RAVENA

Parish commits to young adults

BY KATE BLAIN
ASSISTANT EDITOR

As the youngest member of the pastoral council at St. Patrick's Church in Ravena, Ryan Carrk was commissioned not long ago to get more young adults to participate in parish life.

The result is "YANFI," a group for 20-to-40-year-olds that will mark its first anniversary in February.

The goal of YANFI, an acronym for the Young Adults and New Families Initiative, is to fulfill the parish's motto -- "All are Welcome" -- in regard to that particular age group.

Future Church

"This is the future of the Catholic Church," stated Mr. Carrk, who heads up YANFI along with his wife, Amy, and a half-dozen other committee members. "If we don't welcome 20-to-40-year-olds now, we're going to lose them."

YANFI is part of a larger effort by St. Patrick's to show it's a viable parish, as the "Called to be Church" pastoral planning process examines the future of all the parishes in the Albany Diocese.

Mr. Carrk told The Evangelist that he heard his parish's name "thrown out there" in discussions of possible mergers and closures, and thought attracting more young adults would make St. Patrick's "vibrant."

Welcome mat

Historically, he believes, many young adults have not felt welcomed by the Church -- particularly at parishes like St. Patrick's, which tends toward the conservative.

Along with creating YANFI, the parish added a 5:30 p.m. Mass on Sundays with different music to pull in younger parishioners.

It's a matter of "just being able to identify with the parish," said Mr. Carrk. "If you're not comfortable with the [other] liturgies, there are some options out there for you now."

Recruitment

To start YANFI, he took an old roster of parishioners and sent letters to people whom he remembered from childhood, knowing they would be young adults now. He was pleased when the group immediately coalesced.

"I've been really surprised that we had early interest," he remarked. "I wasn't sure it would take off so quickly."

Among YANFI committee members are two young adults who are newcomers to the parish. Mr. Carrk said he was happy to be able to show them that St. Patrick's was more than a place to "show up at Mass, receive the Eucharist, go home and wait till next Sunday."

Activities

Instead, YANFI has focused on planning events, including movie nights, an Easter-egg hunt, after-Mass hospitality and its most successful effort: a wine-and-cheese tasting for adults in October.

More than 60 people attended the event, which featured wines from local liquor stores and food from parishioners. The tasting was also a chance for young adults to meet Rev. Stuart Gullan-Steel, parish administrator, as well as a seminarian of the Diocese who mingled to meet people and even answer faith-related questions.

"We wanted to make it more like 'Theology on Tap,'" Mr. Carrk explained, referring to the popular program for young adults in which speakers address faith-related topics.

Families and singles

Other YANFI events have been geared more toward families. Mr. Carrk told The Evangelist that many parish programs for children expect parents to "drop [their] kids and go," but YANFI wants to involve parents as members of families -- particularly newer parents.

The group also hopes to draw more single adults into the life of the parish.

In fact, Mr. Carrk noted, "I was hoping to get someone in their 20s to take over [YANFI] down the road."

Community

Today's Catholics, he said, "are looking to feel a part of their Church, to make their Church feel more their own."

He believes that more activities are key: "We looked at what the Protestants are doing, how they're able to generate such success. A lot of Protestant churches have things going on every weekend. It's more community. If you feel comfortable with your parish, you're going to want to go to church."

Sharing the faith, he added, may have to "start with the social and go to the liturgical."

(YANFI is planning several events in December: a "Happy Birthday, Jesus" party with a visit from St. Nicholas; caroling throughout Ravena; and a movie night. In February, the group hopes to have a special Mass and reception for young adults around Valentine's Day, including renewal of vows for married couples and of promises between engaged couples. "It will be a romantic night," Mr. Carrk promised.)

(12/13/07)