Seeking God elsewhere
Leaving organized religion
As a member of the Xaverian Missionaries USA, we are an exclusively missionary religious congregation that serves in 21 countries worldwide for more than 120 years. Our mission is to proclaim the Kingdom of Christ across faith and cultural boundaries, and to demonstrate our bond with people’s of other faiths..
Today we emphasize the church’s commitment to interfaith dialogue. Dialogue, openness, the search for common ground, and holding our differences as a sacred mystery answers the deepest of human needs in a time of grievous division and fragmentation in our country, and worldwide. It is our way to proclaim Christ.
It is here I found that, like the Catholic Church, younger generations were also retreating from other faith traditions and that their voice needed to be at the table of dialogue as well.
Rise of the “Nones”
“Nones” are a diverse group of people who do not identify with any of the myriads of religious options in the American religious environment Most believe in God, some do not. Some may participate occasionally in religious rituals, others will not. They are often misunderstood. On the other hand, it is also not correct to describe them as “unchurched” or “unaffiliated” because they are often religious searchers, disillusioned by traditional churches. .
Many Catholic families find family members opting out of going to church and often are at odds with church teaching. Some have also been deeply affected by clergy sexual abuse issues. Instead many seek meaning and belonging which they may not find in churches.
What are young people’s spiritual and religious needs? Where are they being met if not in the institutional church? What is going on that makes church affiliation less attractive? What can we learn in dialogue with them?
sacred secular dialogue
In the spirit of Vatican II, our modern mission of dialogue also includes secular hearts and voices, with those who do not profess any religious faith. We initiated the program, COMMON GROUND, as a process of dialogue and collaboration in the US and the United Kingdom. with secular humanists, agnostics, and others.
In these encounters I ran across many who left traditional religion behind, but not their spiritual search for meaning and belonging.
Pope Francis says: “As believers, we also feel close to those who do not consider themselves part of any religious tradition, …We consider them as precious allies in the commitment to defending human dignity, in building peaceful coexistence between peoples and in protecting creation.” (Joy of the Gospel 257)
Listen to the Story of Two Young Catholics
Through St. Mary’s Press important study entitled Going, Going, Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics (2017), Listen to the stories of some of these young Catholics.
Some additional papers as background
I wrote some preliminary papers prior to the study that may be of interest.
- Church Departures, Post secular Catholicism, and their Lessons for a 21st Century Faith
- In Between Religion, Secularity and Spirituality: Toward a Postsecular Catholicism
- Non-Religious and Religious Engagement: Common Ground & Where it Can Lead
- Faith and Doubt in a Secular Age
