Stella Choi is from St. Jeong-Hae Elizabeth Korean Catholic Community in Sacramento. She is a teacher and involved in young adult ministry.
Being Catholic has really kept me grounded. It has helped to know who I am and why I am here.
I grew up in my parish and worked in youth ministry. I came back after my undergraduate studies at UC Davis and a master’s program at UCLA. I was asked to start a young adult ministry.
There’s a lot going on with young adults. Among them there is a need to appear OK or to appear that things are going well on the surface. We see that in social media. But when you get to know them, they open up and share. It’s also part of society today – to appear a certain way – and this puts a lot of stress, pressure and anxiety on young adults in general.
I see them putting a lot of distance between themselves and the church and not necessarily because they don’t believe. Most of it seems to be because there are just so many distractions these days; not just technology, social media and the Internet, but the pressure of trying to be something and find your identity.
In looking for who you really are, sometimes a lot of young adults are looking in the wrong places. They’re looking for satisfaction and identity in other places rather than in God. I’m not sure if that’s a generational thing, or just part of life’s journey, but I see people just searching.
Those who attend our young adult meetings do it partly for the social aspect. They’re still trying to discover things, and they want to talk, build community and build friendships. They have a desire for connection, which leads to a desire to connect with God and faith.
Our Masses are in Korean and, for my generation and younger, its starting to be a blur. A lot of us don’t speak Korean very well or communicate on that level. So I feel there is a lot of potential in the young adult ministry to help them to lean on and find comfort in each other. I think that is what everyone is looking for.
There is conflict between tradition and how things are changing now. I know as a Korean American, we are very much rooted in tradition and cultural values. Some accept that better than others. There must be communication and dialogue. I try to open that up at meetings because I don’t think there has to be conflict. But if you ignore it, then that’s a problem.
Having a voice can be a challenge. And sometimes the church doesn’t speak to the topics that are on the minds of young adults. It really should try to understand what’s on our minds. It’s not just about traditions. It’s about community. It’s hard to make this faith journey alone.
How easy it may be to defer to labels and blanket definitions to understand people. The complexity of the human mind warrants a summed-up assessment of generational groupings, doesn’t it? Not so fast. Danger lurks in this approach for the simple fact, that it may prompt a dismissing attitude at the least, and close-minded denial at worst.
Catholic Herald magazine talked with “millennials” -- young adults born between 1980 and 2000 – about their Catholic faith. The Pew Research Center goes further and refers to “younger” and “older” millennials. Birth year aside, all represent the promise of the Catholic Church, deserving of time, attention and intentional listening. Here they share what’s on their minds; candidly, wistfully and bluntly. Cradle Catholics and converts, their faith stories, experiences and longings paint a vivid picture of the body of Christ – emerging adults in love with their faith, in love with Christ and each on an authentic journey to heaven.
Catholic Herald Issue