Being an Informed Catholic Teen

     I'd say about 85% of the Catholic teens I know are not informed about Catholicism as much as they could be. I'm not saying I'm well-informed either, just that we all can take time and resources to improve our knowledge on Catholicism. The majority of Catholic teens probably cannot quote scripture and cite it, or be intellectually aware of the differences between the Novus Ordo mass and the Tridentine mass.
     At this point, you're probably wondering, "Well, why aren't they aware?" If you're also a teen yourself, maybe question how acknowledgeable you are of the Catholic faith. The importance in being an informed Catholic teen especially in the 21st century is crucial for the world. If the amount of informed Catholic teens in the world decrease rapidly or slowly, it can still cause damage to the Church. When issues such as the sex abuse scandal or the topic homosexuality appear, Catholic teens need to be able to firmly respond correctly and in accordance with the Catholic teachings. For example, many people have an inaccurate view of Catholicism possibly because the Catholics they have met are misinformed and have misspoken about the faith.
     Many teens might not even understand the seven sacraments or be able to accurately state why all human life is sacred. This is concerning. This isn't the fault of a certain person or group of people. The reason is partly due to religion seen as a "negative" in the media, and that other things are more important. This whole idea takes away from the true discovery and education of Catholicism. If only more people understood what the Catholic Church stood for and taught instead of the misconceptions, then Catholicism would definitely take another step in the journey to save as many souls as possible. We're all at fault here, I would personally say that I'm accountable for someone being a less informed Catholic teen.
     In my opinion, I don't think we lack any resources, especially in first-world countries. We have TV channels and radio stations, films/media, books, music, etc. It's unlimited! But it comes down to the individual teen, many are lacking that push to actually find out resources about the faith. It's to the point when we see Catholic teens supporting Planned Parenthood, some even posting IG pictures of products of companies (largely Starbucks) that support Planned Parenthood. We also see many claiming to be "Catholic," but then not understanding the Catholic teaching on homosexuality and marriage between one man and a woman.
     The big question is how can this be fixed? I honestly have no idea, I'm still trying to become an informed Catholic teen myself. But that's the first step, to understand that we lack knowledge in at least one aspect of the Catholic faith, and to change that by taking the initiative to expand our wisdom. If every Catholic teen would take fifteen minutes everyday or more to learn something new about the Catholic faith that they didn't know before, it would not only benefit them, but the entire Catholic Church.
     So other Catholic teens out there, are you an informed Catholic teen? What other things can you do to improve your current position? There's many questions you may have, but there's definitely answers out there.

Good luck to all of you, and please keep me in your prayers as well.

VibrantCatholic

St. James Coffee: Catholic Coffeehouse

     If you happen to follow me on any of my social media, it'd be very likely you've heard about St. James Coffee. But if you haven't heard of St. James Coffee, let me tell you about it! Who doesn't love coffee? Well, I suppose some people don't, which is why I'm here to tell you St. James Coffee also offers others drinks such as teas or smoothies. And you don't have to be Catholic, everyone that goes there is respected and welcomed! Conversations about faith are always welcomed, though!

     How about a little history on this lovely coffeehouse, shall we? It was an idea by a priest when he was still in the seminary, and the idea came to fulfillment in the summer of 2012. It is now a non-profit Catholic coffeeshop in Rochester, MN in the Diocese of Winona. Something really awesome about this place, is about 90% of the hours are covered by volunteers, me (VibrantCatholic) being one, too! How could I have forgotten?! There's a chapel there, too! Although it's not fancy or intricate, it's simple and has Jesus, which I think is more important than anything else.
   
     Now for a little testimony, I just wanted to say that this place has absolutely transformed me to become a better person. Not just because of the physical surroundings in the coffeeshop, but the people I've met there. At St. James Coffee, I've spoken with people who have helped me to grow in my faith and to also see my vocation a little bit more clearly. During this summer, I was going through some personal difficulties and didn't have much hope, but I was also started volunteering around that time, and working there and interacting with those there gave me more hope. I was also able to spend more time in the presence of Jesus and that has definitely been a plus!

Here's the website if you'd like to see it: stjamescoffee.com
Also, please give St. James Coffee's Instagram account a follow! (It may or may not be that I'm one of the people managing it) St. James Coffee Instagram