Young adults gather for fellowship, chance to talk theology

By KARA KOCZUR, Globe staff reporter

A new plan was needed as space began to dwindle April 20 in the party room at El Fredo's Pizza in Sioux City.

As people kept filing in for the inaugural Theology on Tap, Jessica La Fleur, director of youth and young adult ministry, changed locations and moved people to the front room of the restaurant.

"It was a wonderful 'problem' to have to move into a larger space because of large numbers," said La Fleur, whose office sponsors Theology on Tap.

About 60 young adults gathered around tables and in booths to listen to Bishop R. Walker Nickless speak at 7 p.m. on the topic of "Meeting Christ in the Church."

"[We] . . . want to bridge the gap and make the church available in a 'user-friendly' way," said the bishop, as he explained one of the reasons for starting Theology on Tap. Everyone laughed as he added, "I can't think of anything more user - friendly than a place to get pizza and beer."

Theology on Tap is a young adult ministry program that originated in Chicago. It is an international program for young adults, 18 to 40, single or married, and takes place at bars and restaurants. Each Theology on Tap session has a theology topic and a speaker, as well as a question and answer period, followed by time for fellowship.

As the young adults satisfied their bodies with pizza, Bishop Nickless said he hoped the evening would also nourish their souls.

"The church is really the place where we begin to understand God's love for us," Bishop Nickless told the crowd over the din of forks and plates clattering as they were being washed.

Now and then the bishop was also interrupted by the announcement over the intercom of completed pizza orders, which he jokingly compared to babies crying during Mass.

"What the church is trying to do is continue in a very simple way the work of Jesus Christ in the world today," Bishop Nickless said.

It is through the sacraments, he said, that the church carries out the work of Christ.

"The seven sacraments that we have in the church are seven prime ways Jesus acted when he was alive," he said.

Some examples Bishop Nickless gave were that Jesus healed the sick, from which the church has the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick; Jesus forgave sinners - Sacrament of Penance; Jesus was at the Wedding at Cana - Sacrament of Marriage; Jesus was baptized - Sacrament of Baptism.

However, it isn't enough to follow the commandments, attend Mass on Sundays, and not stray from church teaching, Bishop Nickless said. Doing these things make no sense if Catholics don't also have a relationship with Jesus.

"It really has to be because we love this person called Jesus, [who is] the way, the truth and the life," Bishop Nickless continued. "That's what the church is all about."

To have that relationship with Jesus, people must spend time with him in prayer, the bishop added.

"If you want to learn something about a friend, what do you do? You spend time with them," Bishop Nickless said. "You've got to spend time with the Lord in prayer."

Anthony Montag drove from West Bend with his two sisters just to be with other young Catholics and to hear the bishop speak.

"I was very impressed," Montag, 27, said of the evening. "I really liked the Q & A segment. [T]he questions on confession and the Eucharist. . .were very good to recap and learn more [about]."

For half an hour the bishop answered questions about confession, Mass, the early church, scrupulosity, saints, adoration and more. A number of young adults wanted to know how to address questions that friends, classmates and co - workers ask them about their faith, as well as how to encourage non-practicing Catholics to be more active in their faith.

Having her questions answered so that she is able to defend the Catholic Church is something that Rebecca Hartmann, a sophomore at Briar Cliff who became Catholic this past Easter, said the evening helped accomplish.

"Becoming Catholic, a lot of my friends who are anti-Catholic have a lot of questions for me," said Hartmann, 19. "[Bishop Nickless] answered questions about stuff. . .like the Eucharist. I struggle with that."

For Josh Wilkerson, a senior at Morningside College and parishioner at Immaculate Conception in Sioux City, the opportunity to have questions answered was essential for this age group.

"A lot of times there are so many questions out there that we don't know the answers to, and the way people react is 'Well, I'm just not going to go and I'm just not going to deal with it,'" said Wilkerson, 23. "So these types of question and answer sessions are just phenomenal."

The evening was more than Wilkerson expected. He agreed with the bishop's comment earlier in the evening that young adult Catholics often feel lost in the church.

"I think what we need is acceptance and. . . guidance," Wilkerson said. "Acceptance is feeling a part of the church, a part of a parish."

Feeling a part of a parish comes from being asked to do things like join the choir and become a member of the Knights of Columbus, he added.

Theology on Tap is a "very needed" ministry, he said. One of the unfortunate effects Wilkerson said he has noticed from the priestly sex abuse scandal is that some priests have taken a step back and aren't as active with the youth and young adults as before. However, young adults are looking for the opposite.

"We're lashing out because we're like 'Where did this go? I don't have this outlet,'" he said. "And that's what we need."

Graduating in May, Wilkerson said he hopes to still be around to attend the next Theology on Tap, set for May 18. If so, he plans to bring friends with him.

La Fleur, who tried not to get her hopes too high about numbers, left everything to the Holy Spirit and was pleased with the turn out. Several non-Catholics attended the evening as well, which she said was fantastic.

"Everyone I talked to was very excited about the conversation," said La Fleur, who is finalizing the speaker and place of the next Theology on Tap. "The young adults were clearly looking for an opportunity to talk about their Catholic faith."