SAN ANTONIO • It was a typical Wednesday night crowd at Cielo’s Lounge on Commerce, a chic new nightclub near the center of town.
    Except for the archbishop in the corner.
    He joined more than 100 young adults who came to discuss the Catholic faith at a “Theology on Tap” session, an increasingly popular outreach to twentysomething and thirtysomething Catholics across the country.
    Started in Chicago 25 years ago, “Theology on Tap,” brings together Catholic Church leaders and young adults in an informal setting to discuss subjects that interest them.
    The crowd at Cielo Lounge sipped glasses of wine and bottles of beer the evening of Oct. 19 while listening to Archbishop José H. Gomez in an informal and sometimes humorous presentation.

    Standing in the soft glow of white and blue lights hanging from the ceiling, Archbishop Gomez spoke to the group of young adults about “Relativism — whatever makes you happy is fine.” There also was a question-and-answer period in which the archbishop offered suggestions on how the attendees could advance their knowledge of the faith.
    Archbishop Gomez explained that Catholic theology is based on one objective truth, but that in the post-Christian world, most people think there is no objective truth. “If there is no objective truth, then everything is fine,” the archbishop said. “In this new world, in the 21st century, you can do as you please.”

    He asked, “What is our mission as Catholics?” His reply was, “We need to understand the teachings of the church and help people to understand. The church has a lot to teach about life. Morality is about our relationship with God and relationship with one other. It is a beautiful challenge. We need to know our faith and practice it.”
    As it happened for the second week in a row, the people in the room stayed to talk, keeping Archbishop Gomez beyond his scheduled time.
    Father Will Combs, BBD, parochial vicar of St. Mary Magdalen Church in San Antonio, began the six-week lecture series the second week in October with a presentation on “Why would a good God allow evil and war in the world?”

    The following week on Oct. 26, Auxiliary Bishop Patrick J. Zurek spoke on “The Mass — why go when I can have a relationship with God on my own?”
    The series continues every Wednesday through Nov. 16.
    Leota Roesch, director of Formation Training for the archdiocesan Office of Youth Ministry, is scheduled to speak on “Forgiveness — why? They deserved it!” on Nov. 2; Marco Roman, director of the archdiocesan Office of Marriage and Family Life, is set to present “Sexuality — sex in the city” on Nov. 9; and Father Eddie Bernal, pastor of St. Benedict Church in San Antonio, will discuss “Discernment —where is my place in this world?” on Nov. 16.
    The presentations are held at the Cielo Lounge, located at 300 East Commerce downtown. The evening begins with a 6:30 p.m. mingling session, 7 p.m. talk, and 7:45 p.m. Q & A. For information, call (210) 269-4449 or the Office of Young Adult Ministry at (210) 734-2620 ext. 1215.
Dioceses in 44 U.S. states and a half-dozen other countries now offer Theology on Tap.