Ask Mandy: How can I feel more spiritually connected to people my own age?

Mar 27

Mar 27 Ask Mandy: How can I feel more spiritually connected to people my own age?

“How can I feel more spiritually/religiously connected to people my own age? My church has no youth activities and mission trips are kind of not happening because of COVID . . .

Sincerely,

Lost and Seeking Connection”

Hi, Lost:

This is such a great question. Regardless of how you identify religiously, you can easily form connections with anyone with a more holistic approach to spirituality.

My best advice would be to reach out to your friends and start a conversation. Some of them may have church homes where their youth activities have not been put on pause, and others may take the time to have a conversation about religion or spirituality that may fulfill your need for connection.

Sometimes, that kind of conversation is all you need. I have had some of the best conversations with my friends and acquaintances about spirituality, the meaning of life, questions about fate, the presence of God (whatever that looks like to each different person) and trends in organized religion.

With these questions and conversations, you may be able to find that you feel more spiritually connected to people your age. You may even find out more about yourself and your own spiritually by asking difficult questions and having challenging conversations.

Because I recognize that I am not an expert on this topic-- I grew up in a Christian household but have since drifted away from organized religion and identified myself as more spiritual than anything -- I spoke with Sister Sharon Howell, CSJ, director of the Center for Spirituality and Social Justice (CSSJ) at St. Catherine University.

Sister Sharon’s first suggestion was to check out the CSSJ webpage on St. Kate’s website for more ways to get involved on campus and in the CSSJ. Going further, CSSJ is often hiring for help with events and Mass, if that is something you would be interested in.

Though Sister Sharon is a Catholic Sister and St. Kate’s was founded on Catholic values, Howell stressed that students should feel welcome to talk to CSSJ staff members regardless of their religious or faith background. “We tend to work with students as they choose to present themselves,” she said. “We enjoy meeting students to learn what they are interested in.”

Because your church is not offering youth activities or mission trips at this time, Sister Sharon mentioned that staff at the CSSJ are also helpful when it comes to finding different religious communities. “We generally like to talk to students about the church they’d like to attend, hopefully sending them into a community of welcome,” she said.

Sister Sharon also focused some of her attention on the St. Kate’s student organization Cru, which, according to the club’s information is “a community of believers on the campus,” that establishes, “personal relationships with others by helping them connect faith with life through Christian fellowship.” A number of students are involved with this organization. If you identify as Christian, this may be a good place to start!

Finally, Sister Sharon had another piece of advice: Come and talk to a CSSJ staff member. “Listening is the first resource for us,” she stated. “You can always contact any of our staff team. ‘Walk-bys’ are welcome [and] we can set up a chance to talk from there.”

Sister Sharon is always happy to be of service for students exploring their spirituality and looking to become more involved with others with like-minded spiritual and/or religious beliefs. Feel free to drop by the CSSJ office behind the chapel just to say hello or email her at smhowell502@stkate.edu with more questions.