A Pastoral Call to Unity
This May, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Baltimore opened a new center that seeks to build community in a way few other centers do: across generations. The Carolynn E. Fugett Intergenerational Center in West Baltimore uses a model that brings multiple program partners touching on a range of different age groups under one roof.
While the new center co-locates numerous programs, it’s not about convenience. As reported in the Catholic Review, the model intentionally works to bring older adults into community with younger adults and even teens and children by offering everything from pickleball to Head Start as well as a food pantry and in-person meals — all in one space. But it goes even further by seeking avenues for the generations to interact through these programs — like Eating Together, a program run by rising high school juniors and seniors who enjoy meals together with older adults in an effort to build relationships and mentorships. The overarching goal: to bridge generational divides.
The Catholic Church is inherently intergenerational. Each week at Mass, Catholics of all ages gather around the same altar, profess the same Creed, and receive the same Eucharist. Yet too often ministries are targeted to a narrow age group or life stage — think young adult ministry as a prime example. As a result, many leaders today sense growing distance between generations. Bridging these gaps is not merely a leadership challenge; it is a pastoral responsibility for Catholic leaders seeking to build thriving communities.
Why Generational Bridges Matter
When generational divides deepen, communities risk fragmentation: older Catholics may feel forgotten, while younger Catholics may feel unseen or unheard. Leaders are called to shepherd the whole flock, fostering communion and relationship-building rather than parallel communities. While many parishes have young adult groups, 55 and older groups, and other age-targeted ministries, these groups can sometimes create too many disjointed fragments and cliques within a community.
Difference Is Not Disloyalty
Generational tension in the Church is rarely just about doctrine. More often, it reflects cultural shifts and formative experiences. In their formative years, older generations of Catholics were often shaped by strong institutional loyalty and clear authority structures, while younger Catholics are seeking to be engaged in their parishes through relationships and accompaniment. Both perspectives are gifts, and both leave room for growth. Pastoral leadership begins by receiving these differences with humility rather than fear and responding to them with compassion.
A Leadership Issue—and an Evangelical One
When leaders intentionally build bridges, parishes and dioceses become places of encounter—where wisdom is honored, new voices are welcomed, and mission is shared. Intergenerational leadership strengthens the Church’s credibility in a divided world.
There are a number of things that Catholic leaders can do to help bridge divides without abandoning tradition:
Listen across generations through intentional conversations and shared forums. The Synod on Synodality has given us listening tools that can benefit leaders and their flock in every pastoral situation.
Foster mutual mentorship, allowing wisdom and fresh perspective to flow both ways. Consider focusing on interest or charism-based ministries and groups rather than those that are age-based, allowing for relationships between generations to grow.
Ensure age diversity in leadership and advisory roles. Young people often do not have a seat at decision-making tables, like pastoral and finance councils, yet they have gifts and talents that they are eager to share.
Walking Together in Hope
In a culture that often separates by age, the Church can offer a powerful witness of communion. Bridging generational gaps is not about choosing one generation over another but about walking together as one body in Christ.
For Catholic leaders, this work is deeply pastoral. By choosing accompaniment over assumption and unity over comfort, we help ensure that the faith is not only preserved but joyfully handed on from generation to generation.
This is the synodal way in practice where generations are accompanying each other in mission and faith.