The pandemic helped many Catholic young adults realize how important Christ and their faith are to them.
Studies show that up to 50 percent of Catholics 30 years old and younger have left the Church. These 15 profiles paint a picture of some young adults who are choosing to stay close to the Church in their careers and as volunteers in school, campus and parish ministries.
Church leaders around the state nominated young adults in the Diocese of Little Rock who are an inspiration to people in the pews. We interviewed some millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) and some from Generation Z (born 1997 and later), asking them to share their faith journey. They work in schools, parishes and ministries full time, part time or as volunteers. Most are single, but some are engaged or married with children. For these profiles, we selected Catholics born from 1991 to 2003, now 18 to 30 years old.
Aprille Hanson Spivey, Dwain Hebda, Alesia Schaefer, Cole Blagg and Maryanne Meyerriecks contributed to profiles in this section.
*Editor's note: Articles will continue to be added to this section through Sept. 10.
