A common problem is that the Church is having difficulty getting the youth interested in the faith. In response, I'd like to tell a true story to show my own insight on the subject.
Long ago, when I was a freshman in high school, we all gathered into the gymn to listen to a public speaker. The last topic that he discussed with us was the Miraculous Medal of Our Lady. He told us the story behind it and talked about the grace that one receives by wearing it and even by kissing it. When he was done he offered us all a free Miraculous Medal. So many students were moved by the speaker's words and most if not everyone rushed down to get one! I had never seen anything like it before.
Sometime afterwords I realized why these young people reacted the way that they did: they were told the truth. They didn't have an adult try to "relate to them" by being "cool." There were no gimicks, no bells and whistles, no goofy catch frases to grab their attention. These ridiculous methods don't bring about conversion. The only thing that they will bring is laughter. Teenagers won't take you seriously if you use these techniques. They'll think that our religion is a big joke. How come people resort to redecorating our already breathtakingly- beautiful faith? This makeover is making the Church look ugly! The Catholic Church has been around for thousands of years and over these two-thousand or so years it has received numerous converts by proclaiming nothing but the truth. It's as simple as that. So don't water down this enormous bonfire! The youth are searching for the truth and nothing less!
