Wednesday, April 22, 2026
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. EDT
Location: 125 E Street NW Capitol View Event Convening Space (9th Floor)
A crisis of connection is taking hold among younger generations. Recent studies show that young adults are increasingly retreating from dating, partnerships, and other important relationships. Instead of opening themselves to in-person relationships with others, many are turning inward toward online hyper-individualization and engaging in polarized digital discourse. Pope Leo XIV has responded to this worrying trend and called on young people to put “into practice the nature of the Church as communion”, reminding us that human beings are inherently social and called to authentic relationships.
How can we navigate this crisis of connection to live with faith, hope, purpose, and meaning? How can we resist the cultural trends of detachment and isolation to foster genuine relationships in our personal lives? How can we build community and live out principles of human dignity and solidarity to repair divisions between young men and women?
This Salt and Light Gathering for young adults will bring together four leaders to understand this generational crisis of connection and how young people can cultivate authentic community and live faithfully, act on our beliefs, and encounter one another, leading to participation rather than isolation.
Christopher White, associate director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, will moderate the conversation.
This gathering will have three parts:
6:00 - 7:00 p.m. | Happy Hour
Meet and network with other young leaders over food and drink
7:00 - 8:00 p.m. | Dialogue
A conversation on “The Crisis of Connection: Strengthening Faith and Relationships” with four leaders
8:00 - 9:00 p.m. | Reception
Continue the conversation with other young leaders
This Salt and Light Gathering is for young Catholics and others to come together to explore key issues and personal stories involving faith and public life with respected leaders.
Recording
For those who cannot join us in person, the dialogue starting at 7:00 p.m. EDT will be livestreamed and posted online for later viewing.
Participants
Mana Afsari
Mana Afsari is a writer based in Washington, DC, and a fellow at the RealClearFoundation, part of the RealClear media group. Her writing has appeared in several publications, including two recent pieces in The Point on “Doomers in Love: On dating and dignity” and “Last Boys at the Beginning of History.”
Christian Bentley
Christian Bentley is an advocate for mental health and social justice in the Catholic Church both nationally and locally in northern Virginia. He is the executive director of the Josephite Pastoral Center and is involved in several boards, projects, and organizations, including the CENTERS network, the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life’s Salt and Light Gatherings, Catholics In Communion, the Archbishop Lyke Foundation, the Collaborative for Catholic Organizing, and Catholic Mobilizing Network.
Robert Christian
Robert Christian is the director of communications for Franciscan Action Network and the editor of Millennial, an online periodical by millennial Catholics on religion, politics, and culture. He is a former columnist and educator who continues to write and speak about young people, contemporary culture, and efforts to foster solidarity and community.
Christine Emba
Christine Emba is a senior fellow at the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University for the spring 2026 semester and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where her work focuses on gender and sexuality, feminism, masculinity, youth culture, and social norms. She is a contributing writer at the New York Times, where her recent piece “The Reason Gen Z Isn’t Dating” appeared.
Related
Accessibility
All in-person accommodation requests should be sent to cathsocialthought@georgetown.edu by April 17, 2026. A good-faith effort will be made to fulfill requests.