Workshop - We Weren't There: Vat II for Gen X, Y & Next - Dr Joel Hodge

Xt3 Podcast: Great Grace Conference - Receiving Vatican II Today

What is the experience of young people in the post-Vatican II Church? This question is often placed within the context of a larger debate about evangelisation and how faith can be passed on in the modern context. The question has been asked with increasing urgency as the numbers of young people active in the Church seem to dwindle. Is Vatican II to blame for this situation? Can Vatican II offer anything to answer this dilemma? This workshop will begin by assessing the effect of the Council, as well as the influence of general cultural changes, on young people. It is important to note that many young people in Australia know little about the Second Vatican Council and its impact on church life. Nevertheless, in some ways, they seem to have been influenced by the Council and have appropriated some of its most important messages and perspectives. Furthermore, the great changes experienced in the Church and the general Australian community since the 1960s have affected the social context and norms of the current generation of young people. Drawing on current research, this presentation will also explore the experiences, attitudes, ideas and characteristics of Catholic young people in the light of these social changes. It will end by examining current movements in the Church that might offer a taste of what is to come. - Dr Joel Hodge, Lecturer in Systematic Theology, Australian Catholic University