Young Adult Mass in Denton strengthens community for this generation of Catholics
Bishop Michael Olson celebrates the Young Adult Mass. Hundreds of young adults, from parishes and campus ministries alike, attended the Mass on September 27, 2025 at Immaculate Conception Church in Denton. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)
DENTON — At the diocese’s annual Young Adult Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Denton, college students and young professionals gathered to not only celebrate Mass with Bishop Michael Olson but also form new and deeper connections with their peers.
Community emerged as a theme in the bishop’s homily on the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31). Warning of distractions of wealth, he reflected on community as a means of serving God by loving our neighbor.
“Love is not intended as an emotion, but as a service to others out of gratitude for the love of Christ,” he said. “There is a challenge for us today that is deeper than money, and it is found in learning to see the humanity of everyone we are inclined not to see at all.”
The bishop noted that our society seeks to make “inconvenient people” like Lazarus invisible, from illegal immigrants to babies in the womb. Shirking our moral obligations to our neighbors like the rich man and focusing only on one’s own interests, he urged, cuts us off from the very community that offers a path to heaven.
“Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses intrinsic dignity, which makes demands on all other persons,” he stated. “We are all connected to each other by a web of rights and duties bound up by love, but the challenge for each of us is to acknowledge and fulfill the duties we have to others. The way out is realizing that we cannot be disciples of the Lord without others to whom we can offer our lives in generosity and love.”
Immaculate Conception showed attendees just that generosity and love following the Mass, treating everyone like honored guests to a fajita dinner served at beautifully decorated tables.
During the dinner, newly ordained Deacon Wilfried Lampka of Holy Redeemer Parish in Aledo spoke on his life lived following Hebrews 11:1 — “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” He encouraged attendees to prayerfully follow “spiritual affirmations” throughout their lives, noting his affirmation to become a deacon was prompted by a North Texas Catholic article on the ministry, followed by a mentor’s sincere invitation only a few days later.
Dcn. Lampka encouraged the young adults to find a Scripture verse to guide them through life and check to see how well they’re following God’s will: “You're going to have those moments when you're not sure, but as long as we're in prayer, God always gives answers. It may not be what we want to hear, but it may be what's best for us.”
His message, like the rest of the evening, touched on the importance of community: “We have to lean on each other to make sure we’re continuing the answer to God's call and His message in any capacity we can,” he said.
Seminarian Quang Nguyen, currently in his pastoral year, served at the Mass, noting how impressed he was with the congregation.
“It was beautiful being able to see people in the same place in their lives coming together from all around the diocese,” he said. “It was nice how engaged everyone was. People were eager to participate, to respond, to be part of the Mass.”
“I thought it would be cool to see people my age truly living the faith. I don't see that enough,” he said. Attending with his friend from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, both noted their desire to attend to the next Young Adult event.
Speaking to attendees readily revealed a craving young Catholics have for greater community bonds within the Church. Some came in packed university buses, while others attended with coworkers and acquaintances, brought closer together throughout the course of the evening. Many came with friends from outside of the diocese.
Ethan James of St. Patrick Church in Denison (Diocese of Dallas) came because his parish is smaller and “mostly older people and young families.”
Throughout the evening, connections were found, and stronger friendships were made. An Nguyen of Good Shepherd Parish in Colleyville invited his coworker,
Abraham Hurtado of St. Clara of Assisi Parish in Dallas, who was “more than happy to come.”
“We’d been talking about our faith journeys, and I told him that I have a longing to have a sense of community in the Catholic Church,” Nguyen noted. “The Young
Adult Mass was a great way to put my foot in the door with having that sense of community. It was nice to see the future of the Catholic Church. It was really refreshing talking with like-minded individuals.”
Nguyen noted that he got to know some fellow Good Shepherd volunteers better — TCC nursing major Marianna Hill and computer teacher Greta Yeager: “Our conversation got us a lot closer, so the next time I see them, we’ll have more to talk about.”
Hurtado and Hill had never met but connected, recognizing each other’s bracelets from Jubilee Year pilgrimages to Rome. Hill went with the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, while Hurtado attended with St. Clara’s Camino Neocatechumenal, groups they each deeply credit for fostering their spiritual lives.
“When young adults are strengthened in their faith and feel united in community with others, that can have a great effect on the diocese because we can volunteer and encourage and lead others,” Hill said of the Mass. “We’re still close to high schoolers and can have a really big impact on their faith, but we're also connected to older adults and can learn from them. One of the strongest aspects of the Catholic Church is community, so to provide opportunities for more of that, I think, would really strengthen the young adult presence.”
Or, as Bishop Olson put it best in his homily, “The only true wealth we have is what we can offer to God and to others out of love.”