April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
18-TO-40 GROUP
Reaching out to young adult Catholics
The adage that fallen-away young adults - approximately ages 18 to 40 - will return to the Church upon marriage or parenthood no longer holds weight: Statistically, if someone has not integrated into a religion by the age of 24, he or she might never do so.
Experts recommend keeping teenagers involved as they proceed from confirmation to high school youth group to college Newman club and on into the adult world.
The climate for younger Catholics varies in parishes throughout the Albany Diocese. Some parishes describe themselves as "graying communities" that struggle to engage younger populations, while quite a few others are succeeding.
The Diocese's young adult ministry has ebbed and flowed in recent years. "Theology on Tap," a national program that allows young Catholics to meet in comfortable settings to discuss faith, recently returned after a hiatus. The ministry's leaders have also received permission to use the former Holy Cross Church rectory in Albany for regular meetings.
The Capital Region chapter of Frassati, a private group for Catholics ages 20 to 35, has been attracting regular attendees to weekly meetings. The group's email list reaches about 90 people.
Frassati offers hikes in the Adirondack Mountains and meets after Wednesday evening Masses at St. Francis Chapel in Colonie to discuss the Gospel and faith topics.
At St. Mary's parish in Glens Falls, young adults have asked to form a group: "They want to be involved," explained youth minister Maria Polidore, who's planning an open house for young adults. "They're not just going to show up at Mass and go home."
At Our Lady of Victory parish in Troy, a group of about 15 people thrives with service work. Members want to incorporate more spiritual events like retreats, but feel torn among other obligations.
Still, they found time to start a Stations of the Cross service on Fridays during Lent, said Laura Conroy, the group's coordinator.
She recommends inviting new people to events, modernizing parish websites and being creative with bulletin announcements.
Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Watervliet succeeded for a year with a young adult group, which has since declined in activity.
"It's really hard to keep up with it and it's really easy to lose heart," said Rebecca Hanson, the 26-year-old who started the group. It once attracted a dozen people for Scripture reading, faith sharing and classes on topics like forgiveness and faith at work.
Mrs. Hanson hopes the lull is a hiatus. Either way, the level of involvement from young adults in the universal Church disappoints her: "I don't know what it is, but people in our age bracket need a near-death experience or marriage" to stay active, she said.
Mrs. Hanson converted to Catholicism two years ago, when she decided to have her newborn daughter baptized into the faith. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults - the process through which people join the Church - proved so influential that both Mrs. Hanson and her husband now serve as catechists.
"That's what any ministry should be: You learn about it, you love it and you come back," she said.
Forty-five percent of Catholics under the age of 30 say religion is very important in their lives. So how can parishes hold on to this generation?
"If no one has ever really engaged them, they're not going to jump forward to be involved," said Paul Jarzembowski, executive director of the National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association.
Parishes often fall back on creating young adult groups, but there are other possibilities, he said, like eucharistic adoration or prayer groups targeted for young adults as a counter-cultural moment of silence or respite from their busy lives.
Peter Derway, coordinator of faith formation and youth ministry at St. Mary/St. Paul's parish in Hudson Falls, suggested parishes host programs on practical matters like finding a job, caring for aging parents or for children; or offer spiritual mentors to help young adults navigate the professional world or crises.
"It would be great if a 25-year-old found that help through the local church," Mr. Jarzembowski noted.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops encourages dialogue that welcomes challenges from young adults.
"Despite the turbulence of these years, many seek to return to their faith, remembering the positive experiences of youth and campus ministry," the USCCB pastoral plan reads. "They tell us that it is our tradition that feeds their hunger."
To that end, Rev. Neil Draves-Arpaia, director of whole community catechesis at St. Clement's parish in Saratoga and chaplain at Skidmore College there, recommends reaching out to local colleges.
Ask clergy to celebrate Mass on campus or encourage Catholic college staff to evangelize, he suggested, adding: "If you are an active Catholic and you are involved in a college, be resourceful, because we're supposed to be a ministering community."
Dave Stagliano, diocesan coordinator of youth and young adult ministry, recalled how he got into his field when he was 27 and his pastor recruited him.
"Invitation: That's what got me started," he said. Keeping young adults active in the faith "is not going to happen overnight. It takes a little time to network."
YOUNG ADULT STATISTICS
• Among the Millennial Generation (those born 1981-2000), significantly more are unaffiliated with religion than were members of Generation X (born 1965-80) or Baby Boomers (1946-64) at a comparable age, according to Pew Research Center studies.
• Today's Catholic young adults are less likely than older Catholics to say they believe in God with absolute certainty. About 34 percent of Catholics between the ages of 18 and 29 attend Mass weekly.
• According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' 1996 pastoral plan for young adult ministry, the cohort experiences spiritual tension between contemporary society and the desire to live according to God's will.
• Critics say that the Second Vatican Council, which met during the 1960s and reformed and renewed the Church, caused changes in religious education that watered down instruction and left a generation or two ill-informed of their faith and morals.
• Peter Derway, coordinator of faith formation and youth ministry at St. Mary/St. Paul's parish in Hudson Falls, recommended developing better educational materials for new confirmands: "By being confirmed, it means you're taking ownership of the faith. We need to find a way for young adults to take ownership." (AC)
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