Cardinal Tobin leads youth synod event
Church to be community, inclusiveness, activities beyond Mass, are some of what youth want from their parishes.
Teens from four Catholic schools gathered on Friday, March, 15 at the St. John Paul II Youth Retreat Center in Kearny to participate in a Synod on Synodality led by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark.
The three-year listening sessions were initiated by Pope Francis in 2021, and for the first time, welcomed the input from around 1.4 billion Catholics of different ages, races, and cultures globally. The questions to pray over and discuss include “How are we walking together as a Church?” and “What is the Holy Spirit asking of the Church in the 21st century?” The Synod on Synodality will culminate in October in Rome.
After attending seven synods, Cardinal Tobin said inclusion of people from all walks of life among the bishops, priests, sisters, cardinals, and archbishops was necessary. At last year’s synod in Rome, laypeople, sisters, and bishops sat around 35 round tables to discuss the Church of the 21st century. He emphasized that listening is the most important part of the discussions.
“A mom from Ukraine had four kids in CCD in the Diocese. Sitting across from her was a young Russian woman. They listened to each other even though it wasn’t all pleasant. Talk and listen, then ask yourself what the Holy Spirit might be saying?” Cardinal Tobin said to the young flock.
Synod is not a parliament or congress, he noted. “There’s no yelling or voting. Decisions we arrive at come from what we believe and how we want to be witnesses. We believe in one God of all things visible and invisible, one Lord, Jesus Christ,” Cardinal Tobin said, echoing the Nicene Creed of 325 A.D. which is considered part of the origins of Synod.
Synod comes from the Greek word “synodos” (assembly/meeting) and the contraction “syn” (same/together) and “hodos” (travel/journey). Cardinal Tobin segued into the 1,700-year history of Synod. Its origins are tangled in the Nicene Creed and the splitting of Eastern and Western Churches into Orthodox and Catholicism.
“People like us walk on the same road along with different people, stories, and desires. Deep down, something unites us,” Cardinal Tobin said. “We are united by the Holy Spirit. It allows us to be together tonight, you and an old guy.”
The Apostles had faced the crisis of the Church in danger of splitting, he noted. Jews obeyed the laws of Moses. The non-Jewish (Pagans) gathered in Jerusalem and asked what to do for unity. Synod leaders and churches prayed locally, nationally, and sometimes worldwide like now, he said. “The biggest listening session in human history now begs the question: ‘What does God want for us?’”
Peppering the group with humorous stories about his humble beginnings growing up in Detroit and his grandiose visions of exotic travels as a young priest, his workouts at L.A. Fitness, trombone and keyboard skills, and his love of spy novels, Cardinal Tobin drew the young listeners in. Twenty-five years ago, he traveled the world as part of an order of 5,000 priests and brothers in 78 countries. He served in Detroit, Rome, and Indianapolis as communities evolved. His career preparation began in childhood, praying for God to make him a priest, he said.
“I’m the oldest of 13 children, including eight sisters. We grew up in a one-bathroom duplex in Detroit, so you learn not to be selfish and to share,” Cardinal Tobin said. “Now we have our own families and careers, I have 28 nieces and nephews. We moved from schools in Detroit to summers on a farm in Canada, learned different languages, “important stuff” in French like “How much is that?” and “How do I look?”
At 26, he became a priest and thought he would be sent to Brazil where “the road is the river and it’s full of piranhas.” But he ended up in Detroit, which was not the same place he left 13 years prior. Masses were in Spanish, English, and Arabic. One year later he was transferred to Chicago. The phone calls from religious orders would often come from around the world with a 5 a.m. ring to inform Cardinal Tobin of his next assignment. In Siberia and Russia, he witnessed how the former political system crushed lives. In England, he biked to Oxford to read from the library’s 11 million books. Back in Canada, he helped paint the family home during the summer before his next two terms of service in Rome and Indianapolis.
During the 15-minute Q&A, teens asked how young people can get more involved in the Catholic Church and youth synods, explore how the Church understands their voices, and how God can be present in the age of social media and the race for likes and clicks. “I won’t say we have all the answers. We’d have to wait and pray and listen for the answers to our questions,” Cardinal Tobin said.
Getting young Catholics to stay active in their parishes post-confirmation is a challenge. He referenced the results of a survey given to 1,000 young Catholics across 20 parishes eight years ago. “We’re worried about the fact that at 13, we’ve lost many of our younger generations after confirmation,” he said.
Young people face challenges unseen by previous generations at their age. “Young people today are the most connected but also the loneliest. I’d love to be 16 again…in 1968, not in 2024,” Cardinal Tobin said.
Many high school students who participated in listening sessions last year feel the Church does not accept them or listen to their concerns about social issues and mental health. They feel disconnected from the Church and feel there’s a lack of engaging faith-based activities for them to participate in, and as a result, they become inactive members of the parish after confirmation.
Some may question their faith, influenced by what they learn in school. Faith and science seem contradictory but can co-exist, Cardinal Tobin noted. “Did you ever love anybody? There’s a psychological mystery in that you can’t write down in a mathematical formula what love is. Science helps us take everything apart. Faith helps us put it all together,” he said.
His advice for young Catholics: “Believe that God has a plan for you, and it’s not your decision. Pay attention and pray.”
Youth are bombarded daily to be consumers and follow trends or people. “They are not all worthy of your life. When you find your calling that’s what you give your life for,” Cardinal Tobin said.
Rich Donovan, Associate Director for the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at the Archdiocese of Newark, told the group to voice their opinions. “Your parish is your community. If you haven’t spoken up in your church, do it. Your voice counts. The pope is giving you an opportunity to say something. Have those conversations and take ownership,” Donovan said.
The high school students said they enjoyed the event. “The atmosphere is supportive and relatable for our level of understanding and for our generation,” said Elizabeth Larsen, 14, of St. Mary of Assumption in Elizabeth. “Asking for church to be community and involve youth inclusiveness was important. We are the loneliest but most connected generation. It’s true.”
“Sometimes you get confused about your faith and what feels right,” added Erin Mazzeo, 15, of St. Mary of the Assumption in Elizabeth “How do you know what God chooses for you?”
As far as youth involvement in the church, she said she would like to see more activities, perhaps music programs, and youth groups. “It’s like a getaway for teens to show Jesus good things we can turn to for comfort and community,” Mazzeo said.
Parish schools in attendance included Paris of the Transfiguration and Blessed Sacrament St. Charles Borromeo, both in Newark; St. Thomas the Apostle in Bloomfield; St. Joseph in East Orange; St. Francis de Sales in Lodi; Immaculate Conception Church in Secaucus; St. Mary of the Assumption in Elizabeth; Immaculate Heart of Mary in Mahwah; and Sacred Heart in Bloomfield.
