The twin Catholic parishes of Holy Trinity in Casco and St. Mary’s in Luxemburg continue their hard work keeping their young members engaged. According to the Public Religion Research Institute, nearly forty percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 consider themselves religiously unaffiliated, compared to just 15 percent identifying as Catholics. Father Dan Schuster, the pastor of the two parishes, says they recently confirmed 62 young people into the Catholic Church. He hopes a new post-confirmation program called the “Dead Theologian’s Society” is just one way they stay engaged with their faith.

Schuster says he would love to see many of the seventh through twelfth graders currently involved in the Jesus-based conversation group called Alpha to continue as adults.