Description: This program has a two-fold purpose: It gathers young adults to explore life and faith themes presented in the books they are reading and it connects young adults to the larger parish by inviting parishioners to donate books for them to read (and later discuss them together).
Get Ready
- Prep Time: Approximately two hours per week are needed to read the selections, prepare questions and reflections, and set up the space.
- Volunteers Needed: Each book group should have two facilitators, so there is a backup if someone has to miss.
- Ideal Group Size: 5-15. If there’s more than 15, divide into smaller groups.
- Who is this for? Because books explore different topics, this is a great program for any young adult.
- Supplies: Books! (Check out the “Make it Happen” section to see how to get books donated.) You’ll also need discussion questions, snacks/beverages.
- Reserve the Space: Meeting in someone’s home makes this a cozy experience, but this program can also be held in a parish center or coffee shop.
- Publicize the Program:
- Invite 5-15 young adults to be a part of a spiritual or theological book club and assure them that the book will be loaned to them. (Tiny obstacles like spending $15 on a book can be all it takes to turn off a college-debt-ridden young adult from participating.)
- Put it in the bulletin or Mass announcements.
- Share WHY the title was chosen (famous author, saint, part of history, whatever).
- Put an advertisement in the library, local bookstore, and local coffee shops about your Catholic Young Adult Book Club — make sure you point out an age range and let folks know that this is starting NEW! This makes it more inviting and less intimidating for new young adults.
Prayer for Program Planner: Lord God, we thank you for the opportunity to gather and nurture the faith of young adults … thank you for the wisdom of the author … please send the Holy Spirit to enliven our discussion and encourage our faith. We ask all these things through Jesus Christ. Amen!
Community Building: This program builds community among young adults and the larger parish community:
- There is a particular pleasure in giving a tangible gift — and this is a gift that even someone on a limited fixed income can usually share.
- We found that many of our retired parishioners enjoyed this program — they liked reading something deemed “relevant to young people.”
- Leaving the note or prayer in the book is critical — it builds bridges between parish community members and young adults. Also, by giving young adults an individual to thank and pray for, it creates a personal connection between giving and receiving. This personal connection teaches young adults about gratitude. It is easy to ignore the budget money spent on a set of books — but hard to ignore a note written by a parishioner who actually gave the book. This is a part of teaching stewardship without being obvious.
- It also builds community among the young adults gathered. Shared petitions help the group bond. As individuals pray for a pregnant cousin, an upcoming job interview, or a sick grandma, they see one another more intimately. It also offers fodder for discussion before or after: “Job interview? Where are you applying?” or “My grandpa had cancer too. I know that this must be really tough on your family.” The prayer is important, but the growth in compassion is an added grace. This can be critical in forming a new young adult group.
Make It Happen
Part 1: Get the books (Summer)
- Choose a great book that could be used for parish book clubs for years to come, but is particularly interesting to young adults. (See “Recommends” section for suggestions or ask someone at a local bookstore for ideas.)
- Put a notice in your bulletin inviting any parishioner to buy the book and read it over the summer. (These parishioners may also be organized into discussion groups, as they choose.)
- Ask the parishioners to write a little note in the binding of the book (a prayer for young adults or a piece of advice or favorite part of the book) then donate the book at the end of the summer.
Part 2: Plan the book club
- Recruit young adults (See ideas in “Get Ready” section above)
- Meet at the same place — reserve a room at the parish or other convenient location. Food always helps.
- If you are recruiting volunteers to lead the group, pick two so that if someone misses, there is backup.
- Read and discuss!
- Only review about 20 pages of material a week. Young adults are busy. If you start small, and they are excited to move faster, you can always pick up the pace! Just don’t intimidate busy young adults from the start.
- The group can be run like any other book club, but “Catholic it up” so that it resembles a faith sharing group as well.
- Start with prayer, perhaps even lighting a candle. I often give thanks for the time together, for the wisdom of the author, and invite the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us in new ways.
- Spend 5-10 minutes presenting on a catechetical topic relevant to the chapter or book theme. For example, for C.S. Lewis’ Perelandra, read the Genesis story of the Creation and Fall of Humanity. For the beginning of A Canticle for Leibowitz, explain what religious novitiate entailed. For Martin’s My Life with the Saints, invite young adults to share the identity of their Confirmation saint and why they chose that person.
- Invite general thoughts on the chapter but have some questions or points of interest ready if folks are not talkative. Ask for questions or spiritual reflections. Invite members to share how the chapter inspires them to actively change or look at something in a new way for the next week.
- Close with petitions and a traditional prayer (Our Father or Hail Mary). Always pray for the book donors.
Part 3: Feedback to Parish
- Share in the bulletin or other parish news how the group is going and perhaps share some of their feedback on the book. This grows future interest from other young adults and shows gratitude for the donations.
- Try to start the groups entirely from scratch between books. If the same group keeps meeting together, it can get cliquey and turn off potential new young adults.
- Hold a potluck dinner that invites parishioners who bought, read, and donated the book to meet the young adults and discuss their thoughts about the book in a cross-generational manner.
Idea
- If you read a book about a saint, location or time period, watching a movie afterward could be a fun social activity!
Recommends: Authors and books
Rudolfo Anaya
- Bless Me, Ultima (coming of age novel, emphasis on multiculturalism)
Nathan Castle, O.P.
- And Toto Too: The Wizard of Oz as a Spiritual Adventure (good for transitioning through struggles, good for engaging the “spiritual but not religious,” crowd, a fun child-at-heart text, with the bonus option of watching the movie!)
Shusako Endo
- Deep River (novel about spiritual journeys)
Immaculée Ilibagiza
- Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust (good for talking about injustice and forgiveness)
Anne Lamott
- Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith (good for people returning to the church or new to a life of faith)
Julius Lester
- Autobiography of God (novel blending mystery and religion)
C.S. Lewis
- The Screwtape Letters (good for Lent — a spiritual classic)
- Mere Christianity (good for basic Christian life — a good starter and a classic)
James Martin, S.J.
- My Life with the Saints (good for Communion of Saints catechesis, funny, engaging)
- Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor and Laughter are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life (funny, engaging)
Walter Miller Jr.
- A Canticle for Leibowitz (good for catechesis on monastic life and canonization of saints — another Sci-Fi experience)
Henri Nouwen
- With Burning Hearts (good Eucharistic catechesis)
Ronald Rolheiser
- The Holy Longing (good for “growing up” one’s spirituality — spiritual adulthood, engages prayer and social justice well)
Mary Doria Russell
- The Sparrow (good for catechesis on missionary work and celibacy — a fun Sci-Fi option!)
