, to look up at the altar and see not one of us, but all of us."