The Evangelizing Excitement of Ashes: Reconnecting with Young Adults on Ash Wednesday and Lent

Strange as it might sound, “the most wonderful time of the year” for evangelization and outreach to young adults, especially those on the margins and those who have disconnected from their faith community, is actually Lent. Studies show that Ash Wednesday and Lenten practices draw young adults in their 20s and 30s to Church in record numbers, including those who are disaffiliated. It is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect and accompany those young men and women in the spirit of Pope Francis’s Christus Vivit. In this webinar, Paul Jarzembowski, assistant director for the Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth of the USCCB, will explore the phenomenon and offer creative ideas for engaging young adults during these moments of return and beyond.