Resources for Ministry Leaders Accompanying Young Adults

Man typing on a laptop

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.

Sacred heart of Jesus

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)

Young Adult Ministry Forum

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

catholic social ministry gathering 2011 participants cns home

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

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

www.bustedhalo.com

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

https://grottonetwork.com/

id: Intentional Disciples [within the Renewal Ministries family]

Community, mission, and spirituality for young adult Catholics

https://www.id916.com/

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

https://www.naacyyamn.org/

National Dialogue on Catholic Pastoral Ministry with Youth and Young Adults

Collaborative tool for pastoral conversations with youth and/or young adults

www.nationaldialogue.info

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 peoplehttps://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

https://veym.net/

Formation of Ministry Leaders

National Advisory Team on Young Adult Ministry

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

Young Catholic Professionals

Community and conversation for young adult Catholics in the workplace

Back to Youth and Young Adult Ministries

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.