Resources for Ministry Leaders Accompanying Young Adults
This webpage includes a list of resources which are used by a number of Catholic pastoral leaders who minister with young adults across the United States.
Disclaimer: Links to external websites are provided solely for the user’s convenience. USCCB assumes no responsibility for these websites, their content, and/or their sponsoring organizations. References to these sites do not imply and are not to be used as official endorsement by the USCCB of the site or those associated with it. They are solely intended as a resource that might be of interest to USCCB website visitors.
If you find there are additional resources that are being used in ministry with young adults with some regularity, but are not listed below, please feel free to send the suggestion(s) to @email.
Celebrate Young Adults Annually
Each year on the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Catholic Church holds its Global Celebration of Young People, where Catholic communities in every country set time aside to reflect on, acknowledge, and celebrate the youth and young adults in their midst. The USCCB has developed a resource guidebook for pastoral leaders to implement this celebration locally.
The resource guidebook can be found here: usccb-christ-the-king-guidebook.pdf.
To assist in your diocesan, parish, and school plans for the Annual Global Celebration of Youth and Young Adults, the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Christ the King Sunday) the USCCB hosted a three-part webinar series. See recordings of each webinar listed below.
Part 1: Planning for Christ the King Global Celebration of Young People watch recording here. (Hosted on May 7, 2024)
Webinars and Office Hours for Ministry Leaders
The USCCB offers regular "office hours" for ministry leaders to "drop in" for one-hour sessions that include dialogue around particular issues and networking with others in this ministry across the country.
NEXT OFFICE HOUR PROGRAM
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time
"Young Adults and Mental Health"
To register, go to https://bit.ly/usccb_mya_oct2024
In anticipation of World Mental Health Day and the start of the nationwide novena for the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign, join USCCB staff Paul Jarzembowski and special guest Deacon Ed Shoener, President of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, for a lively conversation on the issue of young adults and mental health.
PAST WEBINARS AND OFFICE HOURS
What Issues Are You Facing? USCCB Inaugural Office Hour Session
with Paul Jarzembowski and Meghan Lagoutine, USCCB Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth
Originally aired Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Ministry with Young Adults Today: A Conversation on What's Working and What Challenges We Face
with Diana Hancharenko, Young Adult Minister for St. Angela Merici Parish in Youngtown, Ohio; Dr. Tracey Lamont, Assistant Professor of Religious Education at Loyola University New Orleans; and Paul Jarzembowski, USCCB Youth and Young Adult Ministries
Originally aired Thursday, July 22, 2021
Sunday is Not Always Their Sabbath Day: Ministering with Young Adults Working Nights and Weekends
with Mark Moitoza, Vice Chancellor for Evangelization at the Archdiocese for Military Services USA; Carlos Bernard Jr., Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at the Diocese of Orlando; and Camille Grippon, System Director for Global Ministries within the Bon Secours Mercy Health System
Originally aired Thursday, June 24, 2021
Zoom Was Not a Band-Aid: Rethinking the Role of Technology in Ministry with Young Adults
with Jose Julian Matos Auffant, Director of Mission for St. Mary's University (in San Antonio), John Grosso, Director of Digital Media for the Diocese of Bridgeport, and Mary Kate Polanin, Digital Content Editor at Busted Halo.
Originally aired Thursday, May 20, 2021
More Turnover and Transition: Navigating Changes in Ministry and Staff Leadership
with Matt Davis of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Eunice Park of the San Francisco Bay Area, and Starr Young of Loyola Chicago
Originally aired Thursday, April 29, 2021
Turnover and Transition: How to Weather Inevitable Leadership Changes
with Diana Hancharenko of St. Angela Merici Parish in Youngstown, Ohio, and Michal Horace of Saint Meinrad Young Adult Initiative
Originally aired Thursday, March 18, 2021
Ministry with Young Adults 101: Unpacking the Basics
with Vicky Hathaway of the Diocese of Gary and Benito Medrano of the Diocese of Fresno
Originally aired Thursday, February 25, 2021
Catechesis with Young Adults: Implications of the Vatican’s New Directory for Catechesis
with Marilyn Santos of USCCB, José Amaya of the Archdiocese of the Military Services, USA, and Jennifer Delvaux of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Originally aired Thursday, January 21, 2021
Exploring Pope Francis’ Fratelli Tutti and Its Impact on Ministry with Young Adults
with Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Ralph McCloud of USCCB, and Annapatrice Johnson of Maryknoll
Originally aired Thursday, November 19, 2020
Preparing Young Adults for Advent and Christmas in the Parish and at Home This Year
with Barbara Escobar of Los Angeles, Nick Stein of Bon Secours Young Adults, Sr. Bernadette Mota, FMA, of the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, and Colin Nykaza of the Archdiocese of New York
Originally aired Thursday, October 15, 2020
Helping Young Adults Become Faithful Citizens
with Emily Schumacher-Novak of USCCB and Lia Salinas of the Archdiocese of Baltimore
Originally aired Thursday, September 24, 2020
Practicing Self-Care: A Webinar for All Who Minister with Young Adults
with Franciscan friar Fr. Greg Friedman, OFM, of Albuquerque, Ignatian spiritual director and author Becky Eldredge of New Orleans, and Maryknoll mission educator and promoter Brenda Noriega of Phoenix
Originally aired Thursday, August 27, 2020; recording from early September 2020
A Conversation on the Process of Reopening After COVID
facilitated by Dr. Timone Davis of Loyola University Chicago
Originally aired Thursday, June 25, 2020
Grief, Bereavement, and Young Adults
with LCSW therapist Orlando Davis of Chicago and Northwest Indiana, pastoral leader, author, and media minister Mike Hayes of Cleveland, and Sr. Fran Gorsuch of the Sisters of Bon Secours
Originally aired Thursday, June 4, 2020
A Conversation on Grief and Ministry with Young Adults
facilitated by Diana Hancharenko of St. Angela Merici Parish in Youngstown, Ohio
Originally aired Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Creating a Culture of Encounter in Time of Social Distancing and Uncertainty
with Danielle Brown of the USCCB and Rachel Mpanu-Mpanu of Miami
Originally aired Thursday, April 16, 2020, with a follow-up dialogue on key topics raised
Continuing the Conversation on the Realities of COVID-19 and Young Adults
facilitated by Dr. Tracey Lamont of Loyola University New Orleans
Originally aired Monday, March 30, 2020
A Special Discussion on the Realities of COVID-19 and Young Adults
facilitated by Dr. Tracey Lamont of Loyola University New Orleans
Originally aired Thursday, March 19, 2020
Addressing Issues of Racism in Ministries with Young Adults
with Cary Dabney of the Diocese of Cleveland and Fr. Matthew O'Donnell of St. Columbanus in Chicago
Originally aired Thursday, February 13, 2020
The Impact of Migration on Ministry with Young Adults
with Diana Hancharenko of St. Angela Merici Parish in Youngtown, Ohio, Joe Perdreauville of the Diocese of Tucson, Brittany Garcia of the Diocese of Knoxville, and Marilyn Santos of USCCB
Originally aired Thursday, December 12, 2019
Mental Health and Ministry with Young Adults
with Terra Starr Young of Loyola University Chicago and Dr. Kristin Witte of Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Originally aired Thursday, November 14, 2019
Pastoral Care and Counseling for Ministry with Young Adults
with Nick Lopez of the University of Dallas, author and psychotherapist Roy Petifils, and Sarah Jarzembowski of the Archdiocese of Baltimore
Originally aired Thursday, October 17, 2019
Implementing Christus Vivit for Ministry with Young Adults
with Nick Stein of Bon Secours Young Adults, Diana Hancharenko of St. Angela Merici Parish in Youngtown, Ohio, and Darius Villalobos of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM)
Originally aired Thursday, May 23, 2019
Unpacking Christus Vivit for Ministry with Young Adults
with Sr. Nathalie Bequart, XMCJ, of the Vatican Synod of Bishops Office and the Episcopal Conference of France, and 2018 Synod auditor Christopher Russo of the Byzantine Catholic Rite
Originally aired Thursday, May 2, 2019
Forming Community with Young Adults: What Can the Church Learn?
with Julie Mashack of Benjamin Franklin Circles, Stacy M. Allen of the Young Adult Catholics of African Descent in Houston, Lea Wojciechowski of Young Catholic Professionals (YCP), and Angie Thurston of On Being Impact Lab and Harvard Divinity School
Originally aired Thursday, April 4, 2019
Disrupting Ministry: Bringing the Synod to Life
with Sean Allen of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Diana Hancharenko of St. Angela Merici Parish in Youngstown, Ohio, and Patrick Rivera of the Diocese of San Diego
Originally aired Thursday, March 7, 2019
The Synod Document: A Paradigm Shift
with Brenda Noriega of the Diocese of San Bernardino and Nick Stein of Bon Secours Young Adults
Originally aired Thursday, February 28, 2019
What Didn't Happen at the Synod: Practical Strategies for Next Steps
with 2018 Synod auditors Briana Santiago from Rome and Jonathan Lewis of Washington DC
Originally aired Thursday, November 28, 2018
NOTE: The webinars listed above from 2018 to 2021 were coordinated as part of the USCCB National Advisory Team for Young Adult Ministry, an effort by the U.S. Bishops at that time to revitalize the nationwide landscape of this ministry field. These webinars were developed in collaboration with Loyola University New Orleans and its Loyola Institute for Ministry and often co-hosted by Dr. Tracey Lamont of Loyola New Orleans and Paul Jarzembowski of the USCCB. The listed programs dated after 2021 have been exclusively hosted by the USCCB Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth.
Resources on the Ministry Profession
The profession of pastoral ministry with young people is the fulfillment of the vocation of service within the Church. As the Second Vatican Council noted: “They bring to the Church people who perhaps are far removed from it, earnestly cooperate in presenting the word of God especially by means of catechetical instruction, and offer their special skills to make the care of souls and the administration of the temporalities of the Church more efficient and effective.” (Apostolicam Actuositatem, no. 10). Here are some resources about this ministry profession.
2022-2023 Qualitative Study of Pastoral Ministers Serving Young Catholics
Available through Ministry Training Source: Ministry in a New Key
Resources for Young Adult Ministry Leaders
USCCB Resources Ministry with Young Adults
We are Salt and Light [general USCCB Catholic social teaching resources]
Faithful Citizenship Resources [note: these resources are relevant even beyond election cycles]
Laudato Si’ and Environment/Climate Resources
Evangelization and Catechesis Resources
Catholic Stewardship Resources
(note: there are specific resources on each cultural family linked to this page)
Vocations to Priesthood and Consecrated Life
Marriage and Family Life Resources
For Your Marriage [special couples resource site]
Natural Family Planning Resources
Pastoral Resources for Persons with Disabilities
Ecumenical and Interreligious Resources
Migration and Immigration Resources
(see also: https://www.usccb.org/committees/pastoral-care-migrants-refugees-travelers)
Organizations Creating Resources for Ministry with Young Adults
Alpha USA: Catholic Context
Formation for evangelization in the Catholic Christian context
https://alphausa.org/catholic/contact | https://alphausa.org/catholic
Busted Halo Ministries
Ministry for both men and women in the charism of the Paulist community
Catholic Volunteer Network (CVN)
Collaborative organization for Catholic volunteerism
@email | https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/
Grotto Network
Resource center in the charism of the University of Notre Dame
id: Intentional Disciples [within the Renewal Ministries family]
Community, mission, and spirituality for young adult Catholics
Ignatian Young Adult Ministries [Society of Jesus]
Ministry for both men and women in the charism of the Jesuit community
https://www.ignatianyoungadults.org/
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers | Young Adult Outreach
Ministry for both men and women in the charism of the Maryknoll community
https://www.maryknoll.us/home/young-adult-empowerment-community
National African American Catholic Youth and Young Adult Initiative
Resource for engaging and networking African American young people
National Dialogue on Catholic Pastoral Ministry with Youth and Young Adults
Collaborative tool for pastoral conversations with youth and/or young adults
Saint Meinrad Young Adult Initiative
Lily-funded ministry program for parishes seeking to engage young adults
https://www.saintmeinradyai.org/
Sisters of Bon Secours, USA | Bon Secours Young Adults
Ministry for both men and women in the charism of the Bon Secours community
https://bonsecours.us/youngadults/
The Holy See | Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
The Vatican office that oversees ministries with young people
https://www.laityfamilylife.va/content/laityfamilylife/en.html
(see also the specific page on young people: https://www.laityfamilylife.va/content/laityfamilylife/en/giovani.html; please note that the word “youth” on this web page is defined as those ages 16 to 30s)
Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth (Young Adult) Movement
Ecclesial movement for Vietnamese young adults centered in the Eucharist
Formation of Ministry Leaders
The National Advisory Team on Young Adult Ministry provides annual formation conferences (National Leadership Forum and National Young Adult Ministry Summit, in alternating years), monthly webinars, resource curation, and one-on-one consulting and training.
Catholic Apostolate Center
The Catholic Apostolate Center develops formation programs, helps pastoral ministers deepen their connections with each other, and provides formation for members.
Instituto Fe Y Vida: Institute for Faith and Life
Ministry training for young adults and for pastoral junveil hispana
Southeast Pastoral Institute for Hispanic/Latino Ministry (SEPI)
Ministry training for young adults and for pastoral junveil hispana
Associations Connecting Ministry Leaders
Catholic Apostolate Center
The Catholic Apostolate Center develops formation programs, helps pastoral ministers deepen their connections with each other, and provides formation for members.
Knights of Columbus | College Councils
Fraternal connections for young Catholic men in colleges and universities
Community and conversation for young adult Catholics in the workplace
Publishers
Institutions for Higher Learning
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Georgetown University Initiative on Catholic Social Thought & Public Life
Digital, Diverse, and Current Conversations on Social Concerns and Justice
(ALSO see their Salt and Light Gatherings for young adults: https://catholicsocialthought.georgetown.edu/topics/salt-and-light-gatherings)
Loyola University, Chicago
Loyola Institute for Ministry Loyola University, New Orleans
Marian University
Mexican American Catholic College
McGrath Institute on Church Life | University of Notre Dame
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Disclaimer: Links to external websites are provided solely for the user’s convenience. USCCB assumes no responsibility for these websites, their content, and/or their sponsoring organizations. References to these sites do not imply and are not to be used as official endorsement by the USCCB of the site or those associated with it. They are solely intended as a resource that might be of interest to USCCB website visitors.