The next New York archdiocesan Young Adult Mass is set for Wednesday, Feb. 1 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The principal celebrant and homilist will be Father Agustino Torres, CFR, president of the Bronx-based Corazon Puro community outreach program.  

The 7:30 p.m. Mass will be preceded by a 6:30 p.m. Holy Hour (music by Basilio Perez). After Mass, attendees can join organizers for a pub/restaurant social gathering near the cathedral. The Masses, held the first Wednesday of each month, are planned by the archdiocesan Office of Young Adult Outreach through its Catholic NYC program.     

“Confession, adoration, rosary and praise, and worship are offered before Mass, giving young adults the opportunity to best prepare for Mass and spend more time with Jesus, to worship God together and join in fellowship,” Kaitlyn Colgan, office program leader for Region One, covering Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx, told The Good Newsroom last week. 

“The evening time of the Mass offers young adults with tough work schedules the opportunity to attend a daily Mass or fulfill their day of holy obligation at a vigil Mass. The night serves as an opportunity for different communities to come together, for young adults to meet new people, and to encourage each other in their faith. The first Young Adult Mass was in 2006.,” Colgan added.

In March, the Young Adult Mass at the cathedral is set for Wednesday, March 1. The principal celebrant and homilist will be Father Boniface Endorf, OP, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village (music by Charlie Freeman; same event times). 

Vicky Wolak Freeman, who has been a regular attendee since 2015, said, “At my first Young Adult Mass, I met several people who I am still friends with to this day. One of them told me about a weekly book club, which I attended a few months later. I’m now co-leading that club. We’ve read so many books over the years and the conversations we’ve had about them have really matured and deepened my faith…and through some of those early friendships, I met my now-husband!”  

Wolak Freeman is a parishioner at St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village.

Young Adult Outreach encourages young adults to visit www.catholicnyc.com to see all that the program has to offer, noting, “The archdiocese attests to the fact that the Church is young and alive.” In addition to the monthly cathedral Mass gatherings, Young Adult Outreach also offers: 

Monthly Holy Hour + Social, second Wednesday of the month, St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village.

Monthly Homeless Outreach, third Wednesday of the month, St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Catholic holiday parties: In an effort to reclaim Catholic holidays, the office hosts events for St. Patrick’s Day, All Saint’s Vigil/Halloween Bash, and New Year’s Eve, and helps to connect young adults who can’t travel home for the holidays together for Mass and dinner.  

Love and Responsibility Summer Series: A six-week series featuring prominent speakers and authorities on relationship topics relevant to modern men and women, under the stars in an outdoor garden in the East Village.  

World Youth Day 2023 Portugal: Organizers invite young adults to join the archdiocese in its World Youth Day 2023 9-Day Pilgrimage in Lisbon and Fatima from Sunday, July 30 to Monday, August 7, 2023. Must be 18+ to attend. For more information, email Kaitlyn.Colgan@archny.org.