YANGON (UCAN) -- We can call him Richard Aung. He is typical of many young Catholics I know who are trying to improve their lives under difficult conditions.

Richard, 21, is uncertain if he will work on a ship or in Singapore, but his sights are outside Myanmar.

Many peers face the same challenge. They dream of work and study abroad to improve their life. However, one could say this would drain the lifeblood from the Myanmar Church, whose future and hope, as is often said, are the young.

To improve his skills and prepare to go abroad, Richard has come a long way to Yangon, the capital, from his home in the hills of Mogok in Lashio diocese.

Richard said he is determined to go abroad because staying in those hills northeast of Mandalay would give him little hope of developing a good future.

The problem is serious, Archbishop Charles Bo of Yangon pointed out on March 26 while addressing graduates of a youth leadership formation program conducted by Fondacio International. Based in Versailles, France, this Catholic movement claims to have 3,500 members in 24 countries.

It is "very popular that many youths go abroad after graduation or attend some professional programs here," Archbishop Bo told the graduates. However, with such a focus on study and career, he asked, "Who will bring the change we need here?"

The archbishop has reason to worry about the brain drain and need to improve life at home. Some of Myanmar's brightest young Catholics are going overseas just when we need their brainpower and skills to help empower our Church.

It was different a decade ago. Back then, young people contributed their time and energy to the Church by taking active part in various youth ministries. In those heady times, most of our spare energies were spent on Church activities, and our parents encouraged us to become so involved.

We did not expect help from the Church but saw this as an opportunity to empower other youths and delegate our responsibilities to the next generation. We shared a sense of commitment, initiative, unity and collaboration.

When we fast-forward to today, the change is dramatic. Now, the feeling is that money rules and matters most. After completing high-school exams, today's youths are busy attending computer classes, English-speaking courses, and accounting and bookkeeping. They must do so to get work here at home, and especially if they get a chance to work abroad.

One youth leader at St. Lazarus Parish in Yangon archdiocese supports my point of view. He told me it is hard to organize the youths because they are busy with courses, and their parents do not want them to join Church programs.

While many youths prepare to go abroad, this parish leader is trying to organize a youth training program. His fear, he said, is a gap in delegating what were our responsibilities as active Church youth to the next generation.

A decade ago, when we seemed not to need worrying about money and our parents could afford to support us, we could easily organize young people to attend youth activities and retreat programs.

Much has changed. The focus for family members now is livelihood, so we cannot blame the young generation for trying to work abroad or study there.

One young friend from Pekhon diocese recently told me about his plans and challenges, including his financial difficulties. His parents are trying to help him but he is reluctant to rely on their money. Instead, he suggested, the Church should take the lead by helping young people improve their skills.

Another friend, James from Loikaw, told me he is happy to be a Catholic in Myanmar, but the challenges of living and working here are tough to deal with.

A long-term gain from this brain drain is possible, but only if the young return empowered, better educated, more experienced, more financially secure.

At this point, we would do well to ask: can we expect those who do go abroad without Church help to play an active part in Church life when they return?

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"Future Star," a UCAN correspondent from Myanmar, asked not to be named.

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