A decade of serving young adults in the Arlington diocese requires a special celebration. Marking its 10th anniversary this month, P3 — Penance, Prayer and Pub — has practiced the same model every Wednesday evening: confession, Eucharistic adoration, a meditation and pub time, which includes a portable bar and drinks purchased on a donation basis. Last week, St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington marked P3’s anniversary with Bishop Michael F. Burbidge as a guest speaker.
More than 200 young adults crowded into the church to hear Bishop Burbidge deliver a meditation at the Nov. 8 celebration. He asked young adults to imitate Mary’s witness to the faith in the secular world. “I hear stories, and I know you pay a price for witnessing what is good and true to the faith that we profess,” he said.
He said young adults should feel emboldened to follow Mary’s courageous example. “She didn’t run from the cross, and neither must we,” he said.
During the Q&A, Bishop Burbidge addressed the need for young adult leadership in the diocese. “We have to invite you more into leadership. And what do I need from you? Even though you’re very, very busy, say ‘yes’ when we invite you or your pastor invites you into leadership,” he said.
Following adoration and Benediction, young adults gathered in Benedict Hall for a reception with Bishop Burbidge; Father Donald J. Planty, pastor; and Father David A. Dufresne, parochial vicar. Father Planty addressed the crowd, stating that he has led the apostolate for nine and a half years. “It’s been a great blessing,” he said.
Father James R. Searby, then a parochial vicar of St. Charles, began P3 in November 2013. The group began with eight men who met in the side chapel of St. Charles. In the weeks to come, the young adults began inviting more friends until the apostolate overflowed into the main church. The following year, Father Planty became pastor and nurtured and further developed the apostolate.
The two hallmarks of P3 are apostolate and friendship, Father Searby said. “Over the years, there’s been tons of marriages that have come from it, priestly vocations, religious vocations, but I’ve seen tons of friendships and a lot of people who converted to the faith,” he said.
The apostolate is intended to foster the essential elements of the Christian life as described in Acts 2:42, Father Planty said. “It continues to offer those four pillars of the faith: prayer, sacrament, fellowship and formation.”
Over the last decade, Father Planty said P3 has offered approximately 500 meditations. With tens of thousands of attendees over the last decade, P3 has offered confessions for 1,500 hours, amounting to approximately 25,000 confessions, he said.
Meditations have varied from Q&As to talks on spiritual growth and the saints. Father Planty’s “My Top 10 Faves,” features his lists of his favorite books, songs, movies, travels and poems, and describes their positive impact on spiritual life. Father Planty’s favorite meditations have been two of his series: one on meditative prayer and one on moderating human passions and desires. “After 30 years as a priest, I believe that there are two things people especially need to learn for their spiritual lives: how to foster intimate communion with Jesus through mental prayer, and how to deal with the passions,” he said.
Anthony Cornelius, a parishioner of St. Rita Church in Alexandria, said he began attending P3 over a year ago and called it a “spiritual home.”
“I liked the idea of young adults from the area coming together for camaraderie, prayer and fellowship,” he said.
Julia Pipan, a parishioner of St. Charles and a volunteer bartender at P3, became involved with the apostolate after graduating from college in 2020.
“I decided to move to Arlington, where I decided I wanted to become involved with my community. So, I started attending P3 about two years ago and then bartending about eight months to a year ago,” Pipan said. “My favorite part about P3 is just getting an opportunity to see friends and to get to hear a lot of good talks from priests: both our local priests, but also visiting priests and seminarians. It’s just been such a gift.”
