Faith needs, wants vary for Catholic Young Adults

The results are in – young adults are all over the map when it comes to their interests and needs in the local Catholic Church, said Rachel Longest, director of the Young Adult Ministry for the archdiocese of New Orleans.
    Longest introduced an online survey Ash Wednesday, hoping to learn the basics about young adults: who are they, how often and why they attended or didn’t attend Mass, how churches can be more welcoming, what elements of a church were important and what type of young adult events would they attend.
    The most surprising statistic to Longest was that local young adults had actually registered in a church parish. From studying national statistics on young adults, Longest found that those in the 18-39 age range are known to “church shop” for the Catholic church to suit their needs.
    “I didn’t expect that,” Longest said, but she found that 61 percent of the 360 individuals who responded were registered and attended Mass at the same parish. A whopping 82 percent of them attended Mass at least weekly.
    “This is important for clergy to see that young adults are registered in a parish,” Longest told the young adults attending the first of several scheduled survey result presentations Aug. 14 at St. Dominic. “Young adults are stakeholders and are committed to churches.”
    Longest also discovered that an overwhelming 94 percent of young adults thought it important to be involved in church beyond Mass and wanted “to make a difference.”
    The main reason respondents attended Mass was to receive the Eucharist, followed by going to pray and having their spiritual hunger fed. Must-haves for a church to reach this age group: a warm welcome, good homilies and opportunities for religious education for children.
    “What young adults are looking for is what every Catholic is looking for: good teaching, a place to belong, people that care and a way to respond to the faith,” Longest said.

Can’t please everyone
    Amis Nolan of St. David Parish was surprised that more young adults didn’t rank Bible study higher on the survey. It was a Bible study that got him involved in a Catholic church in Los Angeles. “It was young people relating to the struggles we were going through as young adults,” he said. “I think Bible study is the easiest way to bring them in.”
    Longest knows she doesn’t have all the answers to young adult ministry and mentioned programming challenges she has experienced when hosting an archdiocesan-wide event. Others chimed in, sharing experiences and frustrations with young adult ministry.
    But, it’s par for the course, she said, considering the 21-year age gap among those who consider themselves to be young adults and their different life statuses: single, married, divorced, some with children, some employed, some unemployed, different views about faith and what they expect from a church parish.
    Longest urged them to keep trying to cultivate new members – since many young adults are transient – and constantly ask young adults what they want.
    “If we are not being intentional about growing that ministry, the drop off will continue without replenish,” she said. “We have to continue to reach out, and that takes effort. But making yourself new and relevant is important.”
    She did glean something about programming from the survey.
    “One goal is to try to provide more catechesis and also to incorporate Mass more when we can,” she said about the events on the archdiocesan level that aim to fill a void left by few parish-based ministries for young adults.
    Longest provided resources for young adults and referenced “Sons and Daughters of the Light” released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that identified goals of successful young adult ministries: connecting with Jesus and the church, the church’s mission and their peers.
    She said every parish – even those without many resources or personnel – could be more responsive to young adults by integrating young adults into existing ministries, empowering them to form their own ministry; and being a resource.
     Simple ideas: Have a young adult announce a young adult event at the pulpit; place an announcement in the bulletin; ask young adults to bring up the offertory gifts;  acknowledge that they are important to a parish. Other tactics for parishes to consider: Being present where the young adults are such as on the web with Facebook, Twitter and having an updated website. Longest gave a statistic that 80 percent of young adult Catholics will check out a website before they decide to attend a parish.
    “If you are not on the web, you will not exist in young adult lives,” she said.
    A personal invitation from a peer remains the best way to get young adults involved. It’s part of the new evangelization of the church – reaching out to others.
    “If someone can connect with a young adult face, it goes a long way.”
    Longest also puts the onus on young adults, urging them not to wait for someone else to offer what they want.
    Similar, open-to-the-public gatherings will be held throughout September.
  
    Jeremy Burke, a 33-year-old single Catholic at Holy Name of Jesus, attended the meeting to find direction for a new young adult group he’s heading in the parish. He said it gave him a lot to think about.
    “Rachel made a good point if you want something, you need to do it – you can’t wait for somebody else,” he said. “As an older, more mature person, I want something more out of the experience and maybe can help others find this.”
Rachel Longest can be reached at 836-0551, ext. 3229. www.yamarchno.org.