Br. Erik Lenhart, director of our office of vocation ministry, has observed some trends among certain young Catholics in America, many of whom are discerning religious life and priesthood.
He attended the annual Seek conference (stylized SEEK), held Jan. 1-5 in Columbus, Ohio. He went with Br. Carlos Hernandez and Br. Shawn Natola. They met up with nine other Capuchins from the Provinces of St. Augustine, St. Joseph, and Stigmata of St. Francis. This year in Columbus, Seek gathered over 16,000 students from Catholic colleges and universities; 500 priests; and 25 bishops. There were also Seek conferences happening concurrently in Dallas and Denver.
The Fellowship of Catholic University Students, FOCUS, has hosted Seek since 1998. The first Seek event had 20 students from Benedictine College, Atchinson, Kan. Seek 2026 brought in a record 26,000 students. FOCUS has about 1,000 full-time missionaries serving in about 200 colleges and 23 parishes.
Brother Erik reports:
“Clearly, FOCUS is doing something right when it comes to engaging and gathering young Catholics. Seek employs the most popular Catholic speakers, many of whom are YouTube or podcast content creators. I’ve gone to over 20 Seek talks, and the themes that keep coming up are purity of heart, adoration, confession, daily Mass, the rosary, meditation, Scripture study, and evangelization. FOCUS has a strong emphasis on campus Bible study and inviting people to join.
“With the preponderance of popular YouTube channels like Ascension Presents, Pints With Aquinas, Thomistic Institute, and Word on Fire, there is also a strong interest in liturgy and apologetics. Data from the last few years shows that these online resources are driving people to become Catholic via OCIA and have increased Church participation among people in their 20s and 30s. I personally met several students who became Catholics because of what they saw on Catholic YouTube channels. There are many fruits from this online evangelization, and the Church is benefiting tremendously.
“Many of the Catholic personalities on YouTube have shaped what young Catholics consider orthodox in theology and liturgy. External pieties, rosaries, habits, devotion, and veils are litmus tests for discerning young adults. Attraction to the traditional Latin Mass continues to grow. This is not a negative thing. It represents a stage of spiritual maturity, with heavy emphasis on personal holiness and external symbols of faith.
“While Seek does gather a considerable amount of young people and future priests and religious, there are fewer Latinos present there than you’d think. Seek might represent many young Catholics, but Latinos, who make up 60 percent of the American Catholicism, were in smaller numbers at Seek.
“We as Capuchins have much to offer people in their 20s and 30s; however, we need a wider net to attract and form the next generation of Catholic leaders in selfless service with the poor, Catholic social teaching, and orthopraxis. I am grateful that our Capuchin brothers from Stigmata, St. Joseph, and St. Augustine have been successful in building these nets for discerning young Catholics.”
What were young Catholics seeking at Seek? Brother Shawn reflects:
Conversion of life. “Most of the young people (men and women) that I spoke to shared their journey of personal conversion. There is a wide range of ages, circumstances, and levels of discernment. What I believe was a common thread was that an encounter has taken place that led them to Seek.”
A desire for continued encounter with our Lord. “A theme that came out of the first theme, conversion of life, was a desire to renew life with our Lord through devotions and traditional practices of prayer (Liturgy of the Hours, Eucharistic Adoration, the Mass). Curiously, I had people asking me about my encounter with the Lord. I told them my own conversion story, and I think people are hungry for testimony from us. How did you get to be a Capuchin? I quickly had to develop the elevator speech so as to keep it brief.”
Authenticity and integrity of life. “This theme came up a lot. Young people especially are looking to those of us who are older to help them navigate an alternative path forward, which is authentic, not fake, not false, not lying, not hypocritical, not manipulative, etc. This modern world has failed in some way to provide them with what they hunger for, and they are testing us also to see if there is that secret yet beautiful maturity of life that is authentic and integrated. Do you really believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you really believe in His power to save? Do you really believe He called you to this life? Do you really live this life? Are you honest about this life you live? I think they respond more to honesty, even if one admits the shortcomings of our communal and personal lives, than they will if we are just trying to sell them the excitement of ‘following Jesus.’ ”