Christ the King reaches out to young adults

Walk into any local Catholic church, whether in the heart of a bustling downtown or in the most remote areas and one might find empty pews and the majority of the congregation being seniors and Baby Boomers.

Churches of all denominations, not just Catholic, have seen a steep decline in attendance since the 1960s. Of people aged 18-35, 79% no longer claim themselves to be of any faith, according to Father Vincent Lampert, chief exorcist of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Christ the King Church and Catholic Center in Baton Rouge provides a unique glimpse of a thriving young population within the church, being a college parish. 

Parochial vicar Father Josh Johnson said prayer is the most important aspect of building the young community at Christ the King. Father Johnson said the staff individually prays every day and then communally weekly before the Blessed Sacrament.

“The fruit of our prayer is manifested in the ministries we do here,” Father Johnson said.

Through regular meetings to discern how to accompany students, Christ the King holds a variety of events such as small group Bible studies and praise and worship to bring vibrancy to the students’ faith. 

Father Johnson also said the staff at Christ the King addresses the struggles the young adult community faces and uses that to “empower other people to do their part.”

“We are very intentional about discerning what’s happening in our land,” Father Johnson said. 

LSU freshman Grace Hamblin said the most influential part of her faith in the church is the young community she found at Christ the King. Hamblin said there is no vibrant young community in her home church parish in Metairie so she understands why it’s hard for people to love their faith. They have no one their age to share that faith with.“There’s not a sense of youth there, which can be a turnoff,” Hamblin said. “It feels like I’m alone in this.” 

Hamblin said having young friends at Christ the King has revitalized her faith. Being able to walk the journey to eternity with other young people makes being a Catholic more alive and fruitful, she said.

“At home it feels like faith is a Sunday thing whereas (at Christ the King) it feels like an everyday thing,” Hamblin said.

Gabby Brabner, also a freshman at LSU, said it is indeed those virtuous friendships that helped her build her faith into what it is today. Brabner credits her experience at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette for fostering those virtuous friends.

“It gave me the community aspect of faith that we all need,” Brabner said. “It showed me how much more we should value virtuous friendships that are much more fruitful.”

Attending a Catholic school does not guarantee faithfulness, however. Brabner said the most important way to foster an attraction to the church is through one’s family life. 

“People aren’t disciples growing up,” Father Johnson said. “They know the rules of the church but they don’t have a relationship with Christ.” 

An LSU junior, who wished to remain anonymous, said that was his experience with the church growing up in Southern California. He said throughout his childhood his mother forced him to go through the motions and prayers the church designed, and he developed a distaste for Catholicism.

“Whenever I think of Catholicism or the church, I get a feeling of dread or annoyance,” the student said. “My mom kind of brainwashed me when I was a kid but now, I’m old enough to make my own choices.” 

This student is not the only person to experience that kind of raising in the faith. At an infant’s baptism, the parents vow to raise their child in the faith. A person’s faith is in danger when the parents end up imposing rules of the church and do not allow their child to develop a relationship with Christ, Father Johnson said.

“Rules without relationship leads to rebellion,” he said.

Father Johnson also said discipleship cannot be taught if the educator does not have a relationship with Christ. A person’s primary educator in the faith is his or her parents, followed by the teachers at school.

Father Kevin Dyer SJ, the newly appointed national chaplain for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) and long-time chaplain at Jesuit High School in New Orleans, said “the person of the teacher” is the most influential formator of a young man or woman.

“If the teacher has a heart for Christ, they’re able to impart that same excitement to their students,” Father Dyer said.

He also said students are always observant of other people’s lives and look for examples to follow, especially at school. Being around their teachers and classmates for 40 hours a week amplifies the importance of having Catholic educators who are true disciples of Christ.

“You simply have a missed opportunity when a teacher does not have a real heart for Christ,” Father Dyer said.

Some believe the church does not lose people by preaching the Gospel but by betraying it. Catholic leaders say the true mission of the church has remained the same in all of its 2000-year history, even through all the human errors, but the power of Christ’s message still transforms the world. 

LSU junior Navy Coggins experienced this transformation and decided to convert to the Catholic faith while at LSU. 

Coggins grew up Protestant but fell in love with two major aspects of the Catholic Church: the Eucharist and intercessory prayer (especially through the saints). He said he felt a new love for Christ and a powerful community through the mystical body of Christ. 

“After I learned about that and started diving into it, in short it was fulfilling something I was missing in Protestantism because it felt like I wasn’t doing enough,” Coggins said.

He was confirmed and received first Communion at the Easter vigil on the evening of Holy Saturday.

Coggins was able to grasp the true meaning and power behind the life Christ invites everyone to live, although not everyone has realized that and perhaps even reject Christ’s love.

Brabner said looking at the church from the outside will never reveal the full picture. She said outsiders can only scratch the surface of the true message of Christ.

“People don’t receive the fruits and don’t understand the sacraments and the graces we get from it,” Brabner said.