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Conventioneers
explore ways to strengthen
Catholic church

Catholics stress need to draw youth

By Pat Gee
Star-Bulletin

The Catholic Church in Hawaii wants to attract more young people, reach out further to the poor and bring more into the priesthood and lay ministry.

These are only a few of the areas in which the church needs strengthening, says Bishop Francis DiLorenzo, head of the statewide diocese. In the past three days some 500 delegates from around the state, representing 215,000 Catholics, made detailed plans on how the church could improve during the first convention of this type ever held in Hawaii.

The Diocesan Synod 2000 meetings started Sunday at Star of the Sea Church in Waialae, but DiLorenzo set the conference into motion two years ago. The 30 topics discussed at the synod were the result of a a 55-question survey on what Catholics wanted from their church, regional conferences and many smaller meetings.

The Catholic Church has had such a "staid, ritualized approach in the past ... but the umbrella of Catholicism is broader than people think," says DiLorenzo.

The Charismatic or Evangelical Christian movement has allowed a greater "dimension of our humanity" to come forth in the Catholic Church during the last few decades, he said. "It was OK for a while, but we want to do even better now."

For example, the church is losing more of its youth to evangelical churches of other denominations.

"They've jumped out of the box, where they were safe and protected, and have begun experimenting and looking around. We want to make ourselves as appealing as possible," he said.

That means "interesting, newer music" to draw the youth into worship services, and providing enough peer support. Although religious education is important, the church should also provide the environment for social interaction where they can meet someone with whom they might like to begin a relationship in a "dignified atmosphere of mutual respect as opposed to the suds (beer) party of years ago," he said.

The New Age Movement, which offers such diverse, all-inclusive belief systems, is also giving the Catholic church some competition.

Catholicism offers a "formal creed of morality" involving "seven tangible sacraments (by which) you can reach Jesus," he said. But New Agers are "still in the process of searching. They're not lost; 'lost' is someone who gives up looking," DiLorenzo said.