Articles
what roles can families, Christian communities play?
Janet Wambui (not real names) is a twenty three year old university student. Although Janet comes from a good practicing Roman Catholic family, her knowledge and idea of God is quite basic. Apart from going to Sunday mass, she still relies heavily on the catechesis she received while preparing for the sacraments of Eucharist and confirmation. She confesses that when she joined the university, she realised that she had a lot of catch-ups to do and she is glad that the Catholic chaplaincy at the university has been helpful.
And James Njoroge, 26, on the other hand, has had a better chance of deepening his knowledge and love of God. “From a very early age, our parents taught us what they believed and why they believed it. They taught us all manner of prayers, the sacraments and what it meant to be of service to the Church and to the others. They (our parents) created ample opportunities for us to practice what we learned from their teaching and examples.” And he went on to explain further: “My parents prayed for us; they lived the faith fully. All of us are involved in church more than just going to church and this has helped us a lot.”
Through his parents who were great models of the faith, James and his siblings grew close to the Church both in words and in deeds. They are not simply Sunday church goers but are active members. Each of their family members is active in one Church association or the other. Thus, James confessed that his family and friends who are devout Catholics have given him a model and accountability system.
From the above examples, it is clear that today more than ever, religion needs to offer young people something that will keep them wishing to know more or else they will look for alternatives. And if that were the case, the question that immediately comes to mind is, are our churches, temples, mosques and other places of worship and institutions that exist to support and manage the practice of each of these religious beliefs playing their role?
It’s not uncommon that many of our parish or chapel communities lack activities and programmes to engage Christians, let alone the youth outside of mass or church service time. Yet, experience has shown that there is beauty and strength to be found within the Christian Community. And parishes and Christian communities that engage their Christians in various association activities are more vibrant than where the Christians are simply Sunday church goers. Not surprisingly, vibrant church communities tend to grow and develop faster.
One clear example of a vibrant Christian community is Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Charles Lwanga, Parish Nkoroi in Ngong Catholic Diocese, Kenya. The Parish has a strong and vibrant Christian Community with different associations ranging from Catholic Men’s Association and Young Christian Workers to Pontifical Missionary Society. There is even a strong and active youth group in the Parish.
The Parish which is run by the Order of Carmelites was founded 10 years ago and today it has three masses that are fully packed, with the second mass being animated by the youth choir. And if there is any celebration in the Parish that requires catering services, it is often handled by the youth group and the funds are used to run the youth activities.
But most importantly, the parish offers the youth various services like retreats and other formation programmes. They also participate in exchange visits to other youth groups both within and outside the country, all of which have kept them active is church activities.
And what about the parents – do they have the time and the opportunity to instil the love of God in their children? It is during such moments that parents can teach their children on the love and place of God in their lives. Moreover, parents’ day to day encounters with the children and others will help to further strengthen the children’s idea of the love of God and one’s neighbour being put into practice. But not many people have this opportunity to be together and pray as a family, let alone go to church together. And what is more, some parents under the guise of freedom of worship decide not to baptise their children arguing that the children would choose which religion to belong to.
It is therefore not surprising that many young people find going to church and participating in Church activities as a waste of time. This is because they were not introduced to church and prayer early in life. Parents have a responsibility to introduce their children to the love of God. That responsibility officially starts at baptism.
When children are baptised, it is done on the basis of the faith of their parents and it is they (the parents) who are to introduce these children to the love of God. And parents on their part are to be supported in this responsibility by God-parents or sponsors as they are commonly known. That’s why the choice of a god-parent must be carefully made so that they can support the child on their journey of faith.
With today’s hustle and bustle, one wonders if parents are able to create time to sit down and share with their children. Whereas it’s praiseworthy for parents to financially sustain their families, I dare say it is equally important for them to create quality time to be with their children.
Sr. Grace Candiru, MSMMC
