“A church that does not listen...cannot be credible,” Pope Francis said in his opening remarks to a worldwide meeting of Catholic leaders on the topic of young people. The pope said the church needs to listen “to those young people who often do not feel understood by the church” and are “not accepted for who they really are.”

The editors at America Media could not agree more. That is why we invite high school and college students to share their experience as Catholics in our annual Generation Faith Essay Contest. In recent years, I have had the privilege of reading hundreds of essays from young Catholics about the ways that their faith has pushed them to pursue justice and engage in acts of mercy—and the ways that their faith has been challenged by the failure of the church to live up to the radical call of the Gospels.

Past contest winners have written about experiences as diverse as living through the Arab Spring, overcoming porn addiction and struggling with depression and anxiety. 

I invite you to share your story for a chance to win $1,000 and have your essay published in America magazine.

Learn more about the Generation Faith Essay Contest and submit your entry here.

Ashley McKinless
Associate Editor
America Media