Looking back on the Catholic Day of Action to Protect Dreamers in late February—when dozens of Catholics, many of them members of religious orders, were arrested while demonstrating in support of undocumented people who were brought to the United States as children—it was difficult for me not to notice something striking: the average age of the protesters.
Perhaps it was because so many of the photos were taken from above, capturing the gray- and white-haired heads of peaceful protesters in concentric circles flanked by the Capitol police officers who would later arrest them.
Religious sisters will always draw attention at protests—indeed, that is often a goal of including them in a demonstration. But seeing these older sisters arrested while advocating for undocumented people my age, in their early 20s, shocked me. Where were all the Catholic 20-somethings who should have been protesting for our peers alongside these sisters? Why is the face of Catholic activism today so often a Baby Boomer?
Where were all the Catholic 20-somethings who should have been protesting for our peers alongside these sisters?
This is a question I have asked myself repeatedly in recent months as I have torn through books and documentaries about Catholic social justice leaders like Daniel Berrigan, S.J., Dorothy Day, Jean Vanier and Madeleine Delbrêl. I see the spirit of these men and women in myself and my friends: We are idealistic, energetic and passionate about the way our faith calls us to work communally for justice and peace. But when I meet members of Catholic activist groups like Pax Christi or bring friends to the Friday night “clarification of thought” meetings at the Catholic Worker, however, we are often the only people in the room under 60.
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While it is in vogue for millennials to blame Boomers for many of this country’s institutional problems—perhaps a reaction to older generations who call us selfish and entitled without considering the socioeconomic circumstances that shape us—we cannot deny the significant social justice progress that Catholic activists in their 60s and 70s brought about. When they were our age, young Catholic Boomers peacefully protested segregation and the Vietnam War until the Civil Rights Act was passed and both the war and selective service ended. When Roe v. Wade made abortion legal, some of the same Catholic activists turned their sights on fighting abortion.
Today, Boomers remain the face of many Catholic peace and justice efforts. Millennials need to acknowledge that our parents’ generation will not be able to lead the way forever.
Millennials need to acknowledge that our parents’ generation will not be able to lead the way forever.
Many of us have already had a taste of activism at the March for Life. Tens of thousands—some years, hundreds of thousands—of Catholic students demonstrate or have demonstrated in Washington, D.C., in groups from Catholic high schools, youth groups and colleges. But after graduation, few of us return to the march, and the scope of our activism within the church rarely branches out to include the anti-war, anti-death penalty, anti-poverty and anti-racism work that previous generations of Catholics championed.
Millennials are also equipped to organize in a way that past generations were not thanks to social media, as we have seen in the success of secular movements like Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter and the Women’s March. Young Catholics who are involved in these movements might rightfully ask, why bother organizing with fellow Catholics when you can simply be a Catholic in a secular social justice movement?
It is important for the church to bring the faith out of the sanctuary and into the streets.
Catholic peace and justice groups are important for several reasons. First, these groups continue the strong tradition of U.S. Catholics working for justice that dates back to the Knights of Labor who fought for workers’ rights during the Industrial Revolution. Young Catholics have breathed new life into traditions like the Latin Mass that date from before the Second Vatican Council. Advocating for social justice—a term coined by an Italian Jesuit in the 1840s—is a Catholic tradition that it is vital for us to carry on in a world marred by injustice.
Second, Catholic groups enable us to advocate without being forced to downplay or compromise our beliefs. For example, in 2017 the Women’s March alienated Catholic women by declaring that access to abortion was one of the “unity principles” that its marchers stood for. Explicitly Catholic advocacy groups will, of course, face difficult decisions about who they are willing to work with in order to advance a cause. But they are able to uphold and integrate Catholic teachings in their work in a way that can be difficult for individuals who join non-Catholic organizations.
Third, and perhaps most important, Catholic activism can be a powerful evangelization tool. Groups that advocate for Catholic social teaching can reach people by advocating for the issues that they already care about and invite them into the full Catholic understanding of justice, which is intertwined with faith and love. The church today is often seen as hypocritical and sexist for its anti-abortion advocacy; Catholics, critics charge, are pro-life only until the babies’ due date. The witness of Catholic activists fighting for a living wage, paid family leave or an end to mass incarceration can prove that we practice the justice we preach. We can show that we oppose all killing, not just abortion, by working to end the death penalty and the wars the United States has fought for our entire adult lives. Catholic groups can also provide a sense of intentional community to counter the growing trend of social isolation in the United States.
As Generation Z, the oldest of who are now 19, begins to find its political voice, millennial Catholics ought to provide an example of what faith-based activism looks like in a digitally saturated world. Teens today are less Catholic and less religious than previous generations, which means it will be even more important for the church to bring the faith out of the sanctuary and into the streets. If millennials do not step into leadership roles in Catholic justice movements, then we risk denying the next generation the living examples of Catholic activism that they deserve.
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This article appears in April 2 2018.
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