Pilot program aimed at young adults

"Most young adults feel left out of the loop" when it comes to the Catholic Church, said Joseph Piccolino, but the Church often "doesn't have the desire or the resources it needs to reach out. [So young adults are] going other places to get the message."

That's why the Albany Diocese has instituted the Parish Outreach Project to Young Adults and Young Families, funded by a two-year grant.

The program, which has just completed its first year, is designed to connect with inactive Catholic young adults and their families.

Meeting needs

Mr. Piccolino, director of the program, said the effort tries to answer a basic question: "How does the Roman Catholic Church share its rich heritage with young adults in such a way that [meets] their spiritual longings?"

Currently, 14 parishes are participating in the program, which intends to "re-imagine" portions of Church life to meet the spiritual needs of young adults in the 21st century.

The parishes want to improve their relationships with young adults -- single and married, with or without children. One of the major ways that will occur, said Mr. Piccolino, is to provide social and religious experiences that will connect young adults with the Church.

Cross-section

The parishes chosen represent a cross-section of the Diocese so that urban, suburban and rural parishes are looked at "to determine what kind of things work with different situations," he explained.

The over-arching issue, he added, is to make young adults truly part of a community. A significant way to do that is to change sacramental preparation programs from a model that stresses the completion of requirements to a model that encourages interaction, community and experience -- especially for Baptism and marriage.

"It can be used as an opportunity to evangelize, to welcome them," he said.

Solutions

Many parishes have discovered that special Masses for young adults, with the music they like, are often appealing, as are social events, such as potluck dinners, hikes and open gathering spaces to socialize when children are in religious education classes.

But interaction and community aren't the only things young adults need, said Mr. Piccolino; a liturgy that connects to them is absolutely necessary.

Homilies should speak to concrete situations in life and contain messages that young adults can use in their lives, he explained.

Homilies "have to speak to the message of the Gospel and how it pertains to your life right now," he said. "So, maybe, the homily gets tweaked at one Mass to fit with young adults."

Other methods

Mr. Piccolino noted that there are other ways to connect to young adults:

* Scripture study that fits young adults' needs and schedules. St. Edward the Confessor parish in Clifton Park, for example, is looking into having adult catechesis both during the day and during the evening to accommodate all schedules.

* Some parishes are exploring the use of "small Christian communities," sometimes called "base communities," to provide more places for young adults to connect to Catholicism.

Assessment

At the end of 2007, participants in the pilot program will share their results with the Diocese, so other "parishes have something to lean on to get started, and so everyone gets to see what the issues are and what the solutions might be," Mr. Piccolino said.

People today go to church "by choice," he said, and will not respond or be involved if the experience isn't meaningful or fulfilling.

"This generation operates in a whole different way," he noted. "They have the freedom to operate on their own time and schedule. You have to start meeting them where they are and come to them as they are. It's a whole new way of thinking about our religious heritage and traditions."

(12/13/06) [[In-content Ad]]