Passionist Father Robin Ryan used to think he had a handle on how most young adults thought and acted.

But “the more I speak with young adults, and the more studies I read, the more I realize that this is a topic of significant complexity,” he told a recent invitation-only vocations symposium in Chicago.

“Young adults — like middle-aged and older adults — are complex and often quite divergent in their views about most things, including faith, spirituality and the Church.”

Ryan said young people today experience a stage of “emerging adulthood” characterized by a longer period of vocational and career exploration and a “lingering temptation to keep postponing commitment.”