“The primary aim of the Young Adults Congress is for us to find out the avenues available for us to be active in the parish and the archdiocese,” James Altwies, president of the Congress, said.

Altwies was elected president in a preliminary meeting of the Congress attended by 44 delegates and 25 alternates.

“The task facing us now,” he said, “is to try and find out what the young adults throughout the archdiocese feel. As delegates we must try to represent the opinions of the young adults of our parishes.” Altwies hopes to accomplish this task through meetings on a parish level prior to the Congress set for Sept. 24-25.

A preliminary list of resolutions has been drawn up by the temporary resolutions committee.

“The primary resolutions that will be passed are those concerning the service we can offer,” Altwies said.

The service resolutions suggest the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Big Brother program, Voluntary Probation Offices program and the Family and Children Services as possible means of implementing this service. Also assisting the pastor in routine matters will be discussed.

Other topics that will be considered by the Young Adults Congress include resolutions on the liturgy, adult education, including seminars and lectures, interfaith dialogue and the Friday law of abstinence.

Bishop Joseph L. Bernardin, who addressed the delegates, urged them to “bring your thinking in line with the thinking of the modern church and transfer that thinking into practice.” The Bishop also advised them that “you must begin to assume responsibility for the welfare of the Church...the parishes to which you belong and ...the members of these parishes. Be concerned with the impact the Church is making on the community and the problems affecting the community.” The president also remarked that “we hope in the future there will be no need for a young adults congress. We hope that it will be incorporated with the regular lay congress since we are members of the faith,” he said.

Altwies is a member of St. John Vianney Mission in Austell. He is a past president of the Cathedral Club and is active in the Knights of Columbus Council #660. He has been serving as temporary chairman of the Steering Committee for the Congress.

Also elected at the meeting were Lynda Schladenhauffen, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, vice president; Faith Mitchell, Christ the King Parish, secretary; and Jim Wallace, St. Thomas More Parish, treasurer.

The permanent committees for the Congress, Steering, Organization and Resolutions, were also set up at the meeting.

The next step in the Congress activity is to hold meetings on the parish level to try to involve as many of the young adults of each parish as possible.