Leaven Blog

Calling all young people!

by Moira Cullings
moira.cullings@theleaven.org

Pope Francis has shown the world countless acts of selflessness and love.

He’s reached out to groups like the poor, the marginalized and prisoners, to name but a few.

Now, the pope is reaching another group frequently found on the outskirts of the church — young adults.

In October 2018, the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will be held, featuring the theme: “Youth, faith and vocational discernment.”

The goal of this synod is to help young people on their journey into adulthood. The pope and bishops want this group to realize that God has a plan for their lives and help them understand the special place they have in the Catholic Church.

This isn’t some distant gathering. The pope wants to hear from young people across the world on their own thoughts, feelings and ideas.

That’s why archdioceses throughout the world are conducting listening sessions to gather input from young adults on their views of and roles within the church.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is excited to hear from this group and has already planned two sessions with Archbishop Naumann.

Tonight at 6:15 p.m., young adults are invited to the St. Lawrence Center at the University of Kansas for the first session.

Next Thursday, April 27, at 5:30 p.m., young adults are invited to St. Agnes in Roeland Park for the second session.

This is a unique opportunity to tell the archbishop — and ultimately Pope Francis — what you think the church is doing well and what it could do better.

As a young person, I know the challenges we face in today’s society. Keeping up with the faith can be extremely complicated, and it’s easy to feel left out of the church.

Studies have shown that about two thirds of Catholic millennials attend Mass a few times a year or less and only about 25% pray daily.

Obviously, there’s some problems here, which is why the pope, bishops and church leaders are eager to hear from us.

I hope you’ll join me in sharing your thoughts and ideas with the leaders of the church at one of these listening sessions.

About the author

Moira Cullings

Moira attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park and Benedictine College in Atchison. She majored in marketing, minored in psychology and played center midfield for the women’s soccer team. Moira joined The Leaven staff as a feature writer and social media editor in 2015. After a move to Denver, Moira resumed her full-time position at The Leaven and continues to write and manage its website, social media channels. Her favorite assignment was traveling to the Holy Land to take photos for a group pilgrimage in 2019.

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