c. 2000 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ Susan Pachikara wasn’t sure what to expect when she heard about a crowd of 20- and 30-somethings who gather at a downtown bar on Wednesday nights to talk theology while throwing back a few beers.

“I thought it would be all churchy,” said Pachikara, a 30-year-old free-lance journalist who was born and raised Catholic. “But there’s an energy here.”

Church it is not. Indeed, the only “Hail Marys” discussed here are the passes from weekend football games. And the billowing clouds of incense have been replaced by a few lingering puffs of blue cigarette smoke hovering above the small bar along the wall.

From nearby office buildings and the outlying suburbs, nearly 300 young Catholics converge on Lulu’s Bar each week for “Theology on Tap” sessions sponsored by the Archdiocese of Washington.

The weekly sessions are part meet-and-greet, part pray-and-play. Some come to reconnect with God, others to connect with a future spouse. In a bar best known for its raucous Mardi Gras parties, most say they find what they could never find in a church on Sunday morning.

“You couldn’t possibly get this many people in a church,” said Beth Garcia, a 32-year-old interpreter who described church as a “lonely heart’s club.” “One thing Catholics could stand to master is the social stuff. We’ve got the theology down, we’ve got the charity down, but not the social stuff.”

In many ways, Theology on Tap represents an attempt to do just that. Church leaders, aware of the lack of young faces in Mass, have found the best way to reach Generation X is to meet them where they’re at.

After all, even Jesus ate and drank with sinners.

“What’s ministry about, after all?” said the Rev. John Cusick, a Chicago priest who started the program in 1981 and has since copyrighted it for the Archdiocese of Chicago. “It’s about time the Catholic Church got more into being mission-driven and going to where the people are and not waiting for them to come to us, because obviously that’s not working.”

Religion does not come easily for Generation X, a restless bunch often derided as ambivalent slackers with little trust in institutions. Frequently, they are sandwiched somewhere between Sunday school and family ministries and are able to find few areas to plug in at local churches.

But coupled with a bottle of Sam Adams and a relaxed atmosphere, a personal faith in God somehow becomes real and alive for these young adults who are struggling to balance their spirituality with careers and relationships _ not to mention the search for a lifelong partner.

At this session, the Rev. Rob Panke, a 35-year-old Catholic chaplain at nearby George Washington University, talks about whether God can be personal. His insights, delivered with the lighthearted seriousness of a stand-up comic, are both simple and profound.

“Sin, I have found, is when God is most personal,” Panke says. “Sin is where we run away from God, and that’s when God comes running out after us. God loved you before you sinned, while you sinned and after you sinned because he loves you that much.”

Other topics have bridged the gap between religion and popular culture, such as “Chastity: Mission Impossible?” and “Men and Women: Are We Really From Different Planets?”

There is a delicate balance between overt religious practice and an opportunity to kick back. A small table features fliers for pilgrimages to Rome and a brochure asking, “Do You Have a Priest’s Heart?” A staffer from the archdiocese reminds the crowd, “Remember, it’s never too late to discern your vocation.”

But clearly, much of the aim of the session is _ Catholic mothers everywhere can now breathe a sigh of relief _ to provide a low-pressure environment for young Catholics to meet other Catholics.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a meat market, but it doesn’t hurt that there are a lot of beautiful women around,” said Joe Sebastian, a 28-year-old Catholic school religion teacher.

Catherine Sheehan, a 29-year-old social worker from Virginia, agreed, adding that her past relationships with non-Catholics have been less than fulfilling.

“It feels much cleaner than other meat markets I’ve been to,” she joked. “Less gore. Less blood.”

The young Catholics say the weekly rap sessions are a way for them to integrate their spirituality into everyday life, a challenge for believers of any age. “There can be a real divide between your daily life and your church life, and this is a way to integrate the two,” Sheehan said.

Experts say it is a much-needed step for both the Catholic Church, which has not been successful at matching young Catholics with the church, and Generation X, which suffers from a significant degree of religious illiteracy.

“People are hungry for an everyday spirituality that’s rooted in something permanent, but that’s adaptable to my own life and that speaks to the pressure points in my spiritual life,” said Tom Beaudoin, a Catholic theologian and author of “Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X.”

And for this particular generation, which has been scarred by their parents’ divorces and a crumbling sense of belonging, Beaudoin said any community _ but especially a religious one _ is a step forward.

“Predictable community is a good thing in a world of constant flux and change,” Beaudoin said.

DEA END ECKSTROM