93: Why not say that we are a church family?

Episode 93: Bringing insights from Seventh-day Adventist childhood experiences, Hannah wants Catholic parishes to engage their young people more fully. She is making the effort herself, alongside prayer, to do just that. Hear how Hannah works at balancing personal faith and professional ethics too. She shares practical tools that help her to keep faith alive for herself and others between Sundays: youth testimonies, Justice & Peace, Christian radio, prayer partners, and the rosary. 

Don’t forget to check the link below about our in-person gathering on Saturday 21st March. Theresa will be recording a LIVE episode with special guest, Helena Judd of Radio Maria England— we’d love to meet you there!

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Transcript

You're listening to All Kinds of Catholic with me, Theresa Alessandro.  My conversations with different Catholics will give you glimpses into some of the ways we're living our faith today.  Pope Leo, quoting St Augustine, reminds us, Let us live well and the times will be good.  We are the times.  I hope you feel encouraged and affirmed and sometimes challenged as I am in these conversations.  Join our podcast community, get news and background information about the conversations and share your thoughts if you want to. You can get the newsletter and each episode straight to your inbox by going to allkindsofcatholic.substack.com and clicking on subscribe. It's free. That web address is in the episode notes too and I'd love you to draw closer to our community. Thank you.

Listeners, a reminder again to check out the link in the episode notes about our in-person gathering on Saturday the 21st of March coming up soon now. I really hope some of you will be coming along to join us. As you may know by now, I'll be making a live episode of the podcast at the event with Helena Judd of Radio Maria England as the guest. I'm really looking forward to it. And actually then I'll edit the episode and put it out as usual on the Wednesday following hopefully, and you'll be able to compare. And if you've been there on the day to hear the episode being made live, you'll get a little insight into how that process works when you hear the edited version going out later. So let's get on with today's conversation, which like last week's has a little bit of challenge for us. So listeners, thanks for joining the podcast today. I'm joined by Hannah. We're going to have a really interesting conversation. Some of it is about active parishes and about young people in the church. And let's see where else this conversation takes us. Welcome Hannah. 

Thank you.

So why don't we start with, are you someone who's always been a Catholic, Hannah? Did you grow up a Catholic or did you find the Catholic Church later in life?  

No, I was born and raised within the Catholic setting. On my mother's side, they were active Catholics. On my father's side, they were Seventh-day Adventists. So I had the opportunity to worship in both churches. So usually I would go to Saturday church with my grandmother and then I would go to church with the family on a Sunday. So I found that the Catholic setting at the time didn't have a lot for young people and I was quite active as a young child and I'll probably still say I am now in fact. And I used to sing a lot, do public speaking, so I was used very well in the Adventist setting. So yes, I'm known to both. 

Okay, well that’s interesting. Thank you. For listeners who might not know too much about the Seventh-day Adventist Church then, just tell us a little bit about what that looks like. 

It's similar to Jews where they worship on a Saturday. So their Sabbath is on a Saturday and their sunset starts on the Friday evening until sunset on the Saturday evening. And they have a prophecy who follow a lady called Ellen G. White. 

And are they Christian? Do they believe in Jesus? 

They do, yes.  

Thank you. I'm sorry not to know more about it in advance, but at least we've learned something today. That's good. So you're an active person and you belong to an active parish then. So tell us a bit about that parish and what you're trying to achieve there with young people. 

So as I said, I have been a Catholic, or been born a Catholic. There were times where I dipped in and out and that mainly is because of travelling, not living within my local area, but I always knew that I am a Catholic. I've always attended the same parish, which has been very important for me.  I just wanted to just get more involved with younger people and because I know I've had that in my life as a Seventh-day Adventist, and I feel, I felt like I benefited from that. So, I wanted that for my parish, and there were times where I would be sat in the pew and I'd think to myself, I could do this, I could do that. And a lady at my church, she encouraged me to be a reader and I received a lot of positive feedback from how I read and deliver the message. And it all stemmed from there really. 

I'm interested that you found as a child growing up that the, I think you said the Seventh-day Adventist Church, they used your skills and talents and gave you an opportunity to really be part of the church community. And I guess that's the kind of thing you're talking about now that you found missing sometimes in the Catholic parish. That's really interesting. And then more recently, I understand justice and peace has become something that you have found aligns to your faith. So how did that come about? What drew you to thinking about being active in justice and peace?  

So I wanted more for the young people within my parish and I wanted them to become more involved. So I contacted the diocese. I spoke to somebody and she invited me to a workshop. She said it's  not so much for the younger generation but for the older youth which she invited me to and I found it very interesting and in that workshop I spoke to a number of people who were part of the Justice Peace and youth and they were looking for, their words were, ‘fresh meat,’ with new ideas. And I thought Oh that is something that I could maybe contribute for me so I looked into it. I had a talk with the chair gave him an overview of my, of what I've been doing within the church, and me as an individual and what I have to offer. And I haven't looked back since. As I said, it’s very early days that I'm hoping that I will be able to contribute in a positive way. 

Well, I'm sure you will Hannah, I'm sure you will. Just maybe to help bring to life what you're saying about young people in the church. Can you just think about what a parish looks like when young people are involved and taking part and have things that speak to them about faith? What does that look like for you? What are the kind of things you would look for if you were shopping around for a parish? What are the kind of things you would look for that would tell you this is a parish that is engaging its young people? 

That you see the young people at the front and they are contributing, whether or not it's singing or they are doing the first or second reading. Lots of children taking part in the children's liturgy. And more recently in my parish, we're encouraging young people to do a testimony. So we have a youth event next month and I've already approached two of our young people,  one being who's just come into the church and will be baptised  during the Easter period, God willing.  And I've asked whether or not he will be able to share a testimony about his faith journey and how he's led, how he's within our parish because he's come on his own. He's between 16 and 17.  And I think that testimony there would be really good for other young children and youth to hear. I've also requested for another youth who's just started university, and I would like her to share her experiences of, you know, being her first year at university and how God has journeyed through the life of the freshers term and what it looks like for her.

That's really lovely, Hannah. That's so interesting. I think sometimes we don't use testimony very much in our parishes. And yet, I was speaking to somebody recently after the canonisation of Carlo Acutus, and he was saying, you know, that for young people,  it's been really important to have this example of another young person who was - because it's a recent example - who has lived his life in the way that they're living and has found God through education and social media and friendships among young people, that that really spoke to them. And so I think there's something very strong in what you're saying about having other young people share their experiences of their faith. They don't need to have a PhD in theology to talk about how they feel God's working in their life and that can really inspire and encourage other young people. So that sounds really great. We've not talked so much about your work then Hannah, outside of the parish. Just tell us a little bit about your work and how your faith fits in there or if it does. And when we've talked about your work, I'd like to go back to your own faith a little bit, but let's just hear a bit about what life is like for you then in between being at church on Sundays. 

Well, I have to show some form of resilience in my job and I have to also ensure that I'm balancing my personal faith with my professional ethics.  And sometimes I do get frustrated because in the job I do, there is a lot of power, but I'm also supporting and advocating for young people. And also supporting carers. But I have to make sure that I’m sensitive to other people's religious beliefs, but also being neutral. So I'm very mindful of what I say, as much as I would like to say, for example, God willing, you do X, Y and Z. But usually I have to stand on the fence, just maintaining my professional boundaries, but in a way that I'm respectful to everybody. And sometimes that can be frustrating because I am required to chair and lead a number of meetings and I am the forefront, the face, and there's frustrations there. And some people tend to think that in my profession I can wear a number of heads, but actually I'm only human. And sometimes when I do attend church or I'm having those one-to-one conversations, I can become frustrated. And I'm very much of a planner. But in recent years I've stopped planning because I know whatever I'm asking or praying for, it's not in my time, it's in God's time. And I am getting better at that. But in terms of work, I'm trying to let go and let God. It is working, but what comes with that is lots of practice and discipline. It is a work in progress. And I say that to my students all the time, that you've got to ensure that you have that balance. But I have to practice what I preach as well with the help of God. And I find that if I need to go somewhere from destination to destination or I just need that booster, I will have daily devotions on my phone. I will listen to Premier radio station. That helps me along my daily tasks and what is expected of me. And also, I'm saying the rosary. And I've become better at doing that. 

We'll talk a little bit more about your faith and the practices that help you in a moment. Because I just want to respond to what you're saying there about your work. And I think there'll be listeners who really understand the balance of being a person of faith and working in a place where you have to be a bit cautious about sharing that faith.  So yeah, I think you've expressed that really well. And I think that will resonate with people who've been in those situations. I'm struck by how much, you described it as needing practice and discipline, but also the effort that's required sometimes.  It is about putting on a different hat, I think you were saying, which is really difficult when you're, like you say, one human being, but there is kind of language that you need to use at work, which is different from language that you might use in church or in your everyday life. You have to kind of keep those things, keep all of that in your head and be using the right things in the right time. We can hear the work involved there. But I'm not surprised to find that your work environment involves supporting young people as well in some settings because I can hear in your approach to supporting young people in the parish, I can hear that you've got experience and skills there that you're bringing to that work. So in the parish, you're very lucky to have you. But let's talk a little bit now. You did give us some information there about how you keep faith alive during your working day where you can and the practices that help you. So tell us a bit more about that. It sounds like the rosary is something a bit newer for you.

It is. Growing up, I always used to hear my grandmother in her bedroom saying out the rosary out loud. And it was like, as a child, I used to be thinking, Oh gosh, this is like the never-ending story. Religiously, she would used to say the rosary. I think now that she's passed, my faith has deepened and I've come closer to God. And I'm putting myself out there not only for the young people who I'm advocating for, but also for me, for me to stay focussed and alive. I've now started saying the rosary. Sometimes I feel like I need to come back and refocus, but I'm still saying it. And I know that I will pray before I'm saying it, just to help me be focussed and that what I'm praying for is specifics. So I think that's helped me along my journey.  As I mentioned earlier, listening to various radio stations when I'm on route.  I've recently tapped into a Catholic channel on Sky, which is good. So there's some preaching there. I also listen to other faith programmes. I like to listen to a Wednesday night, a midweek program because I think it just keeps me in touch with midweek and I'm not sliding away. And that's good for me. I've been listening to another one actually called Listen to His Voice. I don't know if you've heard of that one. They're based in North Wales. So every day I listen to that and that is my strength. And I'm learning, I'm learning. And when I hear people's testimonies at the beginning, it makes me think how thankful I should be for what I do have as opposed to what I don't have. So that in itself, and it was a lady who shared it with me, I met a lady en route to Walsingham last year. Just met her on the coach and we just had a conversation on the way back. So we weren't even together en route there or during, it was on the way back. You know, we shared one or two tools that we use. And one of the tools that she uses is Listening to His Voice. So we exchanged numbers. I'd like to say that we are prayer partners. I don't know this lady, I just know that she's not too far from where I live and every morning she sends me the YouTube and I will send her an emoji love heart. And then last week I sent her a message that I'm praying for her. She said, I need those prayers Hannah, because I'm going through a difficult period. I prayed with her via text. So I think that's helping her and helping us. 

There's so much in that Hannah because I think with so many - last year being the Jubilee Year, lots of people did pilgrimages and I'm sure there are lots of people listening who made new friends at those short or long pilgrimage experiences and have stayed in touch and like you say, may have become prayer partners in some way. But also there's the sort of digital element where, you know, you're using text and maybe WhatsApp and YouTube and all these kinds of newer things to encourage each other in your faith and support each other. Really lovely to hear about.  A guest recently was saying that, you know, as Christians, we've always used whatever the newest tools are to evangelise. It's really lovely that you're harnessing all of those things to help you. I can really hear the planner in you that you, when you mentioned that Wednesday midweek, Right now I need to make sure I'm on track, so I'm going to do something every Wednesday.  That is a planning person there. 

I try. 

I know what a week looks like and make sure there's something in the middle. That's great. And I hope that you know, for people who aren't so much planners, maybe that'll just give people a little nudge that, you know, it could be as easy as thinking, when is the midpoint between Masses? What can I do there to just keep my faith going through the week? That's a great little tip there we've picked up along the way. Now, I wonder about, we've heard some prayers and practices there that are supporting you. I wonder, is there any scripture that you would come back to that you just remind yourself of that keeps you, like you say, focussed?

I do like the book of Psalms because it's about being thankful, and I am thankful. So I think for me it would be Psalm 100, Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before his presence with thanksgiving. Know ye that the Lord is God. So I think it would be any of the Psalms but specifically it’s Psalms 100 for me.

Lovely and that really taps into, you've mentioned being feeling thankful a number of times and that really taps into that. That’s really lovely to hear about. And then let's just think about, in the Seventh-day Adventist Church then that you spent a lot of time in when you were younger, is the Word of God shared in similar ways to what we hear in the Catholic Church? Are there some things we could learn? 

I think they're very good at evangelism  and I think we as Catholics could do more of that. I I find in a Catholic setting, the only time we're greeting one another is, you know, the sign of peace. I think we need to be a bit more informal. I think we can be a bit too structured. Why not talk about that and label yourself and I as brothers and sisters? Why not say that we're a church family? I think that's what's needed and we need to move with the times. So I do find there's a difference in that. But you know, they have their own unique styles, but ultimately we are here to love and praise God because there only is one God  and we will be going to, you know, my hope is that I will be going to heaven. 

Of course, that's the hope for all of us. Thank you for sharing that Hannah, that is really interesting. I'm reminded of people that I worked with previously who went to different Christian churches and perhaps described each other as church sisters and church brothers, like you're saying, church family. And that is language that we don't particularly use in the Catholic Church. But also I think there's something about the concept there, like you say, thinking of ourselves as a church family. I think there is something very powerful in that. And so that is really interesting that you find the structure in the Catholic Church sometimes can be a bit too formal or too narrow. And I think that's interesting too about the sign of peace that perhaps we do come into church and go and stand in our places and sit and kneel in our places, whatever, without actually saying hello to each other. Some people are more gregarious, aren't they, in a parish? And you can see some people be sort of waving to others as they come in and things. But often we don't, that's quite right. And so it's a good job there is a part of the Mass where we're made to greet each other, or maybe some of us never would.  So yeah, that's interesting to hear about. Now, so this episode is going out in Lent. Is there anything around practices for Lent that are important to you? I don't want to put you on the spot and make you feel like you have to have something amazing that you're doing for Lent because we're all different and different things work for different people. But is there any practice that works for you in Lent or an extra prayer or something you, some penance or fasting that you do differently?   

I do tend to give up something that I enjoy eating. This year I have decided to give up meat. I did get a little confused whether or not we should eat meat. I know we shouldn't eat meat on a Friday, but I wasn't sure if we could eat meat certain days during Lent. So I just, to be safe, I thought, No, I'm going to challenge myself and not eat meat at all. And I'm also going to consistently pray for a particular family member. That's what I'm going to be focussed on during the Lenten period. 

That's really interesting because there's one element of giving something up and also an element of doing something extra, both of those things, that's great. And I think that's really interesting to focus on your prayers very strongly at this time when we can hope for extra graces. So I hope your prayers are heard. I mean, like you said before, it is in God's time. 

I think we as Catholics need to stand out from the crowd just a little bit more. And not just Catholics, people in general, in order to ensure that you're engaging with the youth and young people, because in this day and age, they are focussed on their devices and the social media.  And if you ask them to do something, they usually do say yes, but you do need to go the extra mile. And it's important that as a parish, if the task has been given to you, we work together and not say you're going to do it and then it's left for somebody else. The saying is teamwork makes the dream work. You know, just praying about it before, during and after because children, youth, they are the future for today and tomorrow.

Those are wise words, Hannah. Thank you. I think I can hear in what you've shared today, your efforts, the work that you're putting in to encourage young people to be part of the parish and to have a role, that's really lovely to hear about. For you to also centre prayer as part of that I think is great. I think there's some challenge there for us to think about the work we're putting in to support young people in the parish. Listen, it's been really lovely to talk to you today. Thanks so much for spending some time. It's been lovely to hear about your faith. I hope that listeners will find something there that resonates with them and encourages and inspires and as we say, challenges a little bit along the way. So I wish you a good Lent.

Thank you very much for everything and God bless.

Thanks so much for joining me on All Kinds of Catholic this time.  I hope today's conversation has resonated with you.  A new episode is released each Wednesday and you can follow All Kinds of Catholic on the usual podcast platforms.  Rate and review to help others find it. You can also follow us on social media @KindsofCatholic. And remember if you connect with us on Substack, you can comment on episodes and share your thoughts and be part of the dialogue there.  Until the next time.