Sacred Listening in Rural Kansas: Why These Conversations Matter

I just returned from two days in rural Kansas that reminded me why this work matters so much.

Three parishes opened their doors to host conversations about Sacred Listening and young people. The response was overwhelming. Parents and grandparents filled the rooms. Parish priests, DREs, and teachers came ready to engage. Concerned community members who care deeply about the next generation showed up too. People asked thoughtful questions and shared stories from their own lives. What united everyone was a single desire: how to connect young people to faith in a way that feels real, honest, and lasting.

The Challenge of Rural Contexts

Too often, rural communities are overlooked when it comes to resources, programming, and attention from national organizations. It is easy to assume that the most pressing innovation needs exist in urban or suburban centers where populations are larger and trends move faster. That assumption is costly. Rural kids matter just as much. They grow up facing the same cultural shifts as their urban peers, but with fewer resources to navigate them.

What struck me most in Kansas was not scarcity—it was eagerness. These communities are full of adults who want to walk alongside the next generation but often feel like they are doing so without enough support.

A Vision Worth Noticing

The Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas has been working to change that story. Through the leadership of Angie Bittner, a tireless advocate for rural families and faith communities, the archdiocese has built programs that make sure small towns are not left behind. By bringing workshops, training, and conversations into these places, they are helping to ensure that the future of faith in rural America is not forgotten.

This is not charity work. It is education. It is vision matched by practical resources. It is an investment in people who are hungry to serve their kids and their neighbors well.

Sacred Listening as a Bridge

Sacred Listening resonates in these settings because it is not about having the flashiest program or the biggest youth group. It is about paying attention. Listening creates trust. Trust builds relationships. And relationships open the door to faith.

In parish halls and school gyms, I heard stories of grandparents who want to pass on faith but worry that their words will fall flat. I heard from teachers who see students struggling to find hope. I heard from priests who know the challenges of doing ministry in small, scattered communities. Each of them walked away with practical tools for listening—ways to make space for stories, questions, and honest conversations that open hearts.

More Than a Stop on the Map

We drove hundreds of miles in just two days, but it never felt like a grind. The hospitality was unmatched—meals shared, prayers offered, roads traveled with laughter and encouragement. The people we met embodied what so many in rural America already know: faith thrives when it is rooted in community.

I hope these two days in Kansas are not the end but the beginning of more work like this. Rural voices deserve to be heard. Rural young people deserve the same attention and care as those in any city. And rural communities have much to teach the rest of us about resilience, hospitality, and faith lived close to the ground.