Instead, he says, they want clarity, challenge, and to be taken seriously by the Church.
Bishop Gavin said one of the clearest messages to emerge from listening to young people is their desire for a faith that asks something of them.
“I think they want to be challenged by the Church,” he said. “They’re not looking for easy answers. They’re not looking to be told that everything is fine. They want clarity, and they want to be listened to.”
Bishop Gavin, who chairs the Bishops’ Conference Council for Evangelisation, Catechetics and Pastoral Renewal, said the Jubilee experience reinforced how strongly young people respond when faith is presented clearly and intentionally.
“There was something about the unity, the community, the message, the listening and that sense of common purpose that really struck them,” he said. “They valued the tools we offered, the rhythm of prayer, adoration, prayer with Scripture. It gave them something they could bring home with them.”
He said the experience confirmed that young people are drawn to serious catechesis and reverent liturgy when it is offered well.
“When things are done well, when the music is good, the liturgy is prayerful, and young people are involved, it resonates very deeply,” he said.
An insight which he says has practical implications for youth ministry in Ireland. While many parishes want to involve young people, he believes they often struggle to know how.
“A lot of parishes say they want young people involved,” he said. “But when you go deeper and ask what that actually means, they don’t know. And it’s not just about getting them to read at Mass. That can become very tokenistic.”
Instead, Bishop Gavin said, the focus must be on discipleship: “We need young people to become disciples, young missionary disciples, who want to be part of the life and mission of the Church.”
“Fundamentally, young people don’t want a Church that underestimates them,” he said. “They want a Church that believes in them, challenges them, and walks with them.”
In response, the Diocese of Cork and Ross has begun developing new initiatives, including a monthly young people’s Mass in Cork city, led and animated by young people themselves, as well as formation programmes for young adults and a new hybrid accompaniment model for those living in rural areas.