THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 38, NO. 36 | MAY 5, 2017
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann takes part in a listening session at the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center on April 19. Dioceses throughout the world have been encouraged by the Vatican to conduct listening sessions in preparation for the October 2018 Synod of Bishops on “Young people, faith and vocational discernment” and report back their findings.
‘WE WANT TO BE WANTED’ Young adults respond to pope’s invitation for input
By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org
K
ANSAS CITY, Kan. — Are you a young adult disconnected from your Catholic faith? Do you feel upset with the church or detached from its teachings? Pope Francis wants to hear from you. And the Catholic Church is listening. In preparation for the October 2018 Synod of Bishops on “Young people, faith and vocational discernment,” the Vatican released a series of questions addressed specifically to young adults. Dioceses throughout the world have been encouraged to conduct listening sessions using those questions
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“I WOULD CHALLENGE THE CHURCH TO PRESENT ITSELF NOT DIDACTICALLY BUT EXPERIENTIALLY — AS AN EXPERIENCE OF LIFE.”
to gather feedback from that demographic from both within and outside the church. Diocesan leaders will summarize the responses into reports, which will eventually be sent to the Vatican. The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas hosted two sessions — the first on April 19 at St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas in Lawrence and the second
on April 27 at St. Agnes Church in Roeland Park with St. Paul’s Outreach. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and members of the archdiocesan evangelization division sat in to hear what young people in our archdiocese had to say. Do you feel the Catholic Church understands your life? Most of the young people in attendance had a similar take on this question. “I don’t know if I would say the church overall understands what each individual person is going through,” said one young man. Because everyone is unique, it’s difficult for the church to recognize the struggles and needs of young people, he continued. Many agreed that priests and parishioners should work on reaching out to young people to learn more about their lives and better understand
their situations. But one of the ways the church does do a good job of listening, said participants at both sessions, is through its mercy. “No matter what you’re going through or what you’ve done, the church is always inviting you back in,” said one woman. “I’d also answer that there’s a lack of understanding of that mercy and a lack of communication toward people our age to fully understand and accept the love the church teaches,” she added. What are the main challenges young people have in the U.S.? Some of the biggest problems this generation faces revolve around navigating their place in a society that is constantly changing — and doing so while maintaining a strong faith. >> See “YOUNG” on page 6