By Global Indian Catholic Network (GICN) ©2023                                        Private & Confidential

Dwindling Catholic Marriages

amongst Global Indian Catholic Youth

1. Background

The advent of the Internet has proven to be both a blessing and a bane for humanity. It has driven global integration and digital transformation across the globe by interlinking the entire population under a vast network. This phenomenon has brought forth a spectrum of favourable and adverse effects on mankind. The repercussions of this global integration and digitization have left an indelible mark on both the economic and social aspects of the world.

On the societal level, globalization and digitization have ushered in a multitude of favourable transformations, including enhanced connectivity, online commerce, and social media engagement. However, alongside these advancements, there exists a plethora of detrimental influences on the social fabric. These range from the deterioration of traditional values and religious convictions to the blending and blurring of cross-border cultures, ultimately giving rise to the emergence of the new millennial and Generation Z paradigms.

In a nutshell, the fusion of globalization and digitalization has paved the way for an economy and society without geographical boundaries, profoundly affecting nations worldwide. India, too, has felt the reverberations of this global shift, as it becomes an integral part of the borderless landscape engendered by globalization.

As social media and online dating platforms gain prominence, a surge in intercontinental and intercultural marriages is evident. This trend is nurturing a fresh generation characterized by the erosion of indigenous traditions and a global shift in moral principles and religious convictions.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the normalization of home-based education, online university courses, and remote work have set the stage for a reduction in face-to-face human engagements. Consequently, the younger generation is inclined to seek partners beyond their local confines, fostering international collaborations across various domains. This trajectory could potentially steer society towards embracing a sense of global citizenship, leading to the possibility of widespread international marriages becoming the conventional practice in the times to come.

2. Challenges Encountered by the Global Indian Catholic Youth Community 

Regarding the youth within India, the swift pace of globalization, technological advancement, and increased disposable income have brought forth significant concerns related to the deterioration of societal values, cultural heritage, and faith.

On the other hand, as the Indian populace disperses across the globe and the Indian Catholic diaspora surges to 20 million, an array of modern-day challenges has arisen for the global Indian Catholic youth. In this context, their identity often becomes blurred as they transition into being global citizens rather than remaining solely Indian Catholic youths.

Although Indian Catholic parents exert significant efforts to instil a robust value system and a foundation in the Catholic faith within their children, the confluence of modernization and liberalization has led to a predicament for Indian youth. This situation arises due to an excess of freedom and a lack of parental responsibility in addressing this emerging societal problem.

As the cornerstone of society, we can envision a world of unparalleled beauty if each family embraces the responsibility of nurturing their children's values and faith. In this utopian scenario, regardless of the influences of the modern world, the youth would always find solace, peace, and happiness within the embrace of their familial roots.

As the global citizen and borderless society trend takes root, Indian Catholic youth are encountering several critical challenges:

1. Erosion of Identity, Values, Cultures, and Roots: The shift toward global citizenship is contributing to a gradual loss of traditional identity, cultural values, and deep-rooted connections.
2. Difficulty Finding Suitable Life Partners: Within the Indian Catholic community, on a national and global front, the search for compatible life partners presents its challenge.
3. Rising Inter-Religion and Cross-Border Marriages: The increasing frequency of inter-religion and international marriages among Indian Catholic youth has led to higher divorce rates, confusion in the minds of children, and an array of complex social issues.
4. Dilution of Catholic Faith: Inter-religious and cross-border marriages often compromise the practice of Catholic faith, subsequently affecting the upbringing of children.
5. Neglecting Parental Responsibility: Rather than acknowledging the problem and assuming accountability for rectifying the prevailing trend, parents opt to conform to the status quo by assigning blame to the younger generation.
6. Dwindling Confidence in the Institution of Marriage: Parents are grappling with marital challenges, leading to diminished trust in the institution of marriage among their offspring.
7. Alternative Companionships and Frustration: Faced with limited outreach and faith in traditional marriages, some youth turn to alternative forms of companionship, such as nurturing pets, to fill the void left by human relationships.
8. Pressure-driven Choices: Restricted access to suitable partners within the Indian Catholic community drives youth to seek life partners from other faiths, universities, workplaces, or social media, often due to peer pressure.
9. Challenges Faced by NRI Youth: NRI youth pursuing higher studies in India lack connectivity to the Indian Catholic Youth community. Consequently, even those from strong family backgrounds might choose partners from diverse religious backgrounds within their academic or social circles.
10. Disconnect in Adulthood: While children are raised with strong values, they often lack continued access to the Indian Catholic community as adults, leading them to encounter various faiths and societies, contributing to the rise in mixed marriages.

As the tradition of arranged marriages keeps diminishing, Indian Catholic youth are increasingly seeking life partners through dating apps, social media platforms, and introductions from friends who act as matchmakers. While these avenues hold potential for finding a suitable life partner, there exists a substantial opportunity for Indian Catholic parents and the Clergy to collaboratively address this societal concern, ultimately enhancing the prospects and well-being of the Indian Catholic youth.

The objective isn't to advocate for conservatism but rather to safeguard our rich cultural heritage, values, and most importantly, our FAITH that unites us. This moment calls for laity and the Clergy to unite forces and address these challenges, rekindling the connection between the youth and the Church. This effort aims to anchor them to their roots, preventing them from becoming adrift in the vast global landscape as mere global citizens, and ensuring they navigate this intricate world with a clear sense of direction and purpose.

The most convenient way for parents is to attribute the present situation to the current generation, rather than acknowledging their shared responsibility for the prevailing conditions among the Indian Catholic Youth.

This serves as a summons to parents to acknowledge the issue resulting from their oversights—be it not setting a model of healthy marital relationships, granting excessive freedom beyond necessity, or the absence of a dedicated effort to instil in children, from a young age, the significance of seeking a Catholic life partner. In collaboration with the Clergy’s backing, it becomes imperative to address this concern collectively as a community. Each family must embrace accountability for this predicament, while the Clergy assumes the role of educating the youth across all possible platforms at its disposal. Moreover, the Clergy should contribute to the resolution of the faith erosion predicament among the youth. By fostering the retention of Indian Catholic Youth within the community, the Clergy ensures the enduring vitality of the Catholic faith, values, and ultimately the Church foundation itself.

The current imperative is the collaborative endeavour of both the Clergy and the laity to cultivate an awareness regarding the significance of upholding faith, values, significance of choosing an Indian Catholic spouse., and cultural heritage. This endeavour aims to reintegrate the youth into the community they consider their home, steering them away from a state of being adrift in a "No man's land."

Undoubtedly, both parents and the Clergy are faced with two options: either to allow the situation to persist as it is or to take immediate action to curb and manage the problem. For instance, considering the process of modernization in Europe and the USA, the Church experienced a decline of around 80% in the Catholic population, resulting in largely vacant churches. Had the Clergy then taken proactive steps during that period, the Catholic community would still be thriving in Europe and the USA today. Conversely, observe the case of Singapore, where the Bishop has proactively engaged with Catholic youth through the Office of Young People (OYP). As a result, the Catholic youth in Singapore remain notably active within the Church. This serves as a clear illustration that the trajectory of faith's growth or decline is not solely determined by modernization, but rather hinges upon the responsibility of the Clergy, parents, and the broader community to ensure the continuity of faith, values, and cultural heritage regardless of technological advancements.

As Catholics, including the Church, we are presented with a choice: we can either dismiss the issue and allow it to fester, resulting in the gradual erosion of the Catholic community, or we can take collective action at this very moment. ACT NOW! by uniting in purpose and direction, and with everyone assuming responsibility, we can address this challenge on a global scale. This endeavour would yield immense benefits for all Indian Catholic youth, regardless of their location within India or across the globe.

Indeed, technology can be harnessed in the best interests of the Indian Catholic community. By establishing a unified Single online platform, Indian Catholic Youth can be connected, irrespective of whether they choose traditional arranged marriages, facilitate introductions, or find partners independently. This approach ensures that the community remains intact and the faith flourishes. Consequently, a robust and sustainable Catholic Church can emerge from these collective efforts.

Hence from holistic point of view, the creation of a unified online platform that links together the entire global community of Indian Catholic Youth can be seen as a means of spreading the message of evangelization and sanctity/importance of marriage.  

If we observe our counterparts from other faiths, they too encounter similar challenges and have found solutions through platforms like Shaadi.com and BharatMatrimony.com. Indian Hindu youth worldwide utilize these portals to date online and discover life partners, even specifying preferences such as caste and state, be it Marwadi, Gujarati, Punjabi, and more.

Turning to the Muslim community, the proactive involvement of mosque leaders and parents in upbringing is noteworthy. Beyond religious teachings, they instil a lifelong loyalty to the community from an early age. Despite living in a technologically advanced era, they effectively preserve their religion, culture, and community by aligning their efforts toward these goals. This collective endeavour remains undeterred despite educational and technological advancements.

3. Parental Responsibilities

As the fundamental building block of society and a microcosm of the Church, the nuclear family assumes a vital role in nurturing faith, values, and cultural heritage, as well as in highlighting the significance of inter-community and inter-faith life partnerships. While all parents initially endeavour to instil faith, values, and culture, the challenge emerges as children transition into adolescence. At this juncture, parents might inadvertently relinquish their guidance and acquiesce to their children's choices. Nevertheless, it remains essential to provide continuous education to children regarding the significance of choosing life partners who are compatible and share the same faith, values, and cultural background.

Parents and the Catholic Church collectively, have the potential to act as catalysts for this transformation. They can achieve this by proactively involving the youth in a range of activities. For instance, encouraging them to take part in various Church and Catholic community events that foster connections among Catholic youth, such as participating in choirs, CYM (Catholic Youth Ministry), Catholic clubs, and social gatherings. Incorporating Catholic faith formation via catechism classes into life education could be established as a compulsory component, regardless of hindrances like tuition commitments or other factors. The onus would then fall on parents to diligently guarantee their children's consistent attendance. The Church can also support parents by conducting seminars to guide them on these matters.

Parents should prioritize cultivating harmonious marital relationships to serve as role models, thereby safeguarding their children's faith in the sanctity of marriage and in the sacred institution itself.

4. Role of the Church Clergy

The Church Clergy has displayed active engagement in youth development through the introduction of diverse programs like CYM, youth ministry, youth movement, camps, and various outreach initiatives. However, the efficacy of these endeavours often fails to reach most of today's youth, who are predominantly immersed in the online realm encompassing social media, WhatsApp, and innovations like AI and ChatGPT. The youth's reliance on and presence in the online world is only expected to grow. Therefore, the pressing need is to establish a Single online platform that fosters connectivity among youth and engages them as a unified Global Indian Catholic Community.

Here are some tangible actions that the Church Clergy could support:

1. Establish a dedicated working committee within the Bishop's office comprising priests, religious members, and laity to lead this initiative aimed at youth engagement.
2. Facilitate in promoting a Single online platform to connect both Global and Domestic Indian Catholic Youth.
3. Leverage all available resources within the Church to connect the Global Indian Catholic community through this online portal.
4. Enhance the Catholic Curriculum to include teachings on the Sacrament of Marriage and the significance of finding suitable life partners within one's intercommunity/faith. This education should begin from a young age.
5. Introduce seminars and coaching sessions for parents to develop parenting skills encompassing faith formation, the importance of catechism lessons, values, and cultural preservation.
6. Initiate programs that reinforce the faith of parents, enabling them to model practices in the family that strengthen their faith, thereby nurturing the faith formation of their children within the family setting as a miniature church.
7. Shift focuses on creating programs specifically dedicated to assisting the youth in finding their right life partners. The Church Clergy can play a catalytic role in driving this phenomenal change among Indian Catholic Youth.
8. Actively raise awareness about the concept of finding life partners within the faith. Utilize Church bulletins, sermons, Catholic news, TV, media, educational institutions, retreat centres, and all available platforms to spread this awareness among children, youth, parents, and the entire Church community.
9. While traditional avenues like Rakkno, Examiner, Daiji World, retreat centres, and marriage brokers contribute to community cohesion, the Church Clergy should harness the power of the online portal to unite everyone under a single umbrella.
10. Draw inspiration from successful examples like Hindu matrimonial platforms such as Shaadi.com and Bharat Matrimony. Embrace the balance that the Muslim community has achieved and avoid an overabundance of freedom for youth, which may have contributed to the current challenges among Indian Catholic Youth.
11. Encourage marriage brokers/agents to operate through a Single online portal.

5. Proposed Measures

To encourage the continuous engagement of Indian Catholic youth within the community, the following recommendations are proposed:

1. Initiate a pilot project in collaboration with the Mangalore Bishop's office to establish a connection among the Mangalorean Catholic community through a Single online portal.
2. Establish Office of Young People (OYP) units within colleges located in the Mangalore region.
3. Upon successful implementation of the pilot project, extend the initiative to the Bishops of Bombay, Goa, and Kerala, marking Phase 2 of the project.
4. In the third phase, establish connections with all bishops and Catholic institutions across India to endorse and promote the use of this online portal.
5. Enlist volunteers to represent various overseas countries and collaborate with local churches to raise awareness about the unified solution provided by the Single online platform.
6. Disseminate announcements across all-Catholic media platforms including television, Facebook, Instagram, and other relevant channels.
7. A comprehensive campaign launched by the Church Clergy, in collaboration with numerous dedicated volunteers, is poised to ignite a profound sense of unity. This collective effort holds the potential to rescue the younger generation from detrimental paths and guide them back to their origins, values, culture, and most importantly, their FAITH.
8. Furthermore, it's imperative to note that the Church Clergy does not assume responsibility for matchmaking. Instead, its role lies in facilitating the process, leveraging the extensive reach of the Bishop and the Church resources through the diverse methods detailed above.

6. Current Implementation Phase

While there are numerous challenges facing today's youth, the initial step is to establish connectivity with all Global Indian Catholic Youth (PIO/OCI/NRI/Indians) by executing the following action plan:

1. Just as LinkedIn has successfully created a single professional network connecting all professionals, CatholicMatri.com has been identified as the designated online portal to connect the global Indian Catholic Youth in a similar manner and scaled up as Global Indian Catholic Youth Network.
2. The Global Indian Catholic Network (GICN) has been established, comprising volunteers who represent both NRI and Indian Catholic parents and youths. Their mission is to raise awareness and promote the Single Online Portal, CatholicMatri.com.
3. GICN will appoint volunteers specific to each country, and these appointed volunteers will proactively engage with all Indian Catholics in their respective countries or regions to raise awareness about the initiative of connecting the Global Indian Catholic Youth through the Single Online Portal.
4. Make announcements about the Single online platform, across all Catholic media platforms, encompassing television, Facebook, Instagram, and other pertinent channels.  
5. Parents are encouraged to play an active role by distributing the Parent Flyer and Youth Flyer within the Indian Catholic Communities, encompassing family members, youth, relatives, friends, acquaintances, and their extended networks. This effort aims to raise awareness about the Single Online Portal - CatholicMatri.com.
6. Parents are urged to motivate all eligible youth to register on CatholicMatri.com, facilitating the search for life partners within the community and within the Catholic faith.
7. Youth are encouraged to take an active role by distributing the Youth Flyer among Indian Catholic Youth, including family members, relatives, friends, acquaintances, and their broader networks. This effort is aimed at raising awareness about the Single Online Portal - CatholicMatri.com.
8. Marriage-eligible youth are encouraged to step forward and register on CatholicMatri.com to find life partners within their community and promote the Catholic faith.
9. Clergy and laity, join this evangelization effort and contribute to prevent the Indian Catholic Youth from marrying outside their faith and community!

Disclaimer: GICN serves as the facilitator for connecting the Global Indian Catholic Youth through the Single Online Portal - CatholicMatri.com. Neither the clergy nor the volunteers and members of GICN assume responsibility for matchmaking

Appendix A: CatholicMatri.com profile

Appendix B: Parent flyer

Appendix C: Youth flyer

By Global Indian Catholic Network (GICN) ©2023                                        Private & Confidential