Twenty-somethings

The Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies and the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture are having a conference on Twenty-Somethings and the Church:

Twenty-somethings raised as Catholics are swelling the ranks of the religiously unaffiliated. Even those who continue to identify as Catholic are regularly absent from the pews and are likely to judge faith less important in their lives than did their parents and grandparents. Yet many twenty-somethings hold traditional beliefs about God, prayer, and life after death; many express spiritual yearnings and the desire to serve.

This two-day conference will examine the lives of young adults and their relationship to the Catholic Church—or the lack thereof. From sexuality to spirituality to service, the conference will present the data, and explore the issues, obstacles and opportunities that mark the fraught relationship between twenty-somethings and the church in today’s cultural, economic, and religious contexts.

The speakers include leading experts and practitioners: James Davidson, Robert Putnam, Melissa Cidade, David Campbell, Carmen Cervantes, Donna Freitas, Colleen Carroll Campbell, Tom Beaudoin, Rachel Bundang, Bill McGarvey, Marilyn Santos, Tami Schmitz, James Martin, Robert Beloin; and twenty-somethings themselves.

The conference, which is free and open to the public, will be January 28-29 at Fordham’s Lincoln Center Campus, 113 West 60th Street in New York. More information, and on-line registration, is available here.

Saturday's shooting

Pax Christ is a Catholic peace group that was founded on the reconciliation of French and German Catholics following two world wars in which they had slaughtered each other by the millions. They have issued the following statement ion the wake of Saturday’s shooting in Tucson:

Respect for our shared humanity is at the heart of our proclamation of the power of nonviolence to transform enemies into friends. We believe in a God who calls us to respect all life, to care for all of our sisters and brothers, and to work for a world that reflects the message God’s son shared with us—a message of compassion, love, forgiveness, and peace with justice. Today, we pray for Rep. Giffords’ recovery, for the healing of those wounded in this tragic act, and for the consolation of the family and friends of the six who were killed—including a 9 year-old girl. And we pray too that this tragedy brings about a new era of civil and respectful dialogue in our national political conversation, where we recognize and honor the conscience and freedom of our opponents, and where our highest ideals—rather than our basest fears—govern how we speak to one another and how we portray each other.

To which we say, "Amen." The rest of the statement is here.

Muslims shield Christian churches

Over at The Deacon’s Bench, we found this story about religious solidarity:

Egypt’s majority Muslim population stuck to its word Thursday night. What had a been a promise of solidarity to the weary Coptic community, was honoured, when thousands of Muslims showed up at Coptic Christmas eve mass services in churches around the country and at candle light vigils held outside.

This is a story worth the read.