Young adults who range from 18-39 years of age make up a large segment of the population of West Texas, and they have the potential to contribute greatly toward the mission of Christ. However, before they can be expected to minister to the world, they themselves must first be effectively ministered to in our churches. For all too long, outreach to young adults has been largely neglected.
Pope Francis often says that we need to reach out to those who are on the margins. When I visit our parishes and missions, I see that those in their 20s and 30s are some of the most marginalized. In the life of the Church in general, their voices are easily muted and their life experience overlooked.
It is my desire that all of our parishes and ministries make outreach to young adults a clear pastoral priority in the Diocese of San Angelo. We need to invest financial, human, and spiritual resources in pastoral work with young adult Catholics. When we do this, we will make our parish life more vibrant, and we will prepare the path for the next generation.
In his encyclical Tertio Millenio Adveniente, Pope John Paul II said, “The future of the world and of the Church belongs to the younger generation.” (58) Time, energy and resources invested in nurturing the faith and spirituality of young Catholics represent a solid investment in the future mission of the Church — one that promises a rich harvest.
There are many challenges facing today’s young adult Catholics. During late adolescence and early adulthood, many young Catholics drift away from worship and parish life, but these are precisely the years when they need the guidance of the Church for fundamental life-long decisions about career, education and relationships.
In their experience of seeking preparation for marriage, they sometimes feel like they are being turned away from parishes because they don’t fit the profile the parish expects. These are crucial moments in their relationship with the Church.
Unfortunately, when they desire to become more involved in their Catholic faith, they don’t always know where to begin, whom to ask, or how to plug in to the existing parish structures. They move around for work and college studies. In these moves, they don’t always get connected to a parish very quickly or easily.
Our Catholic parishes do not offer many programs of faith formation for people in their 20s and 30s, and the young adults themselves have limited time, due to heavy schedules of work and school. While their level of catechesis and understanding of Catholic culture is often low, they nevertheless have a desire to learn more about the faith.
I can even recall instances over the years when some older adult parishioners have actually “run off” young adults from taking leadership roles in the parish. This may be the result of possessive “turf” mentalities, a desire to be in control, an unwillingness to move beyond comfort zones, or a fear of the unknown.
On behalf of all Catholic young adults, the young adult delegates to the Third Continental Congress on Vocations in 2002 2 made this plea to those in leadership in the Church: “Give us the resources we need to be what God has called us to be. We will use those gifts in return to enrich our Church. Dialogue with us in honesty, respect, and openness. Recognize our gifts, our idealism, and our energy. We need mentors, wisdom figures and spiritual directors. We are willing apprentices. Provide us meaningful catechesis, ongoing formation, and education. Train us to become leaders. Entrust us with real responsibilities.” In the Diocese of San Angelo, I want us to respond to this plea.
To all middle-aged and older adults who have roles of leadership in our parishes, missions, and ministries in the Diocese of San Angelo, I recommend the following approach to young adults:
Integrate them into existing parish ministries and structures.
Reserve places for young adults on the parish council and finance council, for the purposes of mentoring them and drawing on their creativity.
Constantly be on the lookout for those with leadership potential and entrust them with projects and various leadership roles.
Be open to the Holy Spirit's action of bringing young adults with special gifts for some of the projects your parish needs.
Train young adult Catholics to assume appropriate leadership.
Give them the feedback and support they need to grow in their leadership skills.
Consider your time and energy invested in forming and teaching them to be an expression of your stewardship.
Have confidence in their abilities.
Find joy in their spontaneous joy and youthful energy.
Find ways to connect young adults with older adults.
The parish can be an inter-generational bridge-builder. For example, when young adults bring the Eucharist to shut-ins on a regular basis, it enriches both young and old. If they are made to feel welcome, young adults will breathe new life into groups such as the Knights of Columbus, Pro-Life Committees, and women’s groups such as the Guadalupanas and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas.
The Mass and other church gatherings should be inviting and welcoming to them. When young adults are serving in visible roles in the liturgy, such as lectors, choir members, ushers, or extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, this has the effect of attracting other young adults to that parish. It is important that we make retreats, times of prayer, Mass, and Confession more accessible to young adults, taking their work and study schedules into account. For example, if the only weekday Mass time is at 9:00 am, that is automatically excluding most young adults.
Young adults can make very effective catechists and volunteers in parish ministry to teenagers. They are also very good at forming support groups for young parents. I have been very impressed with young married couples groups that were started by young couples in a parish who simply found ways to be supportive of each other. We should never presume that young adults are antithetical to prayer, Church teaching, Confession, Mass, or discipline. Many are searching for meaning and direction. They like to attend workshops and presentations on relationships, dating questions, and Theology of the Body issues. Many young adults are very eager to learn the teaching of the Church, and they become spokespersons to their peers in these matters. I have seen many young adults form very healthy marriages and build strong families on the foundation of the Church’s teaching about sexuality, marriage, and family.
Today’s young adult Catholics know fully well that giving witness to Christ is going to cost them something. We should not be afraid to speak to them of the mystery of the Cross, martyrdom, and the sacrifices made by our ancestors in the faith.
In Texas, Catholic young adults are often challenged by non-Catholics with questions about our Catholic faith and practices. Our young adults sometimes get frustrated by a lack of background or training to answer these particular questions. As a Church we should be equipping them well to respond with confidence.
Young adults get motivated by service projects, especially when they see a concrete need before them, and where they can make a visible difference in the lives of those they are serving. I recommend that we complement direct service projects with opportunities for reflection on the meaning of the service and on the root causes of the problems that the project seeks to address.
In today’s information age, young adults often get their information about religion from online sources:
The website of the Diocese of San Angelo (sanangelodiocese.org) contains links to some helpful sites for Catholic young adults.
Busted Halo (bustedhalo.com) offers abundant information about faith and society. Beginning young adult ministry in a parish does not have to start from scratch.
Young Adult Ministry in a Box (yaminabox.com) shows practical steps for how to begin Catholic young adult ministry.
The National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association (ncyama.org) provides connections to leaders in young adult ministry on a regional and national level. The Diocese of San Angelo is a member of this association.
It is my hope that the Diocese of San Angelo World Youth Day celebration on Saturday, July 30, at the McNease Convention Center in San Angelo, will provide a springboard to launch a new era of vibrant Catholic young adult ministry in West Texas. We have a long way to go, but all things are possible with God.