Pre-Synod focus groups stress need for guidance

The critical issues facing high school age youth in their daily lives are bullying, drugs and pornography. In most cases, it’s not the schools that are to blame. According to some teenagers, it’s the breakdown of some of their own families. 

Between May and June Bishop Michael Mulvey and Jaime Reyna, Director of Youth Ministry, met with youth groups from three focus groups in the Diocese of Corpus Christi to discuss the results of the 2017 Pre-Synod survey that would help address their pastoral needs. 

The 2018 Synod, “Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment” will be occurring in Rome sometime in October. It will be a result of Pope Francis’ requests to bishops from all over the world who conducted similar surveys.

All youth groups, youth leaders and priests of the diocese were invited to attend one of three meetings near them. The meetings were at St. Therese of the Infant Jesus Parish in Premont, St. Peter Parish in Fulton and Most Precious Blood Parish in Corpus Christi. 

For many youth ministers and priests who also attended the focus groups, the meetings were a revelation. “The youth shared freely,” Reyna said. “It’s one thing to see it on paper and know that it exists–it’s another when they hear the kids they serve, speak on issues with more details and in depth.”

Some of the families, who struggle, often have to deal with substance abuse and domestic violence. A teenager told Reyna that sometimes he doesn’t go to church because of problems at home. “He said he has to help take care of a family member who’s going through a hard time rather than go to church,” Reyna said. “He is (basically) incurred to care for family members and that’s his reality,” 

Not everybody addressed alcohol and drugs. Some of the youth talked about their relatives and peers, whose parents let them do whatever they want. According to some of the youth, parents don’t discipline or correct their kids even when they’re wrong. They can choose to believe in God or not, go to church or not.

“They are saying that these kids don’t even think of consequences because they don’t have them at home. That is their perception of what they feel is the problem. I asked them, ‘do you think the school system is to blame,’ and they tell me ‘no–we have some teachers that care and then we have teachers that don’t, because it’s a losing battle.’”

“We’re talking about divorce and drugs, and we’re talking about no discipline,” Reyna said. When he asked them to elaborate, one of the youth said, “sometimes it’s kind of hard for my mom to do this when she’s going out doing drugs–you know–she’s not there.” Another young person said, “divorce impacts many of us young people and because we do not seek help it adds to the problem.”

In some of the rural areas grandparents raising grandchildren, bullying and pornography are significant issues in their lives. In school, kids share pornographic Web sites with other kids using their phones. “The schools have lockdowns and school suspensions because kids have gotten out of control,” Reyna said.

“It’s almost like a war zone in some of these rural school areas when you have substance abuse–bullying and fighting is a problem and no discipline,” Reyna said. “It’s hard for schools or teachers or lay leaders to redirect them when their families don’t even know how to redirect them or teach them morals or right and wrong.” 

Reyna said though some youth come from broken families, for the Vietnamese community in Fulton that is a minimal factor. The focus group they met at St. Peter Parish in Fulton also comprised of youth from Rockport. According to Reyna the group from Rockport was a very dynamic group, and they had a lot of good content to share on the subject matters. Whereas, the group from Fulton, mostly Vietnamese, were reticent. “I kept asking questions –like about substance abuse or how did they feel when young people or young adults leave the church. Most of it wasn’t an issue for them, because of their family upbringing, their traditions,” he said. 

The group from Fulton said that in their world, they have a stable family upbringing. They don’t leave the house or stop going to church, because their families wouldn’t let them. 

“Young people say that parents are giving kids so much freedom and the right to do whatever they want–and they don’t want that,” Reyna said. “If we focused on families we can probably help change the cultural identity because they share a lot of the blame.”

Many teenagers admit they go to Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook for their news. They don’t even watch TV anymore–they prefer to get their news from social media. According to Reyna’s findings, some kids like to choose which report they want to see, and others are looking at social media for the shock value.

Youth also say they want homilies and social media on topics that are relatable to them. They want priests and bishops to talk on social issues in their homilies. They say the church or lay leaders dance around topics. They say, “all we want is to know the truth.” They feel by the time the church responds they’ve already found their answers elsewhere (even if it’s wrong).

Reyna said that youth groups are high in quality, if not quantity. “Youth are thankful to the church for providing things like youth group and religious education and the Newman Centers and many of them said without them they don’t know where they would be. It is a haven and a blessing that they are able to go to places like that and find support–a support system in their journey of faith.”