This week I am in Atlanta visiting with lots of people involved in both young adult ministry and social justice ministry. Yesterday I met with the two enthusiastic and energetic young women who lead the Archdiocese of Atlanta's Young Adult Ministry. When Dorothy and Yvonne spoke with me about their experiences of directing young adult ministry in such a vibrant, diverse city as Atlanta, I was surprised to hear them name "evangelization" as the primary focus of their work. So often the purpose of young adult ministry is described as drawing young people into the church, or building community among young adults who yearn for meaningful relationships. But the term "evangelization" is not heard as often.
When I asked whether this evangelization was intended to educate post-Vatican II Catholics or to bring new Catholics into the church, Dorothy and Yvonne said "both!" They began to talk about the experience of living as a Catholic in the Protestant "Bible Belt," where misunderstandings about Catholicism abound (even in university classrooms!) and people who see the ashes on your forehead on Ash Wednesday might tell you directly that you're going to hell. To be a young adult Catholic in this kind of environment requires that young adults know their faith and truly claim it as their own. This is why Dorothy and Yvonne always hear that young adults want more apologetics, so that they can defend their faith - with friends, with strangers, with those who are curious and those who might be trying to convert them.
Our conversation was an interesting reminder of the importance of context for good ministry. Having lived in the Midwest for the majority of my life, where I have always found strong Catholic communities, I can easily take for granted the fact that I usually do not have to defend my religious persuasion on a day-to-day basis. But this is not the case for many Catholics in the world (China immediately comes to mind, of course). It is also important to remember that within the United States, Catholics still need to defend their faith against ignorance or attack.
It's inspiring to hear how so many young adults in Atlanta want to know more about their faith, so that they can understand the Catholic tradition and claim it as their own. Young Adult Ministry in the Archdiocese is thriving - a huge Catholic sports league for young adults, biannual gatherings that bring in hundreds of young adults, service trips, parish groups, pilgrimages and networking groups. I wonder how much of this is due to the dynamic of living as a Catholic "minority" in a predominantly Protestant culture. Young Catholics here seem to have a natural desire to strengthen their faith and community by joining with other like-minded young people.
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