A pleasant surprise

 

A visit, today, to the Basilica of Saint Michael’s Cathedral in downtown Toronto happily coincided with the celebration of Mass at 12.10pm  I was pleasantly surprised to see not only a reasonably good turnout of people but also to see the presence of a large number of people I would consider to be young. My estimate is that very approximately 50% of attenders were under the age of 40. I could not help notice a queue (a line!) of 12 or so young people waiting for confession.

According to date published by the Cardus Institute reported here, Mass attendance among under 40s is way above that among older people. It seems to be the exact reverse of the situation in much of Europe.

Now, my Toronto experience came as a pleasant surprise to.   Yes, there has been a discernible return to the faith by a relatively small minority of young people even in Ireland. This has been picked up in surveys as well as anecdotally.  But, we should not run away with ourselves.  The overall picture is pretty grim in my view.

How is it that in places such as Toronto and other large cities there is a shift in religious practice?  Any why so many young people?  I can only guess at possible reasons:

In a large city there will be a significant number of young workers and students available to attend Mass around the lunch hour.

In a country such as Canada, identification with a religion is quite ‘OK’. It is normal for people in an overwhelmingly secular and multi-cultural society to ‘come out’ as Christian, Sikh, sceptic, Pentecostal, New Age or whatever. When people do opt to join a church or commit to a particular faith pathway it can be a rather serious and engaging commitment. 

Given the diverse nature of Toronto’s population there are many immigrant communities where the practice of the Catholic faith is still taken quite seriously.

Perhaps there is something in the overall approach of the Roman Catholic church in the diocese of Toronto or across Canada that has proved particularly effective?

Perhaps there is something special about a cathedral parish and Toronto is no exception?

Is it possible that the Canadian Church is increasingly youth‑driven and those that practice are highly committed?

Is it possible that young Catholics are attracted to parishes with a strong identity, reverent liturgy together with a warm, engaging, open and welcoming community.

One commentator from the Cardus Institute is reported as saying:

“the more Canada’s secular society grows, the more Catholicism will become an attractive option for young adults (18-34 years old).  It’s a form of rejection rather than escape. Increasingly, young people are rejecting society’s “highly subjective idea of truth” and “They are seeking integrity, authenticity and something with real staying power … and returning to their Catholic roots…”

In another survey, the World Values Survey (2017-2022) Canadian Roman Catholics under 40 were found to be more likely to attend than over 50s (refer to this report).  It seems that, over the last decade or so, attendance among under 40s has either stayed stable or increased a bit while it has fallen for older age groups.  Survey work indicates that Mass attendance is higher in cities such as Toronto and Vancouver as well as immigrant‑rich parishes.  In what was a very staunch province of Québec, Mass attendance has fallen away to 2% or less.  The Canadian ‘green shoots’ do not seem to apply there so much.

What are we picking up here?  Is it possible that across the desserts of Western culture we are seeing streams flowing in places where young people are searching for meaning, serious commitment, moral clarity, intellectual solidity, sacramental depth, belonging and especially …….  Beauty.

Yes, beauty.

Beauty of truth, life, liturgy together with beauty of place and community well captured in the beautiful cathedral. Beauty of the Holy Mass reverently celebrated and lived out.

I am at a loss to know exactly why but some of the above observations seem to make sense to me.  Have you some useful insights or suggestions as to why? If so, why don’t you drop me a line to my email address – tomasohealai@gmail.com

An important postscript is in order – I could not help notice the presence of seriously sick and homeless persons in downtown Toronto.  Some were strewn across the middle of pathways – at least one of whom was face downwards.  Were they all alive?  How long more have they to live? Does anyone stop or care? Did I stop?

Faith is challenging. And the Mass sends us out into the city to bring love and compassion.