The monthly Young Adult Mass of the Archdiocese of New York, celebrated on June 12 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, drew nearly 300 people and was celebrated by Father Christopher Argano, pastor of St. Columba in Chester and St. Mary’s in Washingtonville.      

The Mass was preceded by a Holy Hour and followed by a social gathering at nearby Connolly’s Pub & Restaurant. Music during the Mass and Holy Hour was provided by the Manhattan-based Amigos de Jesus music ministry (Friends of Jesus), led by singer-guitarist Adrian Mercedes.                                             

Father Argano is also a faculty member at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, teaching moral theology. He served as director of vocations for the archdiocese for five years ending in 2021. 

“Don’t worship idols,” Father Argano said during his homily, citing the day’s first reading, Lectionary: 361. “So why is Elijah doing this – what’s going on here? It reminds us of the entirety of the Old Testament, summed up in three words. Ready? The whole thing, all 46 books: Don’t worship idols.”                  

Also in the homily, Father Aragon said, “And Jesus, in the Gospel tonight (Matthew 5:17-19), says He is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. All Scripture points to Him. He is the one who fulfilled all of it. In that first commandment – that very first commandment: have no other gods before me.” The priest noted, “If we get that commandment right, all nine others fall into place. It’s all about putting the Lord first.”   

Father Argano noted that St. Thomas Aquinas said there are four types of idols in the world: wealth, power, pleasure, and honor. “The reality is when those issues begin to dominate our life, that is when things go haywire,” Father Argano said. “Those idols can control us and dominate us. Our gaze must fall upon Christ…Our world today, our society, our culture, raises certain idols…We will take those idols and smash them upon the altar of our hearts. We worship Jesus Christ. He is the center of all that we are and all that we have.”  

Rebecca Noce, 28, was among the faithful at the Mass. She’s a parishioner of St. Lawrence O’Toole Church in Brewster.    

“I really liked it. I thought that it was powerful,” Noce told The Good Newsroom after the Mass, citing Father Argano’s homily message. “In today’s day and age, everyone wants to make idols out of money, celebrities, politicians, whatever ideologies that they have. I think that it’s important to remember the Lord’s first commandment, about having no false gods…Coming to an event like this is really awesome.”  

Zef Aliaj, 28, also a member of St. Lawrence O’Toole, said the homily message “was great; it definitely should resonate with a lot of young adults these days – to understand that there are a lot more idols than we think, but the big four that he mentioned, those attract us the most, and that’s what brings all the bad pieces to fall together…My faith means everything to me. It’s our job and duty to explain our faith to others, and to bring the Word of God to people.”   

Organizers are thankful for the clergymen who celebrate the Young Adult Mass, and for the young people who attend to practice their faith in community.    

“We’re very grateful to have this time each month for all of the different young adult communities to pray together and spend time together,” Kaitlyn Colgan, assistant director at the archdiocesan Office of Young Adult Outreach, told The Good Newsroom. “If there are young adults who are out there looking for community, we would love to personally invite you to join us.”

For more information about Young Adult Outreach, visit their website.