Young adults attending Holy Hour+ have heard how a Catholic parish in downtown New York is experiencing an unexpected renewal. Fr Boniface Endorf OP, pastor of St Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village, shared the story with a group of more than 100 Melburnians following Six30 Holy Hour at St Patrick’s Cathedral, reports Melbourne Catholic.
About 80 per cent of the parish is aged under 40, said Fr Boniface, with about 250 young adults coming together each Sunday evening to encounter Christ and a sense of community. It’s a genuine moment of renewal for one of New York’s oldest churches. The growth has attracted the attention of secular American media, with in-depth articles appearing in the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal.
Fr Boniface Endorf OP speaking at the SixThirty Holy Hour in Melbourne. PHOTO: Kay Hartanto/Melbourne Catholic
The Dominican priest is currently visiting Melbourne and last week spoke at a retreat hosted by Melbourne Catholic Professionals. He’s also leading a parish mission at St Michael’s North Melbourne and meeting with students at Monash University.
Sharing what he has learned from accompanying young adults in one of the world’s most secular cities, Fr Boniface said, ‘One thing that struck me is why they’re coming.’ Young adults are searching for answers to questions that go deeper than career, success, or material possessions, he explained. Instead, they’re asking questions like, what does it mean to be human? What is the meaning of our lives and how do we find joy?
Fr Boniface reflected on the prevalent culture that tells people their value comes from what they produce, their careers, consumption and image. ‘We can have all the stuff of this world and yet still feel empty.’
Christianity offers a radically different vision of human life, he said, where ‘the world is full of meaning [and] we were created because God wanted to share his joy with us and that we are loved, and we are called to love God and to know his love for us.’
The growth experienced at St Joseph’s in New York isn’t due to clever programs or marketing, Fr Boniface said. He shared the story of a man who had noticed something distinctive about the Catholics he encountered through his work. ‘He saw that there was something different about these people, and he wanted that for himself.’
Another man preparing for baptism had grown up in a broken family. After becoming friends with a Catholic family, he was struck by the love and support he witnessed within their home. ‘One day, he was talking to his friend’s dad and he just blurted out, “How are you the way you are?” And his friend’s dad said, “because of Jesus Christ.” And he knew in that moment he had to be baptised.’
These stories point towards the heart of evangelisation, according to Fr Boniface. ‘What they’re seeing is something different than what the world says. It’s the power of God at work in our lives.’
He was also quick to acknowledge that St Joseph’s growth was not simply the result of his own pastoral efforts. ‘It has not been because I was such a clever pastor or anything like that. It was the faith of the people in the pews and them telling their friends about their faith, and more and more people coming and experiencing the same Holy Spirit at work.
‘What’s drawing them there is they see that the Holy Spirit is there for us and can transform our lives and fulfil our deepest desires.’
One attendee in Melbourne asked Fr Boniface how Catholics can become better evangelisers among friends who are secular or do not believe in God. ‘The key is love,’ he said.
‘Who do we listen to? We listen to people that care about us, that know us, and that are concerned for our welfare. If we want to evangelise people, we need to first love them.’
Evangelisation, he explained, is not about imposing faith on another person or winning an argument. Faith is a gift of God’s grace, and while Christians cannot simply give someone faith, God can work through them as an instrument of grace. The invitation to young Catholics is to live their faith authentically and to allow others to see what Christ is doing.
Fr Boniface speaks with young people at the Melbourne gathering. PHOTO: Kay Hartanto/Melbourne Catholic
‘Usually, seeing your example and the role that God has in your life ... they then start to desire that for themselves.’
Fr Boniface recalled a Rite of Election where a bishop asked those entering the Church how many had been convinced by a great argument or book. Only a handful raised their hands. When he asked how many had come because a friend had invited them to church or invited them to know Christ, ‘almost everybody’s hands went up,’ he said. ‘And so, it’s that relationship of love that really evangelises people.’
The Dominican also told those gathered to let God do the work, saying that evangelisation does not require having all the answers.
‘We’re not the Saviour, Christ is.’ Rather than putting pressure on themselves to say the perfect thing, Fr Boniface said encouraged Catholics to remain faithful and trust that God can work even through our weaknesses.
‘The first step is to open ourselves to God and allow him to enter. If we do that, he’ll do great things.’ And then, ‘reach out to others and invite them in.’
This article, prepared by Proclaim: Office for Mission Renewal in the Archdiocese of Melbourne was published by Melbourne Catholic.