boy do I have to get you in touch with my friend! She tried to start a young adult group in the St. Louis area but it fizzled.
The difficulty is the changing dynamic of having children, and when those children reach milestones like preschool, elementary school, etc. It can be awkward to be the last couple left without kids, or the first couple to have to cut back due to the arrival of a baby or changing obligations with a child’s activities.
The young adult group here in the Baltimore area is thriving on Theology of the Body. The group is mostly singles, though, and we’re not the first couple to have dropped out of the study because it was strange to be the only married couple, not to mention some personal difficulties that made enjoying the subject matter very hard. We also have a smaller group that stays after Mass for 30 minutes to study the compendium of the catechism and some questions that go along with it, then we go out to eat (much to my chagrin to go out so often).
You really need to find out what the need is. Draw from several parishes. Get a priest involved who wants to reach out to young couples. Have pot-lucks or progressive dinners. Meet in an environment that is kid-friendly since many are not crazy about babysitters. Part of the key, I think, is to continue getting together even if only two couples can make it, and to get enough folks involved that if two or three can’t, there are still enough to have a fellowship of some sort.
