Smells like… sheep?
Dr Chris Duthie-Jung
David Mullin introduces a great metaphor in his article on this page. If you haven’t already read it I encourage you to do so and then come back to this one.
Hitchhikers – we’ve come to fear them today largely due to media sensationalising of the odd unsavoury incident. The funny thing is hitchhikers happen to be wary of drivers too! Where I grew up in rural Central Hawkes Bay, hitchhiking was a form of public transport and so, like most who have tried it, I have a story or two of rides I wish I had never accepted! It cuts both ways.
But as David suggests, imagine spotting a hitchhiker that was family. No need for introductions and tiresome small talk. With family we tend to get straight down to the topics and issues held in common – things of mutual interest. Like David, I suspect this is where ministry with young people is most in need of change. It is true that variety is needed in youth ministry – new people, new stories, new adventures – these are the stuff of youth!
But underpinning it all is the family; in ecclesial terms it is the domestic church – for most of us it is simply what we know (knew) as home and family. It is also true today that the shape and make up of that home can vary markedly but, for most, it is that primary place of formation – the location for learning about life’s basics.
Politics, values, interests…and faith are things almost always incredibly influenced by Mum and or Dad. If ‘tentative’ or ‘uncertain’ are the right descriptors for parents’ ability to live and speak about faith, why would we imagine their children would grow up with a strong religious connection to their Church? We have a lot of work to do here – youth ministry in fact starts with new parents. This is a reality that we would do well to remember as we consider submissions/contributions to the second session of the Synod on the Family later this year.
Assuming we can make some real progress with young parents and their ability to pass on faith, how might we expect young people to want to express faith community today? Dare I risk suggesting that, as things currently stand, Sunday Mass attendance is not going to be the answer? Yes, Eucharist is central – our heart and soul – but doesn’t that just underline the imperative to consider how, when and where we celebrate it?
I can’t help but think that there is relevance for all of us – not just our clergy – in Pope Francis’ fascinating Chrism Mass appeal to priests to avoid being ‘collectors of antiquities or novelties’; but instead to ‘be shepherds with the smell of sheep’. Combining this idea with 1990s American rock band Nirvana’s famous hit song Smells Like Teen Spirit – we can arrive at a useful question: what might faith community look and smell like if it exhibited youthful spirit?
I venture it will be diverse. It probably won’t hold dear to what older Catholics might wish it did but the key principles will certainly apply. The mission of the Church is for this time, this place and these cultures.
Times have changed and we need to respond in a co-ordinated yet open and inclusive manner. One thing is for certain, if it works with sheep – and lambs – it will smell of sheep.
Chris Duthie-Jung is a parent of teens and Co-ordinator, Certificate in Catholic Youth Ministry, TCI.