Inflatable Churches

Another item that caught my eye in last week's Catholic Telegraph was an item about the Catholic diocese of Essen, Germany, buying an inflatable church, apparently in an effort to appeal to young people.

A German diocese plans to use inflatable churches to bring the Gospel to young people. "The aim is to do something eye-catching which could eventually be extended to all our towns," said Winfried Dolhausen, spokesman for the Essen Diocese. "These churches will be on a continual journey, meeting the young where they are rather than waiting for them to come to us."

It's probably no surprise that I don't like the idea.

A church should be a consecrated space, set aside for celebrating sacraments and prayer. The church should be a sign that points to a transcendent reality. It should elevate the soul toward God and provide a sense of permanence. An inflatable structure does none of these things.

If I were a youth, and somebody tried to evangelize to me with a blow-up church that looks like a holy moon-bounce, I might be curious to see what the thing looks like inside, but I woudn't be likely to take seriously anything said by those erecting the thing. It's more likely to become fodder for mocking jokes. A simple tent, I think, would be better.

Having something that looks like a caricature of a church should not be confused with evangelization. Evangelizing youth requires people willing to witness and talk to young people, without being overtly judgemental (which is not the same thing as accepting immoral behavior).

More than anything, I think that we should be willing to take our faith seriously enough not to invite mockery, which a cartoon church is certain to do.

Don't Water It Down

A CNS news brief notes the comments of a University of Maryland student to attendees at the National Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis:

Asked what advice she would give on teen faith formation, the University of Maryland student and member of Our Lady of the Fields Parish in Millersville told the 100 attendees there: "Don't water it down." The response drew audible gasps, and even applause, from the gathering of academics, educators, youth ministers, bishops, catechists and other leaders.

I love the way her comment "drew audible gasps." I admit that I don't know the best way to reach youth with the message of the gospel. But I do know that watering down the message to make it more appealing is counter-productive.

Cruisin' Deacons

I was a bit taken aback when I read the item in the Local Briefs section of The Catholic Telegraph. The headline, "Local deacons attend national conference," caught my attention. What surprised me was that the conference wast held on board the Norwegian Cruise Line's "Pride of America," as it toured the Hawaiian Islands.



I admit that I'd like to go on a cruise sometime, and if I ever do, I'd like to be able to attend some conferences on-board ala a Catholic Answers cruise or a National Review cruise. Those cruises, however, are typically money-making cruises for the host organization. Those attending know it, and they know that they are taking a vacation (hopefully well-earned).



But when it comes to a national conference of ordained clerics, I expect some minimum level of asceticism. The point should be to get away from the excesses of the material world to concentrate on something higher. Somehow, hosting a discussion on "Social Justice and Outreach" on board a cruise liner misses the point.