Description: Young adults come together to celebrate the liturgy and then share a simple meal. Subsequently, they are invited to participate in another meal, hosted at the home of a young adult, and discuss issues of hunger, food security, and simplicity. It’s a great program that can be replicated throughout the year.
Get Ready
- Prep Time: Planning should begin two months in advance, in order to allow sufficient time to make all the preparations and have enough time to promote and advertise.
- Volunteers Needed: One person is needed to coordinate all the pieces of this event. Additionally, you may need volunteers to serve as lectors, Eucharistic ministers, and music ministers at Mass if you are planning a Mass outside of your parish’s regular weekday Mass schedule. You may wish to have someone write petitions. For dinner you will need approximately three-six people to prepare the meal (depending on how many are being served), and additional help to set up and clean up. You will need a speaker or panel who are familiar with the issues of food security, hunger, or simple living. (See the “Make It Happen” section for suggestions on locating a speaker.) For the follow-up meals, you will need young adults to volunteer to host meals in their homes (approximately three-seven, depending on the size of your group).
- Ideal Group Size: The large meal after Mass is for 30-50, where the smaller meals are good for seven-10 people.
- Ideal Time for this Event: Weekday evening, after 6 p.m.
- Who is this for? This event is appropriate for all young adults, both Catholic and non-Catholic.
- Supplies Needed: Check with your priest about any supplies for Mass, especially if you are hosting Mass in a location other than a parish. You will need food, cooking utensils, pans, serving dishes, pitchers or a cooler for beverages, plates/bowls, napkins, cups, eating utensils. You will also need chairs and tables for dining.
- Reserve the Space: You will need a chapel or space suitable for celebrating Mass, and a gathering space for a meal with kitchen space and serving space. Ideally, these two would be on the same property; however, you could celebrate Mass at a parish and then move to someone’s home or another space for the meal.
Publicize the Program
- This is a great opportunity to collaborate with and invite young adults from other parishes in the area. Ask nearby parishes to publicize the event in their bulletin.
- Make ample use of social media. Use Twitter and Facebook to advertise. Create a Facebook event and encourage young adults to share with their friends.
- Have a young adult make a Mass announcement and then hang around the back of church for a bit to answer questions personally.
- Make a flyer and post it up around the church; ask nearby parishes to do the same.
- If you have a young adult newsletter/weekly e-mail, be sure to include it there.
- Make sure you are also advertising the smaller meals hosted by young adults — include contact information so that they can RSVP to the host.
- Encourage young adults hosting the smaller simple meals to invite their friends and co-workers. This is a great opportunity to reach out to young adults of other faiths/no faith.
- Encourage young adults to bring a reusable container with them so that they can bring home leftovers — they’ll get lunch for the next day!
- As always, personal invitation works best.
Prayer for Program Planner: Loving Creator, we seek to find you in the midst of community. We desire to know you better as we live simply. Fill our hearts with the joy that comes from knowing and serving you. Help us to be mindful of you and your mission on Earth as we put together the pieces of this event.
Community Building: This event will bring together young adults to share in the Eucharist and a simple meal. As a follow-up to the large event, smaller groups will meet to share a meal and discuss issues of hunger and food security. Young adults will get the opportunity to meet new people and build community centered on a common activity –eating.
