A Leap of Faith: Most Kids Don't Choose Their Church
Ralph De La Cruz
The Sunday service at the blue-domed St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Fort Lauderdale runs for more than an hour and a half. Performed in English and Greek, and thick with traditions -- incense and chants, and priests singing prayers -- it's the kind of ponderous ceremony that makes youngsters squirm in their seats.
But wait.
Look at the 125 congregants who've gathered at St. Demetrios and you see more than a dozen kids sitting quietly through the service. And there are another five boys and one girl who are altar servers.
In the middle of the liturgy, two new members are brought into the church. One a 14-year-old girl and the other an 11-year-old boy.
What's going on here?
"Everyone's searching for themselves," said 14-year-old James Carras, who was one of the altar servers.
Could it be that, in a world where boundaries are continuously disappearing into the ether, kids are returning to institutions of tradition and discipline? Choosing churches, synagogues, mosques?
Read the entire article on the Florida Sun-Sentinal website (new window will open).