ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Over 150 Catholic young adults gathered together at Pat Troy’s Ireland’s Own restaurant to kick off the “Theology on Tap” Six-Pack series this past Monday. The event, held by the Young Adult Ministry of the Diocese of Arlington, attracted young professionals from all over the D.C. metro area.
“Theology on Tap” presents a series of lectures given by leaders of the faith community. The lecture series occurs in different dioceses, such as the Archdiocese of Washington, and provides a venue for discussion of spiritual and sometimes controversial topics.
Tom O’Neill, an Assistant Director and Marriage Preparation Coordinator at the Diocese of Arlington, was the latest speaker. In his lecture, O’Neill discussed ways to evangelize to a world that is increasingly hostile to Christianity.
“Viewing every opportunity of evangelization as a way of loving your neighbor and trying to to serve them is the most important thing,” said O’Neill. ”Whenever I evangelized well, I was doing it for love of the other person and wanting to serve them.”
“Done well, evangelization is an opportunity to love God more as well as our neighbor more.”
“The more we as Catholics respect the truth, the more trustworthy our witness becomes to those who evangelize.”
Erin Kisley, the Coordinator of the Young Adult Ministry of the Diocese of Arlington, said that the purpose of the event is to ”bring young adults together and relax in a welcoming environment where they can be catechized…grow in friendship and fellowship, and just enjoy burgers and beer, all at the same time.”
When asked why she felt the event attracts the young adults, Kisley said, “I feel like everyone is kind of like looking for inspiration…something to keep them going…or maybe they are desiring knowledge of their faith, or maybe they are interested in truth.”
[Editor's Note]: To listen to the lecture, go to the Diocese of Arlington website.
