‘Why be a young Catholic in 2026?' ask Derry’s Columban Young Adults
Inaugural talk given by a member of Sr Clare Crockett’s order Servant Sisters of Home of the Mother
‘Why be a young Catholic in 2026? Taking Inspiration from Sr Clare’s Story’ is the compelling title of an event organised by a new group in the city and diocese.
Columban Young Adults was formed following the recent ‘An Lasair Chroí - The Light of Christ’ conference in Derry.
The group’s inaugural event, a talk aimed at young adults, will be given by a member of the Servant Sisters of Home of the Mother, the order to which Sr Clare Crockett belonged.
It will take place at 7.30pm, on Thursday, April 30, in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Steelstown and will be followed by Benediction, and light refreshments.
Speaking to The Derry News, co-organiser James Tourish said Columban Young Adults grew out of a feeling among many young adults in their late teens and early twenties there needed to be a forum for people who had Catholic faith and “wanted to be among like-minded people”.
Talk aimed at young adults, will be given by a member of the Servant Sisters of Home of the Mother, the order to which Sr Clare Crockett belonged.
“It is for young people who want to practice their faith together and build a community so they can feel there is a sense of belonging in the city, there is something here which caters for their pastoral needs.
“We are kick-starting Columban Young Adults with ‘Why be a young Catholic in 2026?’. We recognise not everyone with an interest in their faith might belong to a group or practice their faith with other people.Maybe they go to Mass or maybe they have their own quiet faith in prayer but we wanted to provide a space and a community for those people to come together and to talk about things that matter to them.
“We want to create a space where young adults will have a sense of belonging to a community, where what they feel and what they believe is recognised in a way that is legitimate and really that is constructive,” said James.
The Queen’s University, Belfast, student described Columban Young Adults as a place where discussions could take place about why people should care about faith and religion in the Twenty First Century.
“Why should we care about the deep questions?” said James. “It really is an open conversation in many regards.
“Broadly, our talk on Thursday evening (April 30) will focus on the life of Sr Clare, while in a more general sense asking, ‘Why actually practice the faith?’ he added.
“Our hope is really that we attract people who might not even go to Mass, people who don’t necessarily have a strong belief but there is something there within them.
“Maybe they are asking themselves or thinking about life’s deeper questions, now they have got to that time in their lives. Maybe there are things which are becoming more pertinent to them as they grow up and develop as people.
“Maybe they are pondering whether there might be something more to all of this we all have going on around us?
“Columban Young Adults is the group in which to bring that to the forefront. To really say. ‘This is a space for young adults in Derry, indeed across the board to come and to join in with other people of a like-minded age and like-minded character and to engage with something that is really quite important,” said James.
James’ hope for Columban Young Adults is that it provide young people with “a sense of belonging, a sense of community, and a sense of purpose”
“We live in a world where there are many people without a sense of purpose. They don’t really know why they are here. And that is so unfortunate,” he added.
“Many young people are asking themselves, ‘‘Why am I here?’ What is the bigger purpose in all of this?’
“Myself and others believe there is something more to life than just what we can see and what we feel. There is something, a greater purpose and a way of life that orientates us towards something much higher than ourselves.
“I think that is the greatest way of living - where we are not at the centre but something else is, something much greater than ourselves. Fundamentally, how we live that life is by helping others and loving others.
“I think the story of Sr Clare illustrates this completely. She was a woman of service, someone who dedicated her life to serving the poor, serving the disadvantaged. She died in Ecuador helping young kids being educated in a school. That is really what the Christian life is about. It is about helping others. It is fundamentally about love. And if we can spread that message, especially to young people who are now developing and finding their feet in this world, that’s something we want to be a part of,” smiled James.
Extending a warm invitation to all young people, James said: “If someone hasn’t stepped into a church in five years, or hasn’t gone to Mass in a very long time, maybe they haven’t ever been in a Church in their lives at all, they are totally welcome on Thursday night.
“We are not looking for saints and we are not looking for super duper Catholics to come along. What we are looking for are people who are open to asking bigger questions and to people who do feel there is more to life than what they have already experienced before.
“We really want to do that in a way that is fluid, that’s organic, in a way we can fundamentally do it together, as a group, as young adults who have likeminded ideas and such and probably the same experiences.”
For more information on Columban Young Adults, Contact: [email protected]