About Young Adult Ministry

A PASTORAL PLAN FOR YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY

In November 1993 the general membership of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops authorized the bishops' Committee on the Laity to develop a national plan for pastoral ministry to and with young adults. The resulting document was "Sons and Daughters of the Light: A Pastoral Plan for Ministry with Young Adults."

Read the full document:
Sons & Daughters of the Light
Hijos e Hijas de la Luz

WHO ARE YOUNG ADULTS?

...young adulthood refers to people in their late teens, twenties, and thirties;  single , married, divorced, or widowed; and with or without children. They are present in every trade and profession.

They live in the many communities that make  up our society—from rural areas to small towns to large metropolitan areas. They come from diverse cultural, ethnic, educational, vocational, social,  political, and spiritual realities. This diversity is reflected in the large number of people from various nations coming to this country whose median age is in the early to mid-twenties.

GOALS OF YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY

  1. To connect young adults with Jesus Christ through spiritual formation/direction, religious education/formation, and vocational discernment.
  2. To connect young adults to the Church through evangelizing outreach, formation of the faith community, and pastoral care.
  3. To connect young adults with the mission of the Church in the world through forming a Christian conscience, educating and developing leaders for the present and future.
  4. To connect young adults with a peer community through developing peer leadership and identifying a young adult team for the purpose of forming faith communities of peers.

FROM BISHOP SOTO'S STRATEGIC PLAN

"In the early chapters of the Gospel of John, two men met the Lord Jesus on the road.  Their first question to him was, “Where do you live?” (Jn.  1:35-39).  Young men and women will make the decision to follow Jesus Christ in  the Catholic Church if they have the opportunity to meet him in their own  journey. Youth and young adult ministry requires an investment of time and  resources. There must be sufficient number of ministers to be leaders, catechists, and mentors.  Opportunities both online and in parishes will be  provided for Catholic formation and fellowship so that young people can learn to be good disciples of Christ and faithful companions with one another on their  common journey of faith. The three Newman Centers in the Diocese as well as  other resources for college youth will serve as centers for fellowship, worship, and the discernment of Christian vocations."


Read the full document at: 
http://norcaldiocesanplan.com/