Frequently Asked Questions

Are all your events listed on the calendar?
No, in fact only about half of the events we receive are listed. The reason is that many events are planned at the last minute and people are invited through email, phone or word of mouth. Also, many of our events are held in private homes, in which case the host invites regulars (for obvious safety reasons they are not posted on the internet). All regulars are kept informed of these events. Usually these events involve less formal activities, like getting together for dinner or going to the movies or hanging out. We also regularly go to Mass and adoration together.

What is your age range?
Although most regulars are in their 20's, we are open to all young adults, 18-39. However, some events do have age restrictions (if there is an age restriction outside of 18-35 that we know of, we will list it).

Where do most of you live?
Most regulars live in Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard Counties, as well as Baltimore City. However, we do have some regulars from Carroll, Harford, Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. We do get the occasional person from Frederick County, as well as Washington DC and York, PA.

Do I have to commit to a certain number of events?
No, there is no commitment. No one comes to everything on the calendar, most people show up to less than 1/3 of the events listed. Many people come to only one type of event and no other events. We also have people come just once or twice and never again. Some people are in college out of state and only come in the summer. Others have very busy schedules and can only make one event a month. But whether you come to three events a week, one event a year or are just passing through town, feel free to come!

I am only in Maryland a short time, should I get involved?
Yes! We understand that the lives of young adults are very much in transition, we have a lot of turnover in the group. We always have new people coming and others leaving. If you are free tonight and we have an event, please come, even if you are moving out of town tomorrow!

Is this a singles group?
No, we are not a singles group. Our regulars are called to all the vocations. In fact, we've had four seminarians and four sisters come out of our group. Although most of our regulars are single, many are dating and a few are married. We are open to people currently living all the vocations and people called to all vocations.

Can Religious (Priests, Sisters, Brothers, Deacons, Seminarians) Attend Events?
Of course, Religious (regardless of age) are always invited to attend any and all our events. In fact, we've had four men from the group become seminarians and four women in the group become sisters! We've had many different priests and sisters attend our events or plan events that we were invited to. Many of us are also friends with priests, deacons and sisters in the diocese.

What is your Affiliation with the Archdiocese of Baltimore?
None; however, we will remain faithful from any request of Archbishop O'Brien. We are completely independent of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, although we are linked from their website. Although we are not affiliated, we have received mostly positive feedback from priests in and out of the diocese. We strive to stay faithful to the Holy Father and the Magesterium of the Catholic Church and hope to be an asset to Archbishop O'Brien and the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Do you have any affiliations or sponsors?
No, we are a completely independent website. We are not affiliated or sponsored with any Catholic organizations (such as the Knights of Columbus) or movements (such as Regnum Christi or Opus Dei). People from these organizations and movements are free to come to our events (I am a Knight), we just ask that you refrain from recruiting at our events. We'll also gladly advertise events run by different Catholic organizations and movements that are in accord with the Catholic Church.

Who is responsible for Baltimore Catholic?
You Are! That's the short answer, we can only post events that we know of and we rely on you to tell us of these events. We can only host our own events if we have people there, and we count on you to attend. As far as who runs the actual website, that would be me, Richard Legendre - a Catholic young adult living in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

I am a Young Adult, how can I help?
1. Pray for us (especially in adoration)!
2. Come to events.
3. Tell me of upcoming events.
4. Tell other young adults about our website.
5. Post on the message board (this helps build community).
6. Make suggestions for events (especially service events!)
7. Let us know how you found out about us.
8. Let us know how you use the site (like which events you have attended from seeing them here)

I am NOT a Young Adult, how can I help?
1. Pray for us (especially in adoration)!
2. Tell me of upcoming events.
3. Tell young adults about our website.
4. Make suggestions for events (especially service events!)
5. Let us know how you found out about us.

I am a Priest (Deacon), how can I help?
1. Pray for us (especially in adoration, or if you could offer a Mass for us)!
2. Come to events.
3. Tell me of upcoming events.
4. Tell young adults about our website.
5. Post on the message board (we'd love to have priests posting, even outside of the area).
6. Make suggestions for events (especially service events!)
7. Let us know how you found out about us.
8. Father, we are here for YOU, tell us how WE can help YOU!

I am a Religious (Sister or Brother), how can I help?
1. Pray for us (especially in adoration)!
2. Come to events.
3. Tell me of upcoming events.
4. Tell young adults about our website.
5. Post on the message board (we'd love to have religious posting, even outside of the area).
6. Make suggestions for events (especially service events!)
7. Let us know how you found out about us.
8. We are here for YOU, tell us how WE can help YOU!

I am a Youth (Young Adult) Minister, how can I help?
We already have many youth ministers involved in the group!
1. Pray for us (especially in adoration)!
2. Come to events.
3. Tell me of upcoming events.
4. Tell young adults about our website.
5. Post on the message board.
6. Make suggestions for events (especially service events!)
7. Let us know how you found out about us.
8. Tell your priests about us.
9. And once again, is there a way that we can help you?

Who pays the bills? Can I make a donation?
I pay the bills (comes out to about $200 a year for the website). I do not accept donations, mainly due to tax purposes. However, if you would like to donate evangelization materials for us to pass out at events, we could be more than happy to accept them.

I am very shy, should I come?
Yes, you should! We have a lot of transition in the group, which makes it very easy for new people to get involved. I would like to think we are very welcoming to new people as well. My advice to shy people is to come to the smaller events first so you get to know only a handful of people well at first, which will make it a lot easier at larger events. Feel free to email me and introduce yourself - and remember, not all events are listed on the website, usually these smaller events are the best to attend first, so please email me!

I am just starting to live my faith, should I come?
Yes, you should! We have people of all faith levels in the group. We have the people in the group who just converted or who just recently started going back to Mass. We have members who go to daily Mass and have theology degrees. Its a very wide variety in the group. We will gladly help you grow in your faith as we hope you will help us grow in ours! Our goal is to help each other grow in holiness and truly live a life for Jesus Christ!

I am not Catholic, should I come?
Yes, you should! Although almost all of our regulars are Catholic, we have a few non-Catholics who attend our events and we are very open to having more non-Catholics attend our events. We just ask that you respect our beliefs.

I would like information on the Catholic faith, can you help?
Yes, there are many people in Baltimore Catholic that would be more than happy to discuss their faith with you. We could also point you to a priest or a church to help you learn more about the Catholic faith. If you prefer a less hands on approach, we could point you to different internet websites or give you some books and cd's we have that explain the faith.

I am discerning a religious vocation, can you help?
We have had four men enter seminary and four women become sisters. We currently have a few people in the group discerning possible calls to religious life. And a few of us have gone through a discernment process and discerned that we are not called to religious life. Although some people prefer to keep their discernment private, there may be some people who would be willing to discuss it with you. In addition, our vocations page has testimonies of some people who have entered religious life and useful discernment links. It also has links to the vocations office of the Archdiocese of Baltimore as well as other local diocese and many religious orders.

Why are events outside of Maryland listed on the calendar page?
One thing we have noticed is that young adults are usually willing to drive for good events. That is why we list events outside of Maryland. Also, if you live in Montgomery County, for example, an event in Fairfax is closer to your home than an event in Harford County.

What are your boundaries?
We have none. If we think people will drive to it (or fly to it), we'll list it. Our main focus is events within a half hour drive of the Baltimore metro area. However, some events are worth a longer drive. Also, we attend conferences and go on pilgrimages. Similarly, if you live outside the Baltimore metro area, but are willing to drive to our events, you are more than welcome to attend.

Why was _____ event not listed?
We can only list events we know of. Unfortunately, many times we find out about excellent Catholic events after the fact. Please keep us informed of events, even if you don't know all the details, we can at least be on the lookout for them!

Does this take away from the parish?
We'd like to think its the complete opposite, that it helps the parish. First, if your parish has young adult specific events or events of interest to young adults (and we know of them), we will list it on the website, which will attract people to your parish. We have also learned that even the largest parishes cannot sustain a young adult group by themselves, they need to get young adults from neighboring parishes. Our hope is that through advertising these events, this can be accomplished. We've also noticed that many young adults simply don't know of the events going on for them, as most don't read their parish bulletins. They can come here and knows all events listed are for them! In addition, some of the events we plan or where we are the majority of those in attendance, are held in parishes. Lastly, we encourage all young adults to be involved with their parish, and most people in the group are involved (besides attending Mass, some help with the youth group or CCD).