2026 United Catholic Appeal
From friendship to faith: Young adult finds God and community through sports
More than great friends and bowling teammates, Andrew Moster, left, served as the sponsor for Thomas Robbins as he was received into the full communion of the Church earlier this year. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)
By John Shaughnessy
It was a moment of need and longing for Thomas Robbins—not unusual feelings for a young adult.
At the age of 25 then, Robbins had just moved back to Indiana—looking for something to do to get him out of his house, looking really for friends and a community to call his own.
As someone who has always enjoyed sports, Robbins googled “intramurals” and the first thing that popped up was the IndyCatholic website, the one for the archdiocese’s Young Adult and College Campus Ministry. There, he saw a notice about a bowling league starting.
Robbins ignored the fact that he wasn’t Catholic, that faith didn’t have much of a place in his life. Instead, he focused on the feeling that he had always enjoyed the sport, and the thought that being part of a team would let him meet new people.
He just never expected that the experience would lead to the best friends he’s ever known, a community he embraces or especially to the moment on June 22 of this year that signaled a dramatic change in his life.
On that evening, Robbins received the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist during Sunday Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church in Indianapolis.
Now 35, Robbins looks back on how the past 10 years have unfolded—from an internet search for intramurals to a longing to enter into a deeper relationship with Christ.
“I think a lot of people are coming from the same spot I was coming from—struggling and trying to find their way,” he said. “I think significant things had to take place in my life, which I believe is what God has been doing for me. And that’s really helped me grow into the man I am now. I would encourage anybody to try to find their way through God, through Jesus.
“I think, realistically, if it wasn’t for IndyCatholic, I feel my life would be completely different.”
‘We meet them where they are’
Making a difference in the lives and the faith of young adults is the obvious purpose of the archdiocese’s Young Adult and College Campus Ministry—one of the ministries supported by the archdiocese’s United Catholic Appeal. But the path to leading young people to Christ often involves different approaches.
“Today’s young adults are not the future of the Church—they are the Church right now,” says Meagan Morrisey, director of the archdiocese’s Young Adult and College Campus Ministry. “We meet them where they are—in gyms, breweries, lecture halls and coffee shops—and walk with them toward a deeper purpose and lasting community. It starts with friendship, and sometimes it leads to faith.”
Robbins reflects that reality, as a flashback to an evening in November of 2024 reveals.
During that evening, 30 teams—involving 179 young adults—participated in IndyCatholic’s bowling league at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis.
The fun names of some of the teams showed the joy of the league: Split Happens, We’ve Been Framed, Living on a Spare, Ten Pin Commandments, Can’t Believe It’s Not Gutter, Alley-Lujahs and Who You Calling Pinhead?
The league is where Robbins found great friends in Andrew Moster and Moster’s wife, Natalie. The friendship between Robbins and Moster evolved as the two young men initially played on different teams, competed fiercely against each other and then decided to become teammates on Spare Us, O Lord. The fact that they both enjoy singing karaoke sealed their friendship.
As Robbins grew closer to Andrew and Natalie, he found himself “wanting to know more about the Catholic faith.” And with that faith being important in their lives and their marriage, Andrew and Natalie wanted to be there for Robbins as he began his journey to move closer to God.
The couple suggested the idea to him about taking part in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), toward being received into the full communion of the Church.
“I went over to Andrew’s and Natalie’s one night for a beer, just to hang out,” Robbins recalled on that night last year as the sound of pins crashed in the background. “They asked me how I felt about [faith]. I had dabbled in it before, wanting to understand the Catholic faith. But I never wanted to leap forward like this and jump in with both feet.”
Robbins made the leap, but only after he made sure that Andrew was along for the jump.
“It’s been nice that Andrew wanted to be that sponsor for me and learn the faith a little bit stronger for himself. He knows me really well. He knows that I needed that kind of support to do that and get through it.”
Robbins felt that same support in his faith journey admin throughout the IndyCatholic community.
“One of the main reasons I chose this community is because the entire time I’ve been here, everyone has been so welcoming. Everybody has been easy to talk to, supportive and friendly. Because of that, I felt going forward was the right thing to do.”
As Robbins excused himself to take his turn on the lane, Moster stepped into the conversation, talking about his offer to accompany his friend on this journey.
“I love it,” said Moster, a member of St. Louis de Montfort Parish in Fishers, Ind., in the Lafayette Diocese. “It’s a great opportunity to grow in the faith for him. My wife and I are big Catholics. It’s exciting to see him grow and become Catholic himself.”
‘It just felt like a community’
During the Sunday evening Mass in June when Robbins joined the Catholic faith, Moster often had his hand on his friend’s shoulder or gave him a reassuring smile.
After the Mass, as they stood together, Robbins shared that he had been “a little bit anxious, excited and scared” during the Mass, but Moster’s presence and support made a difference.
“Andrew knows me really well,” Robbins said then. “The last eight, nine years, he’s been a brother. He’s really been supportive. He’s shown me a solid path going forward.”
Moster smiled at Robbins and said, “It’s phenomenal watching him grow in the faith and continuing to evolve and improve his whole life as well. It’s been great to be with him on this journey, and now he has this clear path ahead of him. It’s just exciting.”
Their shared thoughts and experiences reveal a fundamental truth: Many young adults—and maybe people of all ages—need and want connection, a sense of belonging, a belief that they are valued first for who they are, even if the goal is to eventually help lead them on a journey of faith.
Consider one of Robbins’ previous experiences with a faith community.
“I think everybody has their own journey of trying to find God. I had a friend that was Pentecostal, and I’ve been in that church,” he says. “There were a bunch of people. They put their arms over me. That was the devil getting out of me or something.
“It didn’t feel right.”
Moster’s offer of friendship did.
“When it comes to the Catholic community—meeting a lot of people like Andrew and Natalie—I haven’t come across the scenario where I’ve met somebody that’s been cross with me,” Robbins said. “When I’m talking to them, they’re not giving me this notion of maybe I’m talking to a wall. And that to me is significant.
“It just felt like a community that I was easily brought into and felt a part of.”
That offer of community, acceptance and connection is at the heart of the archdiocese’s Young Adult and College Campus Ministry, its director says.
‘Making people feel seen, known and loved’
“IndyCatholic designs low-barrier, social-based events intentionally held in neutral spaces—not churches—so anyone, including non-Catholics, feels welcome,” Morrisey says. “Events like Theology on Tap or bowling allow people to attend without pressure, but with a deeper purpose of encountering Jesus and becoming lifelong missionary disciples. It starts with making people feel seen, known and loved.
“Young adults crave connection, and they say so when they attend our IndyCatholic events, often citing the lack of other chances to meet people. Even college students face this, unlike a decade ago when I was in school. In lecture halls, everyone is on their phones or laptops, with no chance to connect.
“Simple acts like having volunteers greet people and remember their names go a long way. Young adults want real conversations about what’s hard, good or exciting in their lives, and our programming provides that.”
That programming is made possible when people in central and southern Indiana contribute to the archdiocese’s annual United Catholic Appeal, Morrisey says.
The contributions help the four staff members of the young adult ministry work toward their goal of creating “a joyful community” that leads young adults closer to Christ.
“The generosity of United Catholic Appeal donors makes this possible, enabling meaningful relationships that lead to marriages, active parish involvement and legacies of faith through Bible studies or school participation,” Morrisey says.
“Money should never be an obstacle in ministry. We plan programs and trust donors will provide. And they do, seeing young adult ministry as an investment in the Church’s future.”
Robbins’ journey of becoming Catholic and moving closer to Christ exemplifies the theme of the 2026 UCA, “Go Forth.”
He knows the difference that IndyCatholic has made in his life, giving him friendships he values, a faith he has embraced, and a community that offers him hope and purpose.
“One thing we’ve talked about is divine planning,” Robbins says about his conversations with Moster. “God has a divine plan. If everything happens for a reason, then I was meant to go down this path.
“Every single person I’ve met through IndyCatholic has been phenomenal and warm. So, for anyone who’s looking for community—you’re feeling like you’re an outsider or you’re searching for something—they make you feel that you’re part of something.”
(For more information about the United Catholic Appeal, visit www.UnitedCatholicAppeal.org.) †
Related: See more stories from our special section highlighting ministries supported by United Catholic Appeal
