#UTCats

Intermountain Catholic

+ Enlarge

This new monthly column is written for Catholics who are in middle school and high school. All are invited to read and reflect, but please share and discuss your reflection with young Catholics you know.

Some of you may have read last month’s column or this may be your first time glancing at this article. You may be wondering "What does UTCats mean?" Well, that is a great question! UTCats is both the title of this column and a hashtag we can use to talk about our Catholic faith on social media and connect the Catholic community in Utah. A hashtag is used to mark topics on Twitter. Our hashtag, UTCats, is a combination of our state’s abbreviation with an abbreviation of "Catholic."

As a Catholic who grew up in Utah’s public elementary and middle schools, I know how difficult it can be stand firm in the faith. There is a lot of pressure from friends, classmates, neighbors and the media to abandon the faith. I think that having a few other Catholic friends who understood these pressures helped me to feel comfortable about my religion and made me proud to be a Catholic. I was able to just be myself with these friends and they accepted me for all that I was and was not.

Have you ever felt isolated because you were Catholic? Have people ever made fun of you because your religion was different from theirs? If so, seek out some Catholic friends your age. Develop friendships with those who accept you and who share your religious beliefs.

Here are a few ways you can do this: 1) This weekend, at church, ask your priest if there is a parish youth group that you can join. 2) Ask your religious education or Confirmation classmates if they want to hang out outside of class. 3) Attend our diocesan youth gatherings. These are great opportunities to meet young Catholics from all over the state. The next event from the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry is a celebration of World Youth Day at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Orem on July 27. More information will be on our website soon. 4) With parent permission, follow the Office of Youth Ministry on Twitter and like us on Facebook to receive more information about our faith, practices, and upcoming events.

It is great to have friends from various faith backgrounds, but it is also crucially important to have friends from your own faith. Being part of the Catholic Church is not something we do as an individual, it is something that we do as a community. The Church is often described as "the body of Christ" (1 Cor 12:12-31) and this description highlights the importance of community. It reminds us that we are not alone in our faith! Think about a body. It has many parts: arms, legs, organs, and bones that work together to form a whole person. It does not function well without all the parts functioning together. Saint Paul reminds us that we are the parts of the body of Christ. You, your family, your friends, and over 1.2 billion Catholics in the world are all united as the one body of Christ. Think about this the next time you feel alone in your faith and talk to one of your Catholic friends to remember that you are one of many!

Like us on Facebook: Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City Youth Ministry and follow us on Twitter @YouthMin_SLC.