During this time, crosses were burned outside of convents, churches and schools and there was plenty of tension between Catholics and Protestants.

While it can be easy to forget the reasons for its founding with cross-burnings now a thing of the past, there is still lots of anti-Catholic sentiment at play in the world today. As much as we would like to believe otherwise, the history of intolerance (albeit to a lesser extent) continues. Whether it’s the negative comments posted on news stories about Catholic issues or protesters following the Pope on his tours (his recent trip to Britain, for example), we as Catholic youth need to find a way to deal with these ill-sentiments.

But it’s not easy.

As Catholic youth, we are split in our response. Some youth engage the criticisms head-on, arguing for the acceptance of the faith and attempting to evangelize non-believers or to strengthen moderate belief. They take part in marches to show support for Church-supported issues and attempt to be as visible as possible. Others, like myself, try to lay low in this debate rather than engaging in it. We want to participate in our faith quietly, without having to fight public opinion. We assure those around us of our moderate and tolerant beliefs, trying to separate ourselves from the more visible and, often, more extreme portion of the population.  

But differences in our approaches toward the misunderstanding and anger that we face separate us.    

This is why it is more important than ever for Catholic youth to create community around our faith and take part in the institutions that were created to shelter us.

When we participate in the centres, Catholic youth groups or student clubs, we often forget the reason they were created. We think of them as social clubs or faith-based groups, with each group forming around a specific point of view within the Church. But we forget about their original purpose: by participating in them and allowing for membership with varied beliefs, we build community around the Catholic faith that protects us from hatred. Supported, not sheltered, by these refuges, we can work together within the greater community — our schools and cities — as Catholic youth to promote social justice and to create a world a little freer of hate.  

When we invite non-Catholics to participate in our community as equals, we create a place to eliminate misunderstandings.

By building community — not communities — in our parishes, our schools and our workplaces, we might be able to eliminate some of the fighting. By being present in the world as a community of Catholic youth, we can begin to show that the Church and faith is not “outdated” or “nonsense,” as some online comments would have readers believe.

(Liska, 22, is an English major at the University of Saskatchewan.)