Young adults search for place in the Church

Ministries are thriving in several Arkansas parishes but more are needed to serve Catholics in their 20s and 30s after college

Published: September 17, 2011

By Phyllis Hemann
Associate Editor

The Young Adult Ministry at St. John Church in Russellville gathers for their yearly fundraiser, Eat, Drink and Be Merry for a Cause, which raises money to help families in the church at Christmas.

The Young Adult Ministry at St. John Church in Russellville gathers for their yearly fundraiser, Eat, Drink and Be Merry for a Cause, which raises money to help families in the church at Christmas.

Many young adult Catholics in Arkansas are searching for where they fit in the life of the Church, and some churches have answered with young adult ministry programs.

"I do it because I want to grow in my faith and have people around me who want to do the same instead of just going to church and then going home," said Alison Ahlert who helped start the Young Adult Ministry at St. John Church in Russellville.

When Catholic students graduate from college, they begin a new chapter of their lives and of their faith. They leave behind youth programs and campus ministry for adulthood.

"After college, you are on your own and it's hard to find a place. A lot of old hats are there that know what they are doing. You feel lost among them," said Brant Law who is one of the founding members of the Northwest Arkansas Frassati Group in Fayetteville.

It is a transition that many fail to make, or feel is lacking.

"We can no longer rely on family loyalty or old-fashioned 'Catholic guilt' to bring young adults back to Church -- instead the challenge is that we need to go out to them, to speak their language, and to make a compelling case for faith and participation in the community of the Church," said Paul Jarzembowski, executive director of National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association.

Young adult ministries are thriving in several parishes around the state, including Little Rock, Russellville, Fayetteville and Rogers.

The Young Adult Ministry (YAM) at St. John Church in Russellville grew out of a faith-sharing group for young adults started when the parish did the "Why Catholic?" program.

"We didn't have anything for our age group, so we decided to continue our young adult faith sharing," Ahlert said.

Nationally and locally, those involved in Catholic Young Adult ministry see people in crisis looking for a way to fit into the Catholic Church.

"These are the future leaders of the Church. Right now those who are active in and leading are older. If you lose young adults early on, they won't be there to continue building the Church. You'll lose them if you're not reaching out. They will go somewhere else," Ahlert said.

Church leaders on all levels need to be aware that the Church is losing many young adults, Jarzembowski said.

"Studies show that, on a given Sunday, only 15 percent of self-identified young adult Catholics in their 20s and 30s are coming to Mass. That means that the vast majority (around 85 percent) are not engaged with their faith. Even more frightening is that these trends are only getting more extreme every passing year," he said in an e-mail interview with Arkansas Catholic. "If these numbers are a concern to Church leaders, then young adult programs are essential to our Church's mission in the world. Outreach and evangelization of those in their 20s and 30s are critical components to securing the future of the faith in this country and around the world."

The young adult designation typically can mean people anywhere from the ages of 18 to 40. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops defines young adults as "people in their late teens, twenties and thirties; single, married, divorced or widowed; and with or without children." This broad description can cause problems in addressing needs with programs.

A group of young professionals formed the Northwest Arkansas Frassati Group last year to catch those alumni leaving Catholic campus ministry at the University of Arkansas and moving on to "adulthood" in the Church. The seed was planted by Father Joe Marconi, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish.

"What separates us is our faith. We are called to go out and proclaim the Gospel. As it says in Matthew, 'Go and make disciples of all nations.' Through this we can work on building relationships and faith," Law said.

Many of the participants in young adult ministry juggle busy lives with careers, family and friends, so a variety of activities work best, both Law and Ahlert said.

Once the programs begin, it builds as more and more people find out about it. Not everyone can come to every event, Alhert said, so attendance varies.

In Russellville, the group started with a handful of people and now average 40 to 50 for their events with children.

The Northwest Arkansas Frassati Group is up to 90 people on their listserv. When they started, they had about 20 people interested.

The age range varies to participate in the young adult programs, from 20 to 40 for Christ the King Church's Terra Firma, 21 to 40ish for St. John YAM and 22 to 35 for Northwest Arkansas Frassati Group. At St. Vincent de Paul Church in Rogers, the Young Families group targets families with children under 5 years old.

For any of the young adult ministries, the main requirement is a willingness to be a part and share the struggles and faith development with people who are experiencing similar lots in life, Ahlert said.

None of the groups are exclusive, though, and wouldn't turn someone away who is close to the upper-age limit.

"We chose our range based on World Youth Day. It covers all those age ranges and some. It's not that big a deal. We're not that picky, as long as you want to be involved and share your faith," Law said.

The types of activities offered also vary from social events, service work to faith-based activities.

"It's not just social," Alhert said. "We try to spread it out between the community and the church. We want to get to know each other and build fellowship, to grow in faith and knowledge of Scripture and to give back to the community."

To participate, one doesn't have to be single. In fact, those who have young adult ministry programs stress that it is not a singles program. Couples with and without children are welcome, as well as single and divorced people.

"You naturally want to continue faith formation and build community," Law said. "This gives people the opportunity to grow in faith together."

It is a challenge for parishes with limited resources to provide programs for young adults. With planning and people who say "yes" to participating, both Ahlert and Law said it is something that can pay dividends in the future.

"Overall, there are many challenges to this outreach -- and part of that might be a factor in why so few parishes and dioceses have invested in young adult ministry," Jarzembowski said, "but these are challenges worth facing, allowing the Church to step up to the original challenge Jesus posed to all of us before his Ascension: 'Go therefore into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every living creature.' (Mark 16:15)."