Getting into the ‘Spiritus’ of young adult ministry

The newest workshop from the Office of Catholic Youth is delving into Scripture, aiming to help young adults answer one of life’s great questions: “Who am I?”

The workshop “(Re)discovering Who We Are: God’s Answer to the Question of Identity” took place March 13 at St. Thomas More Parish in Scarborough and explored the speculative side of personal identity through the Catholic lens. 

Spiritus East put on the event. It’s one of the Archdiocese of Toronto’s Catholic Young Adult Office’s Regional Communities that is responsible for workshops throughout the eastern region of Toronto.  

Since the start of this ministry year, Spiritus East has been focusing on tackling different themes for each month’s young adult workshop. February unpacked the mystery of the Eucharist, with each region discussing different elements such as adoration and bestowed graces. This month, identity is the core theme. 

“The theme for March is ‘Who We Are’ and the East will be having an event on the theology of the body that focuses on our identity as beloved sons and daughters of Christ. The West will focus on our baptismal identity as priest, prophet and king,” said Samantha Goh, OCY’s eastern region young adult minister. “Content-wise, our ministry nights could have anything from casual talks, theology, catechesis, social issues, prayer and outreach.”

While self-identity and purpose can be a tricky topic to traverse no matter the age, Goh and the OCY team were deliberate in presenting the workshop through the young adult’s ministry, as discovering who you are is a common revelation for the demographic. 

Goh recalls speaking to a friend who does not come from a religious or spiritual background and asking her, “What is the point of our existence?” After not being able to give a concrete answer, she realized that this question is one that many young adults face during those formative years of their lives. 

“The first 18 years of our lives, we were formed by our parents, by our peers, by our family of origin. All of a sudden you’re thrown into the world and you get exposed to all these things that were hidden from you,” she said.

After moving to Canada and attending post-secondary, Goh recalled similar feelings to her friend.

“I went to a very secular art school and at that time my identity as a beloved child of God was not at the forefront of my vision. Through the grace of God, He came knocking and the Holy Spirit hit me in the face… I think a lot of young people go through this sort of thing.” 

At this month’s event, Fr. Kevin Belgrave touched on God’s Revelation as explored by Pope St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.

“Young adults, we’re in this weird stage and age in our lives where everyone’s going through very different things. You could get a 27-year-old who’s a mom of two, someone still studying for their second degree or someone discerning religious life. This is one of the reasons why regional young adult ministry exists, so we can support the parishes in the region who in turn support their young adult parishioners.” 

For information, visit ocytoronto.org/events.