One country offers lessons in how to evangelise young Catholics
At a time when the Church is reflecting on how to attract young people, Portugal does seem to have a thing or two to teach the world about evangelisation. This is borne out by a report, “European Young Adults and Religion”, which found that 27 per cent of young Portuguese Catholics went to weekly Mass – one of the highest proportions of any country in Europe. (In Britain it was 11 per cent.)
One interesting phenomenon is a proliferation of summer camps for children and teenagers. Although some are run by parishes or religious orders, the great majority are organised informally by lay people – generally couples who have children of their own. A priest is present almost all of the time. The result is a spiritual boost which leaves a lasting effect on participants. My own son, aged 11, participated this year for the first time and took to praying the rosary daily with his cousin. (He also helped out around the house much more, although that effect wore off more quickly.) Other parents have had the same experience.
