Young professional Catholics build community amid Toronto’s secular landscape

In Toronto, Canadaʼs largest city, a growing community of young Catholic professionals is quietly reshaping what it means to live out faith in the modern world.

Young Professional Catholics of Toronto (YPCT), which has become an official lay association of the Archdiocese of Toronto, brings together ambitious individuals navigating careers and personal growth, all while remaining rooted in shared Catholic values.

Through networking events, service initiatives, and faith-centered gatherings, the group offers more than just social connection — it provides purpose and belonging as it redefines how Catholic identity can thrive among the next generation of leaders.

Founded in 2024 by Kateryna Sphir and Francis Odum, the latter of whom also currently serves as the groupʼs president, YPCT attracts men and women in the age range of 18 to 39 who meet monthly at different parishes and event spaces across the city.

Kathleen Muggeridge, who serves as the group’s vice president, spoke to EWTN News about the group’s purpose and the challenges young Catholics face in Toronto today. She explained that she sees Toronto as a “spiritually desolate place.”

“Medical assistance in dying [MAID] is being legalized across the country — thereʼs a lot of hopelessness,” she said. “One of the main reasons why [itʼs] being legalized is because of loneliness. And that loneliness doesnʼt just exist in the senior population, it also exists in the young adult population. Thereʼs a lot of isolation.”

Against this backdrop, YPCT aims to serve not only as a resource for young professional Catholics but also as a community where the members “can grow in their faith together.”

Non-Catholics are also welcome to join the group and hopefully “be inspired to start practicing their faith,” Muggeridge said.

Roughly 200 people attend each YPCT event, and for the first time the group plans to host a professional networking conference in the fall for about 500 attendees.

In addition to its monthly events, YPCT hopes to start a mentorship program where professional Catholics who are established in their careers serve as mentors and guides to younger individuals interested in the same field of work.

The group also plans to expand to other cities across Canada. Muggeridge explained that in order to do that they’re building a larger team in Toronto that includes a social media team, a stakeholder relations team, a finance team, a board of directors, and a spiritual director.

“Weʼre hoping to create a structured team format and then once we meet people who are interested in starting YPC in other provinces, we will be able to share that format with them,” she said.

Muggeridge highlighted the many challenges Catholics face in Canada right now. In addition to the legalization of assisted suicide, these include abortion being legal through all nine months of pregnancy and bubble zone laws preventing advocacy outside of abortion clinics.

With this in mind, Muggeridge said she hopes YPCT will “inspire these people to be passionate on certain issues that are related to the spiritual desolation [in the country].”

“So in addition to spiritual nourishment and community and networking, getting involved in these social issues is definitely something that is very important for us,” she added.

She also pointed out the difficulties many young people face in trying to find employment.

“Itʼs hard to build up a career on your own, especially if youʼre a newcomer or you donʼt have a lot of resources,” Muggeridge explained. “Even if youʼve gone to school for something, and youʼre certified in a specific field, itʼs hard to get a job in Canada these days. And so the networking that weʼre able to provide young Catholics, I think has been very valuable and especially when we launch our mentorship program, I think that will provide even more value for people.”

Muggeridge said the group’s main goal “is to just be a channel where people can come closer to Christ by the spiritual nourishment and community that we provide because we want to be in communion with Christ and with our brothers and sisters.”

“Our No. 2 goal is to just be a place where people can grow and develop in their field,” she added. “Work is something that is good and itʼs beautiful, and weʼre made to work and weʼre made to sanctify our work. So, we hope to inspire our members to do that as well.”

Source: https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/americas/young-professional-catholics-build-community-amid-toronto-s-secular-landscape