McGrath Institute Blog

Throughout my 20s and into my early 30s there have been some “defining moments” that have made me feel like I’m slowly but surely reaching adulthood. Getting my car’s oil changed, purchasing and cooking a Thanksgiving turkey, and planting tulip bulbs and various other flowers in my yard are just a few of those moments. Registering at my parish is another.

Choosing a parish can be tricky. A few years ago, our parish experienced a few clergy transitions, which, as you might imagine, affected the “feel” of the parish. When that happened, my husband and I had to decide whether to stick it out and reinvest in our current parish or to take a look at some other parishes in our area closer to our home. Like many new college graduates and transitioning young adults, we found ourselves in the process of choosing a parish. 

A blog post yesterday looked at media-related insights in Pope Francis’ recently issued Christus Vivit, his Apostolic Exhortation on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.

You’ll find below a second batch of quotations from the March 25, 2019, document. They acknowledge but transcend digital-world challenges, focusing on robust community life in general. The pope wrote largely about young people called to be missionary disciples—evangelizing even as they navigate the distorted culture of social media. They can’t heal a polarized society alone.

Pope Francis has once again expressed a set of prayer-provoking insights about our use of contemporary media and Catholic stewardship of the “Good News” amid a changing information culture that distorts human community.