A recent survey from Britain found that young men more than young women are turning up at church. In the demographic of 18–24-year-olds, 12% of young women are attending regularly in contrast to the 21% of men in this age group.
Observing this reality taking place in Galway, Fr Conor McDonough OP shared on his X account, “Every Mass has a handful [of young men] who look like standard issue North Face lads, but they’re very serious and very devout.”
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Fr Barry White, based in Mullingar said, “Many young men are realising the emptiness of this [secular] model and are longing for something more, something ‘truer’.”
Echoing the priests’ words, Harry (32) told this paper, “young men are being consistently let down by what the world has to offer. Shallow, short-lived pleasures and lack of meaning greatly contrast with the Church’s wealth of reason and truth and the sense of purpose it provides… I think young people are reaching that point. Constant disappointment leads to the pursuit of a greater good.”
In recent years, a quiet but significant movement has been developing among young men in Ireland, explains Fr Barry White. “Across college campuses in Dublin, Cork, and Belfast and within youth movements, many are seeking something deeper.”
Fr Barry White, who has previously work in men’s ministry and masculinity in the Church explained that his “experience… has allowed me to see the growth of young men who are interested in and coming into the faith.”
