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New faithful: Young embracing orthodox practices
archived from: 2003-01-03
by: Joyce Duriga

(First of two parts)

Images of Jesus and Mary adorn the walls of Randy
and Lisa Koslosky’s Oakland home.

Books penned by the likes of St. Augustine of Hippo
and Pope John Paul II fill their shelves.

Statues of St. Therese and Mary greet visitors at the top
of a staircase.

Such devotionals and books often are seen in the
homes of older Catholic couples. But not in the home of
young newlyweds in their 30s.

The Kosloskys represent a growing number of young
adults across the nation embracing traditional
Christianity. Former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter
Colleen Carroll chronicles this movement in her recent
book, “The New Faithful: Why Young Adults are
Embracing Christian Orthodoxy.”

In a recent phone interview, Carroll, a self-proclaimed
“cradle Catholic,” said the idea for the book evolved out
of her seeing a growing number of peers who were
living strong moral lives and who had a real attraction to
the church.

“They didn’t fit the mold of the Gen X slackers that I saw
in the media,” Carroll said.

The popular media often portray younger people as
rejecting moral standards, engaging in premarital sex
and having no interest in organized religion.

Carroll found the complete opposite and set out to call
attention to the young adult faithful.

In 2000, Carroll received a fellowship from the Phillips
Foundation to study the trend among educated young
adults — ages 18 to 35 — who are practicing a faith
rooted in “orthodox” Christian teachings. This study
brought her in contact with many Catholics and
Evangelicals.

In her book, she defines orthodoxy using G.K.
Chesterton’s definition: “When the word ‘orthodoxy’ is
used here, it means the Apostles Creed, as
understood by everybody calling himself Christian until
a very short time ago and the general historic conduct
of those who heed such a creed.”

The young adult Catholics whom Carroll interviewed
adhere to the teaching of the magisterium, attend Mass
regularly and embrace the devotional life of the church.

“They are often challenging their elders and asking,
‘What’s behind this total rejection of authority and
tradition?’” Carroll said. “They are asking, ‘Why do we
automatically not follow church teaching?’”

Carroll also found that the young adult faithful are often
the best and the brightest among today’s young adults
and have achieved success at a young age.

Because they have achieved what the world said would
make them happy, they often feel empty. That leads
them on a search for something more.

The Diocese of Pittsburgh is not immune to the trend
that Carroll identifies. Young adults in noticeable
numbers are attending daily Mass, praying the rosary,
studying the writings of the church fathers and the
saints and living out church teaching in all areas of their
lives.

In the past, there has been a disconnect between the
church and young adults, said Gary Slifkey, associate
director of the diocesan Youth and Young Adult Ministry
Office.

To rectify that, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
in 1996 developed a pastoral plan entitled “Sons and
Daughters of the Light.”

Aimed at men and women in their late teens, 20s and
30s, the document offers suggestions on how to reach
out to the young adults.

While the U.S. Catholic Church may have been slow to
recognize this contingent of the faithful, Slifkey said,
“The good news is we know that they are coming and
they are hungering for more. It’s going to take the whole
church to make them feel connected.”

He said Pope John Paul II has set a good example on
how to connect with today’s young adults. “He just has
a way of teaching and connecting with young adults.
There is a lot of darkness in the world, and he is a
shining light.”

Since these young adults are an educated group,
parishes can connect with them by offering lifelong
learning classes, Slifkey noted.

“The young adults are in a search for their identity,”
Slifkey said. “The church is a lens that puts their
questions into focus.”

One of the many challenges to young adult ministry is
reaching those who are hungering for an increase in
faith but are not sure how to begin.

One approach in the diocese has been Bridge
Builders, in which members of the Young Adult
Leadership program conduct parish training sessions
designed to build connections with young adults and to
strengthen existing parish links.

But because of their busy lives, many young adults
attend Sunday Mass at various parishes. Slifkey said
the time to invite this group into parish life is while they
are present on Sunday.

“The greatest resource for young adult ministry is the
young adults themselves,” Slifkey said.

This kind of evangelization comes naturally to the young
adult Catholics that Carroll profiles in her book.

They are intensely involved with the church, eager to
share their faith, and hold their beliefs as central to
everything they do. And they are here in Pittsburgh.

Duriga is a member of the staff of the diocesan
Department for Communications.

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