Faith and the school-leavers

FROM A FORMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT OFFICER
sincere congratu
lations to Mrs. Simpson on her letter "The Church as seen by a school leaver" .(March 26 issue).
The picture presented is most certainly typical of a broad cross-section of school leavers and it has come as something of a shock to me to realise that this picture is not known to all C atholics.
For fifteen years I have worked with a large education authority as a Divisional Youth Employment Officer dealing with leavers from Secondary Modern, Cirammar, Public Schools and Technical Colleges.
I would like to offer some suggestions to deal with the situation as a father of two teenage sons attending a College of Further Education and a nine-year-old daughter. I can also claim much wider experience in dealing with young people.
The first major obstacle is that the present education system is more important than the individual.. so religion becomes part of the academie rat-race.
Whilst a sound knowledge of the Catechism is important, the fact that our faith is a reasonable and rational thing is constantly overlooked.
Our children are taught that they must go to Mass and the Sacraments rather than why they should go. The Church states that the age of reason begins at seven, if so, for the love of God. let us reason with our children about their faith from that tender age.
Let us convince them intellectually not emotionally that faith is a living thing. that prayer is an affectionate effort to raise the mind to God, and that it is far better to think quietly and intensely but in a relaxed manner about God for a few minutes each day than to grind through a distasteful routine of meaningless prayer.
Remove religion frOM the avaderoic syllabus ad make the religious period an exciting stimulating discussion each day rather than a dreary learning of Catechism in preparation for the day when the Religious Examinations arrive.
Enthusiasm and excitement on the part of the teacher will do more to sell the faith to our children. Is there anything undignified about selling the Faith thoroughly as did the early apostles?
Listen to our teenagers in the schools. We encourage exploratory thought end intellectual curiosity in academic subjects. Do our thinking teenagers-the future leaders in the community get any encouragement to query any point of doctrine?
We have the gift of faith but intellectual conviction makes the good Catholic. Convince our young people during their formulative years that our doctrine and dogma are entirely rational and that, ultimate belief is a logical outcome of rational thinking.
Belief in oneself is built up over a period of years, belief in God and the Church can be done likewise.
Get the bank manager and accountant out of the presbytery! To a child the Church is the priest -the warm understanding human being with the ever open heart and attentive ear who is always around the school. sharing their enthusiasms and their mistakes.
A young person's loyalties are swift and long lasting!
Let the English Bishops earn the undying gratitude of the clergy by passing control and maintenance of our schools to the State.
The Government would welcome the Scottish solution-in which our schools are still staffed by Catholic teachers. Like many Catholic laymen with experience in the educational field. I sincerely believe that the Catholic laity is sick of the whole schools question and is in considerable doubt as to whether except in isolated instances the clergy and governors are competent to deal efficiently with this vital matter.
If there is any doubt here it would be most interesting to get the figures of the number of Catholic children voluntarily attending nonCatholic secondary schools and colleges.
Let there be no mistake about this question of lapsation. Young people have not failed the Church, the Church has failed them in the persons of adult Catholics, parents, teachers. and clergy.
We have them in the home, the School and the Church during their most impressionable years from five to fifteen. We adults have allowed a world of materialism. morality and greed to close around them.
In this world of darkness we have also put into their hands the illuminating Torch of Truth-and left them in doubt about the efficiency of the battery-the Faith.
And what of the post-school years when the young Catholic worker finds himself in a world where none of his beliefs are put into practice? What of responsibility to his neighbour, loyalty to his employer, and the defence of his own religious beliefs.
The sincere enquirer who asks a straightforward question about Catholicism is usually put off either through embarassment or ignorance on the part of the Catholic.
As a Youth Employment Officer, in common with my colleagues throughout the country I held a Review of Progress evening each week, writing to young people inviting them to the office to discuss their problems.
The response from young Catholics was negligible but the range of questions and troubles brought by others was quite astonishing.
One of my colleagues. a convert, was like myself inundated each winter with invitations to talk to all types of organisations on our work with adolescents.
We rarely -receive art invitation to address Catholic organisations!
This type of thing is well known iniong Catholic social workers. For many years I ran undenominational Youth Clubs, although I would have preferred to run a Catholic Youth Club open to all demonations. Do we care about our young people but not care for them?
In your same issue of March 26, in a report of a meeting of the educationalists at the London Newman Centre, I noticed with some ironic amusement that "there was a clearly felt need for more information and for moreserious study of the present position".
What additional information is required? The lapsation position is critical and has been so for many years now. At the risk of bringing a torrent of wrath down on my head, might I suggest that the Catholic educationalists get in touch with the nearest Catholic social worker in the field, who will tell him fast enough what practical steps can be taken?
We have regrettably been looking at this problem so long that no one has taken any action.
Is it beyond the imagination of our Catholic schools in each area to give a list of names and addresses of each Catholic leaver to the Secretary of one of our more prominent Catholic organisations such as the Legion of Mary, whose members can keep in regular touch with these young people during the early critical years in industry and encourage the wayward to stay in the church.
After all. it could well be much easier for the Legion to keep them In now than bring them hack later!
W. J. Meegan
Northwich.