Keeping the Faith as an "In-Betweener"

It is challenging being an “in-betweener” Catholic.  I don’t really fit with the “young adult” crowd anymore, and I don’t fit with the more mature crowd yet.  Luckily, Catholic Utah, co-founded last year by some of our parishioners right here at St. Ambrose, exists to help meet the needs of “in-between” Catholics like me.

It seems most of the people I went to school with at Judge Memorial have fallen away from the Catholic faith (if they were very faithful to begin with), and I feel like this is a phenomenon that affects most youth and young adults.  It can be hard to ignore the impulse to rebel against authority, in this case, one’s parents and their lifestyles.  But every once in awhile I get a boost of hope for my generation when I see a familiar name cross my desk as a parent or godparent at a baptism, or as a sponsor for Confirmation.  I grew up in the parish, and it is definitely interesting to be working here now, to see the many ways in which it has changed and evolved, and the comforting ways in which it has stayed the same.

It is definitely a challenge being Catholic in Utah, but I don’t know that it is any more or less of a challenge than it would be anywhere else in the United States.  Yes, our LDS neighbors heavily influence the predominant culture here, but secularism is becoming a huge factor in society these days on a global scale.  That affects all of us, regardless of our faith or lack thereof.

It is crucial that we continue to find ways to hold on to our faith and recognize the importance and the value of passing it on to others.

How do you keep your faith alive and strong?  How do you pass it on to your children and/or those around you who are seeking a relationship with God?