St. Clement and St. Philip Neri Pastorate
Dear Parents and Young People in 9th, 10 and 11th grade,
A note about enrolling in the Confirmation program at St Philip Neri/St Clement from Fr. Andy Aaron, pastor of St Philip Neri/St Clement.
On May 22, 2015, there was a column in the New York Times by David Brooks called "Building Spiritual Capital" about a book titled "The Spiritual Child" by Lisa Miller, a psychologist and sociologist from Columbia University in NYC (2015.) That book resulted from a study she did about how faith is beneficial to young people.
1. Lisa Miller's study found that in every part of the lives of young people studied at ages 16 and 26, faith improved when they had a strong sense of faith in their lives.
For example, according to the research, adolescents with a strong faith were 75% less likely to abuse alcohol or drugs and had 75% less depression.
And many parts of their lives were better when young people had faith: Whether it be that they said they were happy, or that they were doing well in school or at work, or had friends, etc.
2. I say all this not to say that faith makes our life perfect. It doesn't. But I would repeat what Brooks wrote in his article after looking at the data from Lisa Miller: In an era in which so many people slip off the rails during adolescence, we don't have the luxury of
ignoring a resource that, if cultivated, could see them through. Ignoring spiritual development in the public square is like ignoring intellectual, physical, or social development. It is to amputate people fundamentally ("Building Spiritual Capital”).
3. Sometimes, today, there is a lot of competition for a young person's time – lots of things to accomplish to help a young person grow academically with the many talents they might have in music or sports, etc. But I would like to propose that FAITH and learning how to pray/read Scripture/understand the Mass and Sacraments/get to know Jesus, etc., is something that can be the FOUNDATION for their success in all the other areas of their life. And this faith takes some time and attention.
4. Also, I know young people today sometimes have many questions about faith in God, particularly the Catholic faith. To be able to engage themselves with some people of faith at St. Philip Neri/St. Clement in the Sacrament of Confirmation program (headed by Mr. Hunter Luers this year) might be something that we hope would be worthwhile for them to participate in so that they can ask their questions and talk with people about life, faith, and the Church. This program, open to all 9th, 10th, and 11th graders who have had their first Communion, would benefit them, even if, or especially if, they have many questions. We encourage you and your young person to consider enrolling in this program.
5. Finally, it would be good to remember that all the people involved in the Confirmation
preparation program and the parishes of St. Clement and St. Philip Neri are sincere and trying to live out their faith in a good way. None of us are perfect, and the Church is not perfect, but there are many good people here. There is a lot of good in the Church, and I think our young people can benefit from learning more about Jesus and the Church and the Mass, etc.
SO, you can still enroll your young person in this program, and we invite you to do so as soon as possible by contacting Hunter at hunterluers@gmail.com.
God bless you, and contact me if you have any questions that I might be able to answer.
Fr. Andy Aaron
aaaron@archbalt.org
A note about enrolling in the Confirmation program at St Philip Neri/St Clement from Fr. Andy Aaron, pastor of St Philip Neri/St Clement.
On May 22, 2015, there was a column in the New York Times by David Brooks called "Building Spiritual Capital" about a book titled "The Spiritual Child" by Lisa Miller, a psychologist and sociologist from Columbia University in NYC (2015.) That book resulted from a study she did about how faith is beneficial to young people.
1. Lisa Miller's study found that in every part of the lives of young people studied at ages 16 and 26, faith improved when they had a strong sense of faith in their lives.
For example, according to the research, adolescents with a strong faith were 75% less likely to abuse alcohol or drugs and had 75% less depression.
And many parts of their lives were better when young people had faith: Whether it be that they said they were happy, or that they were doing well in school or at work, or had friends, etc.
2. I say all this not to say that faith makes our life perfect. It doesn't. But I would repeat what Brooks wrote in his article after looking at the data from Lisa Miller: In an era in which so many people slip off the rails during adolescence, we don't have the luxury of
ignoring a resource that, if cultivated, could see them through. Ignoring spiritual development in the public square is like ignoring intellectual, physical, or social development. It is to amputate people fundamentally ("Building Spiritual Capital”).
3. Sometimes, today, there is a lot of competition for a young person's time – lots of things to accomplish to help a young person grow academically with the many talents they might have in music or sports, etc. But I would like to propose that FAITH and learning how to pray/read Scripture/understand the Mass and Sacraments/get to know Jesus, etc., is something that can be the FOUNDATION for their success in all the other areas of their life. And this faith takes some time and attention.
4. Also, I know young people today sometimes have many questions about faith in God, particularly the Catholic faith. To be able to engage themselves with some people of faith at St. Philip Neri/St. Clement in the Sacrament of Confirmation program (headed by Mr. Hunter Luers this year) might be something that we hope would be worthwhile for them to participate in so that they can ask their questions and talk with people about life, faith, and the Church. This program, open to all 9th, 10th, and 11th graders who have had their first Communion, would benefit them, even if, or especially if, they have many questions. We encourage you and your young person to consider enrolling in this program.
5. Finally, it would be good to remember that all the people involved in the Confirmation
preparation program and the parishes of St. Clement and St. Philip Neri are sincere and trying to live out their faith in a good way. None of us are perfect, and the Church is not perfect, but there are many good people here. There is a lot of good in the Church, and I think our young people can benefit from learning more about Jesus and the Church and the Mass, etc.
SO, you can still enroll your young person in this program, and we invite you to do so as soon as possible by contacting Hunter at hunterluers@gmail.com.
God bless you, and contact me if you have any questions that I might be able to answer.
Fr. Andy Aaron
aaaron@archbalt.org