A group of young adult millennials who came together for an event in Philadelphia called “Theology on Tap” revealed what is keeping them connected to the church.
Jillian Buhl leads the St. John the Baptist Parish’s Theology on Tap program in Philadelphia which is a casual fellowship environment that comes together to discuss faith, eat Sunday dinner and meet with one another.
For Buhl it is important to focus more on the future of the church instead of dwell on all of the countless scandals that have taken place in the Catholic church.
“I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but we’ve been through this,” she said in a CatholicPhilly.com report. “Starting today, this is the church we want to be part of.”
Steven Gosselin is a recent college graduate who believes that there are still many good priests in the church.
“I’ve definitely thought a lot about this. My understanding is that in times of deep crisis it is the laity that is going to effect change,” he said. “I still believe the majority of priests are good and holy men.”
Elizabeth Ciccocioppo also attends the Theology on Tap program. She explained how much being active in church has changed her life.
“I go to Mass to worship God and to receive him in the Eucharist. It’s good to be around people as well, but I go to Mass (primarily) to receive the sacrament,” she said. “The strength that I don’t have myself, I get there, and I don’t get it anywhere else.”
For recent college graduate Megan Kacenski, loyalty to her faith is important. If she left, Kacenski said she would be, “putting faith in people, not in God. I try not to do that.”