Gatherings help faith flourish among young people in East Central Deanery

Faith flourishes for Catholic youth when they can come into an environment where they are supported, spurred on to “go deeper” spiritually and meet youth who have the same, or maybe even very different experiences, yet have a common love of the Catholic faith. 

The youth groups in the East Central Deanery of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, have been collaborating to do this during events that have caught on with the young people in that area. 

When Brady Munn became youth formation coordinator at St. John the Evangelist Church in Prairieville a couple of years ago he saw initial efforts had been made to bring the youth of the East Central Deanery together for events focused on praise, worship and evangelization. This fueled his desire to help make this a reality.

“One of the most beautiful things about the Catholic Church is that it is universal. The best way to share that unity is to bring the youth of our parishes together to experience it,” said Munn. 

He noted that Michael Parker, deacon candidate intern and youth minister at Holy Rosary Church in St. Amant, had already jump-started efforts and the two have since worked together.

Munn and Parker said those involved in organizing the events, which rotate among the parishes in the deanery, are intentional about its format.

“The goal is to make sure that each event has a specific theme that is practical and relatable to their age group,” said Parker. “The talks that are given are set to bring about a connection to those in attendance and show that it culminates with a relationship with Jesus.

“By ending the night with adoration and reconciliation and praise and worship it gives us the opportunity to not only share our faith but to express our love of Catholicism and the environment.”

Deacon Mark Reynaud, director of religious education at St. Mark Church in Gonzales and who also helps organize the events, noted one benefit is supporting youth who may have limited involvement with peers who share their faith.

“(At St. Mark) there’s only a few of the youth that go to Catholic high schools; they go to public schools. These youth are not necessarily supported in their faith,” said Deacon Reynaud.   

He said the collaborative approach is geared toward the development of their faith life as well as knowledge of the faith.

“Even though you are a cradle Catholic and you were catechized, you may not adopt the faith as your own,” said Deacon Reynaud. “It’s better to come from more than just catechizing and what the church teaches, but it’s an invitation and people saying ‘This is what it means to me, and you won’t regret it.’ ”

Elijah Kehn, a parishioner at St. Mark Church in Gonzales, said the events have taught him the importance of keeping his faith at the center of everything he does.

He attended a combined live and virtual pro-life event in January at St. John. He has not been on the actual diocesan-wide trip to Washington, D.C. for March for Life each January but it has increased his desire to do so in 2022.

“It’s given me a new perspective on how to talk to people and how to invite people into conversation,” said Kehn, who is considering becoming a teacher and possibly a priest.

For Nora Klibert, who attends Holy Rosary Church, the Holy Spirit moved her as the youth of various backgrounds shared their own life experiences and how their faith impacted the way they live.

“It’s really good to meet people and learn how they express their faith,” said Klibert, who plans to attend LSU and become actively involved at Christ the King Church and Catholic Center. “When you have people who go to adoration or go to Bible studies and things, you find  there’s a lot of things you can do as a high schooler.”