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Archives Bishop’s Fund supports young adult ministry

Oct. 22, 2014

By Marika Donders
Diocesan director, Young Adult Ministry

Who are young adults and what are they looking for from the Church?

For practical purposes, young adults are those in their twenties and thirties.  For many it is a time of transition.
It is the college student who is moving out into the "real" world away from the relative comfort of college and a close knit group of college friends.  

It is the transition to find that first rung on the career ladder, moving to a new place, figuring out all the little details that you never had to worry about before: everything from getting utilities hooked up in your new apartment, to insurance, to car payments and yes, getting connected at a parish.

And for many young adults, connection and community is what they are looking for.  Getting connected to a parish for a young adult is not as easy as you would think. 

One way I have heard it described by one young adult is:

“So, that first Sunday in your new parish you scoot into a pew while all around you are families, couples, and elderly friends greeting each other and finding their usual spots. Hopefully you are not sitting in someone’s regular seat. In an ideal world, one of the regulars at the parish would notice you, introduce herself, and would invite you to the coffee after Mass. There you would be introduced to other parishioners and get hooked up with the parish young adult group or connected to a ministry in which you can use your gifts. Sadly, it is often more likely that the only handshake you will get is a perfunctory sign of peace during Mass.”

Now, this experience is not unique to young adults, but, because young adults are in transition and not yet settled, getting connected to a parish community is that much more important.

The Office of Young Adult Ministry, as a component of the Office of Evangelization, offers resources to parishes and young adults to help young adults connect and even to start young adult groups whether in the parish or regionally.

Using social media, the Young Adult Ministry Office communicates with young adults about diocesan events and opportunities. 

In addition to offering support for the formation of Young Adult Groups, the office is also responsible for the coordination of the Diocesan World Youth Day group which will attend the World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland in 2016.

World Youth Day is an experience for young adults from all across the world to meet up every three years, to pray together, to be catechized, and to experience the universal church as they meet with the Holy Father. For many young adults, the experience of World Youth Day is the catalyst to deepen their faith and to become leaders in their parishes.

Thank you for supporting the Bishop's Fund, without which none of the many works of the diocese, including the support of Young Adult Ministry would be possible.

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