Answers on Tap

How the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is serving its young adults

Over thirty years ago, in the Archdiocese of Chicago, before many of today’s attendees were born; a college student, struggling to find life’s meaning, went to his pastor and asked him to answer some of his “why” questions. From there, a six-week speaker series called Theology-on-Tap sprang up.

Although this concept began in Illinois in 1981, it took some time for it to spread to other states. In 2001, The Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry introduced Theology-on-Tap to the diocese; four sites participated. From there, Theology-on-Tap within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee grew.  

In the summer of 2008, the Nazareth Project of the John Paul Center II took over and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s Theology-on-Tap program came to be what it is today - a collaborative effort. While the Nazareth Project coordinates the sites and speakers, and handles the publicity for the events in the archdiocese, site locations, typically formed by a group of neighboring parishes, help with the planning and execution. Each location selects a night of the week to host an event, chooses speakers and topics and handles the on site coordination of food, drinks, seating and registration.

During the summer of 2009, eight sites including: Three Holy Women Parish, Milwaukee; Boat House Pub and Eatery, Kenosha; O’Donoghue’s Irish Pub, Elm Grove; Alpine Village Restaurant, Mequon; Thunder Bay Restaurant and Grill, Waukesha; Derry Hegarty’s, Milwaukee; De Rango’s, Racine; and Holy Family Catholic Community, participated. Between the eight sites, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s Theology-on-Tap program was able to cover topics such as:

• “What the Heck is Vatican II Anyway?”
• “Evolution vs. Creation: What is a Catholic Supposed to Believe?”
• “Bioethics: Church Teaching, the End of Life and Stem Cells”
• “It’s More Than Just Fessing Up! The Power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation”
• “21st Century Dating”
• “Everyday Christian Living”

The two-hour events, held at casual locations around the archdiocese, began the Monday after Summerfest ended and continued for four weeks through the end of July. At 7 p.m. on designated evenings, the free programs drew young Catholics together to socialize and learn more about their faith, over a beer, in a relaxed environment. The laid-back atmosphere set the stage for inquiring young adults to freely ask questions about their faith that have been weighing on their minds.

“It’s great to have such a community of people who want to learn more about their faith come together in a setting like this,” said Maria Rivera during an event at Derry Hegarty’s this past summer. She originally started attending because her older brothers and sisters did, but after returning to Milwaukee after a three and a half year absence, she now attends Theology-on-Tap events of her own volition because of the people she's met and what she takes away from the sessions.

John Zeidler, a coordinator for the Elm Grove site, got involved with Theology-on-Tap because he wanted to help lead a group and share experiences that he enjoyed during his youth. Of the program he said, “It’s so important to provide solid opportunities to help young Catholics grow and understand their faith.” Regardless of their reasons for attending, coordinators and attendees alike all agree that the sense of community, a chance to learn more about their faith and the comfortable setting are big motivators to attend.

In fact, Theology-on-Tap has helped shape the Catholic adult groups of many communities. “For a lot of parishes, this was the springboard for young adult ministry to take off. Those areas that have it, now have active young adult groups,” explained another of the site coordinators.

The success of the parish young adult groups and Theology-on-Tap have gone hand-in-hand. This past Lenten season, due to the popularity of the July Theology-on-Tap events, the Nazareth Project expanded the lecture series to include a new program called 40 Days in the Desert. Much like the original, 40 Days in the Desert is a young adult speaker series that touches upon different themes and topics of interest to those in their 20s and 30s. The Nazareth Project has already announced plans to continue 40 Days in the Desert during the 2010 Lenten season. However, for the first time, the Nazareth Project has also cooked up a special Theology-on-Tap for Advent.

On Thursday, December 10, 2009, the John Paul II Center of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, in collaboration with the Saint Clare Center, Cardinal Stritch University Ministry Campus and Catholic Knights, will host a special Advent Theology-on-Tap entitled "Does God Have a Plan for Me?" Mike Hayes, author of Googling God and senior editor of BustedHalo.com, will present the program to young adults in their 20s and 30s at Cardinal Stritch University. The program, which begins at 7 p.m., is free to attend and no registration is required. For more information, log onto www.johnpaul2center.org.

To see more photos of the events, go to the photo gallery. Click here! 

Article by Gillian Lester-George
Photo courtesy of Archdiocese of Milwaukee (A guest lecturer speaks to a group of young adults at a Theology-on-Tap session at Derry Hegarty's, Elm Grove, in July 2009.)