At the recent meeting of US Bishops in Baltimore, Bishop Robert Barron offered some alarming statistics about the US Catholic Church today. For every I person who joins 6 leave, and these are often young people. As early as 13 young people give up believing in the church and what it teaches. Barron urged the  bishops to take action and they agreed we need to take action.

What will the action be and who will take it? Barron advocates a stronger presence in the social media, which makes sense. But who will bring the word, who will we send? If we look at the past, God usually sends someone young, like the prophet Jeremiah, who initially say they can’t do it.

Today, June 21, is the Feast of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, who belonged to a powerful Italian aristocratic family. They were shocked when the young man announced, after hearing stories of Jesuit missionaries in China, that he was entering the Jesuits. His family did everything to stop him, but the young man wouldn’t listen. 

He entered the Jesuits and when, in 1591, a fierce plague broke out in Rome where he was studying, Aloysius took care of the victims, despite his own bad health. He died from the plague, convinced that God called him to this dangerous ministry. Today he’s celebrated as a patron of those who care for victims of AIDS.

Whom shall we send? Look around for the young. That’s what God does.