God and beer in the summertime: Theology on Tap brings young adults together to explore faith - Cover Story

National Catholic Reporter, August 30, 2002 by Renee M. LaReau

The evangelical and catechetical program for young adults began in Chicago in June 1981 as a response to a conversation between a priest, a youth minister and a college senior. The senior had begun to look ahead to his first few months in the "real world," and had many questions concerning his future personal identity and fulfillment: "Will I be more than my job?" "What will it mean to fall in love?" "What does it mean to be Catholic?" "Where does God fit in with all this?"

That conversation evolved into a four-week summer program that now hosts 3,000 to 4,000 young adults each week for a speaker, conversation and theology. Theology on Tap is a trademarked program, and dioceses in 40 states have permission to host it, including Baltimore; Madison, Wis.; Los Angeles; Hartford, Conn.; and Atlanta.

"My hope," said Kate DeVries, associate director of the Office of Young Adult Ministry for the Chicago archdiocese, "is that no matter where they are, young adults can connect with something that teaches them more about our faith. We never want young adults to hear from a parish that `there is nothing available here.'"

In every diocese

"My ultimate dream," Cusick said, "is that for four weeks in the summer, every diocese will stop and open their doors to young adults and host Theology on

Tap. What a sign to young adults that would be."

Young adults who participated in the program expressed both hope and ambivalence about the future of their roles as active, participating Catholics. "I am hoping to see more how we fit into the church," said Tim Mascarenas, a 23-year-old account manager who attended Theology on Tap at Three Holy Women Parish in Milwaukee, Wis.

"Young adults are a hard group to pin down," said Dave Macek, a 37-year-old claims examiner from Milwaukee. "Most of us were born after Vatican II, and either weren't born or don't remember anything about the way the church used to be."

Jeremy Miller, a graduate student at Northwestern, said, "As an undergrad at the University of North Carolina I used to get weirded-out by the young adults I saw at the Newman Center. Now I guess I'm one of them."

Theology on Tap is in its 22nd year in Chicago, and people like Cusick are starting to see its long-term impact. "From our side of the fence we hear from people who haven't been to church in awhile," he said. "They are searching for a spiritual community and are beginning to have a sense that this might have some value for them, that there might be some payoffs."

Other results of Theology on Tap have been more personal. "It builds community," said DeVries. "People come to Theology on Tap knowing no one, and often make lifelong relationships. We have even been to people's weddings who met at Theology on Tap."

A hunger for community and fellowship are high on the list of reasons why young adults attend Theology on Tap in the first place. Paul Carrier, a 38-year-old culinary arts instructor living in Milwaukee, attended Theology on Tap at Three Holy Women to meet new people. "I went to these all last summer and now I'm back," he said.