By Rose Brennan
BRIDGEPORT—There are countless things constantly competing for the attention of people in their 20s and 30s: work, family, relationships, friendships and more. But once a month, young adults in the Bridgeport area are hoping to set aside some time for something else: their faith.
And now they can do so more easily than ever with the arrival of a monthly young adult Mass, the first of which was held Wednesday, July 19 at St. Margaret Shrine in Bridgeport.
The event draws off the success of a similar monthly young adult Mass in Stamford, offered on the second Wednesday of each month. Those Masses have enjoyed great success for young adult Catholics living and working in the greater Stamford area, but for those living in the eastern confines of the diocese, they might be a bit too far of a trek to make to spend time with fellow young adults.
But now, monthly young adult Masses are being offered for the greater Bridgeport and Fairfield area at St. Margaret Shrine on the third Wednesday of the month, so young adults who live there can gather in faith and fellowship a little closer to home. But even so, the Mass drew in people from many different places, said Steven Velardo, chair of the Diocesan Young Adult Council and one of the Mass coordinators.
“It was great to have an opportunity for young adults from across this region to come together to worship in Mass and have fellowship,” he said. “We had people come from local communities—Bridgeport, Shelton, Stratford and Fairfield—and from as far away as New Canaan and even Hartford.”
Velardo said holding events like a monthly young adult Mass helps encourage them to live out an life authentic to the Catholic faith. And laying the groundwork for their communities to thrive now can help start a revival of parish life further down the line.
“Our mission is to help Catholic men and women grow stronger in their faith and closer to God,” Velardo said. “Young adults are the future of the church, and when we invest in young adult community, we invest in stronger and more vibrant parishes.”
One of the readings at the first Greater Bridgeport Young Adult Mass recounted the story of Moses and the burning bush. And to Father Peter Lenox, rector of St. Margaret Shrine and the Mass’ principal celebrant, this story was especially appropriate at the onset of an endeavor like a monthly young adult Mass.
“The burning bush itself speaks of God’s own love, of who he is. His love is so great that while it seems to be that which will consume, it is in fact him,” Father Lenox said. “Jesus Christ himself would come to save us definitively with his own passion and death on the cross—in which we see the love of God incarnate, in which we see burning love as in the burning bush that comes forth in Jesus himself.”
Father Lenox then invited the young adults gathered for Mass to experience God and his love in the “oasis of prayer” of St. Margaret Shrine, just as Moses did at the burning bush.
“We wish to know him and love him and recognize him more deeply in our lives in the midst of a society (where) that’s challenging,” Father Lenox said. “It is that very ardent love of God that calls us to himself, even here, by means of something that is still quite difficult to explain, more so than the burning bush. And that is the sacramental presence of Christ.”
Following Mass, a social was held in St. Margaret Shrine’s community room. There, the young adults were able to connect with each other over pizza and dessert. Forging connections through faith and friendship is especially for people in their 20s and 30s, according to Velardo.
“Community is so important to our faith, and young adults can often feel alone, as they’re sometimes the only ones of their generation they know who are attending Mass,” Velardo said. “As a young adult, to be able to look around and see a church full of their peers is incredibly powerful.”
The Greater Bridgeport Young Adult Mass is celebrated every third Wednesday of the month at St. Margaret Shrine at 7 pm. For more information and regular updates on young adult ministries and events in the Diocese of Bridgeport, visit www.catholic203.com.
