In this month’s edition of the Diocese of Austin newspaper, Catholic Spirit, there was an article about young adult ministry featuring WilCoYA. We would like to thank Catholic Spirit for the article.

You can find the article in the print version, at the Diocese of Austin site, or read it below.

Ministries for young adults are in high demand

Catholic Spirit, July/August 2010, Central Texas

By Michele Chan Santos
Correspondent

Worship, study and fellowship among young adults are enjoying a strong resurgence in the Diocese of Austin. All over the diocese, people between the ages of 18 and 39 are gathering to talk about the Gospel, eat together, watch movies and attend Mass with others their age.

Alison Koederitz, program coordinator for the diocesan Office of Young Adult and Campus Ministry, said the initiation of new groups and the re-energizing of some established ones have led to more options than ever before for Catholic young adults in the Austin Diocese.

“Central Texas definitely has a young population,” Koederitz said. “It’s an attractive place for young people. Young adult Catholics are looking for a community, people to connect with.”

The diocesan Office of Young Adult and Campus Ministry offers training, materials and support for young adult groups, Koederitz said.

Some of the more active young adult organizations include WilcoYA, in Williamson County; 2535 Catholic Crossing, for those ages 25 to 35 at St. Thomas More Parish in Austin; Spirit & Truth, a ministry that meets at Sacred Heart Parish in Austin; the Catholic Young Adult group of St. Ignatius, Martyr Parish in Austin; Catholic 20somethings at St. Theresa Parish in Austin; and St. Louis Young Adults of Austin. Links to the websites of these groups and several others can be found on the diocesan website, under “Young Adult Ministries,” at www.austindiocese.org/yacm.

Spirit & Truth
Spirit & Truth is a diocesan-wide young adult ministry, with members from Austin, Round Rock, Buda and Georgetown. Any young adult is welcome to attend, including non-Catholics.

The group meets on Mondays from 7 to 9 p.m. at Sacred Heart Parish, 5909 Reicher Dr. in Austin. Each meeting includes eucharistic adoration. Other praise and worship activities, Bible study, teachings, the rosary, Liturgy of the Hours and small group discussion are rotated through the meetings.

Spirit & Truth is a nationwide ministry that started in Atlanta, Ga. Christine Songy, the organizer, helped found the group in Virginia Beach, Va., and sought to start one here after moving to Austin.

Currently, about 25 people come regularly, and Songy hopes the number will grow.
“As young adults, we live in a crazy world that’s full of noise, whether it’s TV, Internet, iPods, or digital radio,” Songy said. “In the midst of all the noise and activity, though, there are often feelings of isolation, loneliness and loss of any sense of direction. So often, I hear young Catholics say that they don’t know what they are supposed to be doing or wonder what is the purpose of their lives.

“So often, God speaks to our hearts in the quiet whisper,” she continued. “Spirit & Truth offers young adults a weekly opportunity to get away from the noise and to spend intimate time together with the one who has all the answers to any questions they might have. Spirit & Truth offers a weekly opportunity to meet Jesus and to spend time with other young adults praising him through song.”

For more information about Spirit & Truth, contact Songy at christinesongy@gmail.com or search for “Spirit & Truth-Austin” on Facebook.

WilcoYA
WilCoYA (pronounced Will-Co-Why-A) is a young adult ministry for Catholics ages 18 to 39 in Williamson County. It draws primarily from the parishes of St. William in Round Rock, St. Helen in Georgetown and St. Elizabeth in Pflugerville, but it is aimed at all the parishes in the Georgetown/Round Rock Deanery.

Father James Misko, formerly the associate pastor of St. Elizabeth; Father Jonathan Raia, associate pastor of St. William; and Father Will Straten, associate pastor of St. Helen, along with a group of young adults, began WilcoYA at the beginning of 2010, as the result of a discussion on young adult ministry at a deanery meeting.

“Knowing that young adult ministry is lacking at many of our parishes, we wanted to bring people together in a single group that went beyond the bounds of one parish,” Father Raia said of the priests’ vision of an inter-parish young adult group. “We also wanted it to be very much led by them as young adults.”

The results have been promising.

Spiritual events like praise and worship and a monthly Young Adult Mass are on the calendar, as are social events such as movie nights and the weekly “Dinner with Fulton Sheen,” at which the participants watch the 1950s TV show starring the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen and share a potluck dinner.

“At each event there are new people. The group is steadily growing,” Father Raia said.
Laura Gonzalez, who serves as WilcoYA’s treasurer and secretary, said the group is “very engaged in social media as a means of advertising and recruitment, fulfilling Pope John Paul II’s call to a new evangelization.” The group regularly utilizes such venues as Facebook (search for WilcoYA Ministry), Twitter (twitter.com/wilcoya), FlockNote (www.flocknote.com/list.php?feed=22431), and Relevant Radio.

Father Raia said young adult groups are particularly helpful for recent college graduates. Many Catholics who are active in their campus ministries graduate, go to work full-time, and then struggle to find others like them at their local parish.

“More than anything, what many young adults are looking for is community. They want to find a community of other people like them who are trying to live out their faith in the world,” Father Raia said.

Gonzalez said WilcoYA founders hope they can offer help to those who find something lacking in their relationship with God whether it be service, worship or kinship.
“What I’ve learned from my experience with WilCoYA is that there is a way for each of us to contribute our God-given talents for the better of the whole, be it our expertise, talent or simple enthusiasm. Every day I walk away with a sense of knowing that I have done God’s will, that I have a purpose here and, I would like to invite everyone who is seeking the same to join us,” she said.

For more information, visit www.wilcoya.com.

Catholic Young Adult Group of St. Ignatius
This young adult group, based at St. Ignatius, Martyr Parish, 2309 Euclid Ave. in Austin, recently started a six-week faith sharing series. The group discusses the first half of John’s Gospel, using a publication from Loyola Press.

They meet on Sundays at 6 p.m. at Freddie’s Place, a casual restaurant off South First Street in Austin, near the parish.

Sarah Rose Osman, a marketing professional, is on the leadership team of this young adult group, along with Laura Bauer.
They are trying to draw in more people using avenues like the weekly bulletin, Facebook and text messaging.

The faith sharing series has generated a lot of interesting discussion, and everyone has enjoyed it, they said. Other summer events include a pool party, dinner and pew restoration, and Pizza Sundays.

“What I’ve found as a young adult is you want to be there. Everyone is really involved. If you are going to show up as a young adult, then you are going to share and talk and be involved in the discussion,” Osman said. “For me, the most rewarding part is just knowing there are people like me who want to contribute to the community.”
For more information about the group, e-mail
cyan.austin@gmail.com. On Facebook, search for St. Ignatius, Martyr, Catholic Young Adults Network.

For more information about young adult ministry, contact Alison Koederitz at (512) 949-2467 or alison-koederitz@austindiocese.org.

Workshop on young adult ministry
The diocesan Office of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry will sponsor a leadership workshop for young adult ministry Aug. 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Austin. Young adult ministers, youth ministers and anyone who is interested in finding and connecting with young adults at the parish level are invited. The cost is $15, which includes lunch and a copy of the updated “Sons and Daughters of the Light: A Pastoral Plan for Young Adult Ministry.” For more information, contact Alison Koederitz at (512) 949-2467 or alison-koederitz@austindiocese.org.