Young adults gather for celebration at Newman Center

By Fatima Hummel

COLORADO SPRINGS. On Dec. 5, the diocesan Young Adult Ministry (YAM) and diocesan campus ministry partnered to kick off the Christ the King Global Annual Celebration of  Young Adults. We gathered for Mass at the Newman Center with Bishop James Golka, who beautifully explained the meaning of Advent. He encouraged us to approach the sacrament of reconciliation as a place of God’s merciful love.

Then we celebrated with dinner and heard a talk by Evan Schmittgen, one of the YAM leaders, on the topic of rejoicing in hope. Evan described how he came to know the faith and grew into a deeper relationship with God. He shared about how we should look at joy and see it in relation to God. This can be done by recognizing our joys and reflecting on how God has already blessed us in our lives, especially within our vocations.

On the topic of hope, he explained how “hope is the belief that some difficult future good will come about.” As human beings, we want to bring about these future goods by ourselves, but we need to recognize our inner poverty and acknowledge that we cannot do anything without the Lord.

The overall takeaways from his message were to entrust ourselves to God every day, to rejoice in our weakness, and to reflect on the blessings God has given us.

This message really resonated with me and has been reflected in my own experiences. As a young adult, it can be exciting yet intimidating to start over in a new place. There is uncertainty that comes with entering a new stage in life and making potentially life-altering decisions. We need to remember that God wants to be a part of every decision. He knows our longings and deepest desires, and we need to trust that he will fulfill them as long as they are aligned with his will.

We also desire to belong, and community is what we look for to fulfill that longing. After moving to Colorado, finding community was a priority for me. I was in a completely different state and stage of life, and I knew that I wanted to be surrounded by a strong Catholic community. Being involved with YAM has helped my husband and me find a deep sense of community, leadership, and strength. God provided, and I found deep trust in knowing that he would not leave us alone.

This year, I entered the vocation of marriage with my husband, and it has been an opportunity to encounter Christ even more deeply and intimately. I have reflected on the joys, struggles, and blessings in my marriage, and I can affirm that it all comes back to how my marriage is centered in Christ. We are so tempted to give ourselves credit for our accomplishments, but everything has been possible through Christ, and he deserves the real credit. If I didn’t recognize the Lord’s role in my vocation, I don’t think I would strive to be the wife I desire to be. I am glad to acknowledge my own poverty because it reminds me that the Lord is willing to enter into it to make me richer in his sacramental grace for my vocation.

If you are a young adult who is reading this and has not yet found that sense of community, I invite you to join us. Through Young Adult Ministry, there are several ways to encounter a greater relationship with Christ and everyone involved. We offer events that are focused on formation, sacraments, sports, vocational discernment, and more.

I have had the chance to become part of the leadership team, women’s bible study, and music ministry. I’ve met wonderful people on fire for their faith who strive to love God through service and their time.

I invite you to start by attending one of our events. A calendar of events is posted each month at https://www.diocs.org/Ministries/Young-Adult-Ministry-Late-Teens-20s-and-30s.

(Fatima Hummel is promotions leader for the Diocese of Colorado Springs’ Young Adult Ministry.)