CV NEWS FEED // Seeking to combat the modern challenges and perils of contemporary dating, a Catholic diocese in Kansas will host its first Young Adult Ministry Event in January.
The Catholic Diocese of Salina announced its plan this week to host a social event for young adults ages 18 to 35 in late January. The event will take place at The Sullivan at United Capital Plaza, a reputable venue in the city.
According to a news release from the diocese, the event will feature “refreshments, dancing, and games,” and young people are encouraged to attend in order “to meet new people from around the Salina Diocese.”
According to Pew Research data, 21% of Catholics never marry, while 8% opt to cohabit and 12% are divorced or separated.
Meanwhile, a March 2023 report from The Catholic Virginian citing data from Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate claims that, “among Catholics, the sacrament of matrimony is in freefall.”
The report continued:
Over 50 years between 1969 and 2019, Catholic marriages declined 69% even as the Catholic population increased by nearly 20 million, according to Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
Marriages remain 30,000 below the pre-2020 number, which was approximately 132,000.
The report cited a 2021 survey by the Institute for Family Studies, which polled individuals under 55. When asked why they were not married yet, 58% said “It is hard to find the right person to marry.”
Pew Research also found that 53% of U.S. adults under 30 have used a dating app. Despite the rising number of choices in faith-based dating apps, many single Catholics continue to struggle.
In 2020, The Catholic Herald UK wrote:
Finding love in the modern age is difficult enough at the best of times. Browse any pub or Tube carriage these days and you’re more likely to see eligible singletons engrossed in their smartphones, rather than alert to romantic opportunity. Add in social distancing and one’s chances of finding a viable partner the old-fashioned way dwindles to near zero.
Though COVID restrictions are no longer in place, CatholicMatch users still find that the app can make romantic encounters feel clunky and formulaic.
“Some people put up their whole life story on dating apps,” one user lamented. “They don’t have the right balance between sharing to entice interest and sharing too much.”
The response from the Salina Diocese to this problem is simple: resurrect the timeless American dance hall.
For more information about the event, click here.
