Isolation increases desire for community in Dearborn and Grosse Pointe Farms parishes, which have seen a renaissance of activity

DEARBORN — For nearly a year, the pandemic has caused almost everything to slow down, change course or cease completely. It’s been viewed as a pause on the universal remote, with people ready to hit play again when government and health officials give the green light. 

For some, however, the initial quiet of the pandemic brought priorities into focus, causing them to consider that now might be the perfect time to start something new. 

At the Church of Divine Child in Dearborn and at St. Paul on the Lake Parish in Grosse Pointe Farms, for example, new young adult groups have recently formed in an effort to meet the need for faith-filled fellowship amidst an increasing sense of isolation. 

Prior to the pandemic, Divine Child did not have a young adult group. In the early fall, however, associate pastor Fr. David Pellican was approached by a brother and sister duo, Luke and Zofia Bochenek, who were searching for more. 

“If there is one word for what I am seeing, it is ‘isolation,’ and that is just not healthy. We are not made for that,” Fr. Pellican said. “I really think young adults are isolated now more than ever. A lot of them would be in college or even some of the older ones at work where they would have some sort of community, and that’s gone right now. They are mostly all virtual, whether that be for work or college, and they are just hungry for community.”

Like many young adults, Zofia and Luke had experienced such isolation. Zofia remains connected to her classes at the University of Michigan-Dearborn through Zoom, and Luke continues to work for Ford, but human interaction is limited. 

With the help of Fr. Pellican and Divine Child pastor Fr. Bob McCabe, the Bocheneks and a handful of others began advertising a new young adult group in the parish bulletin and after Masses, unsure of the attention it would receive. 

When they held their first event in November, nearly 25 young adults showed up for a socially distanced, masked game night. 

“Without all the distractions of normal life, because of the pandemic, it just became clear that now was the perfect time to start a young adult group at our parish,” Luke Bochenek said. “It was always an idea we had, but life has a way of keeping you busy.”

The group currently meets once a month for games, movies or socially distanced sports like dodgeball or volleyball, using the parish’s spacious auditorium. Each event is accompanied by a spiritual element, such as Mass, the rosary or Eucharistic adoration. 

“I see this as an evangelization opportunity because we can provide not just community, but community centered on Christ,” said Fr. Pellican, who was ordained last June. “That’s the goal in this, to provide those good Christian friendships, developed always with Jesus at the center.”

Fr. Pellican and Fr. McCabe oversee the group, but the responsibility and initiative has been mostly in the hands of the group members. The need for strong young adult ministry is incredibly important, Fr. McCabe said. 

“Friendships are building already, and it is just beautiful,” Fr. McCabe said. “For this group, it’s like they recognize what they need and they are welcoming it and are open to find it in the Catholic Church.”

It’s significant that the young adults gravitated toward the Church to find such community, Fr. McCabe added. 

“We want them to find a personal relationship with Jesus in the context of the Catholic Church and to know the richness and the beauty of the Catholic Church,” Fr. McCabe said. “Everyone wants to be loved, and so the key is belonging to a healthy, vibrant group of people who are also healthy spiritually, where they can be supported. We all want to belong to something that is strong in faith, supportive in friendship and enjoyable, drawing us closer to the Lord.”

At St. Paul on the Lake, associate pastor Fr. Colin Fricke oversees a small group of young adults who participate in a weekly Bible study. The group began meeting at Atwater Brewery in Detroit when pandemic restrictions were loosened over the summer. Now, they meet at the parish and in one another’s homes. 

Although it might seem counterintuitive that young adult groups are flourishing during a pandemic, for those involved, the timing makes perfect sense. 

“It’s possible they are able to discern their desires more because the pandemic quieted things down for them,” Fr. Fricke said. “Either they were rushing around for school or their job. Maybe the pandemic made them calm themselves a little bit.”

Oher young adult groups have pivoted to adjust to the “new normal,” and have found ways to continue to gather and support one another, said Patrick Howard, young adult and campus ministry coordinator for the Archdiocese of Detroit. 

Parish-based groups have continued to meet at St. Mary in Royal Oak, St. Fabian in Farmington Hills and Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth, while groups such as Young Catholic Professionals have moved their monthly events to a virtual setting, Howard said. The Capuchins’ Tap into Life ministry has even managed to complete service projects to help those impacted by the pandemic. 

Howard added the archdiocese can offer resources to help young adults start small groups of their own.

“It is not complicated, and it really is a great way for people to build real friendships where they can encourage each other in their lives and faith and grow closer to God,” Howard said.