A Vision of Ministry of Who are Young Adults

Jesus Meets UsWoman at the well (John 4-42)

Jesus and Zacchaeus (Luke 19: 1-10)

Meet words from JP II to young adults

The Church needs your energies, your enthusiasm, your ideals, in order to make the Gospel of life penetrate the fabric of society,

transforming people’s hearts and the structures of society in order to create a

civilization of true justice and love.

World Youth Day 1993 Denver

Meet Young Adultsages 18 – 35singleengagedmarriedmarried with childrensingle-againin & out of collegeprofessionals and more….

Meet Young Adults25 Million young adult Catholics in the

US40 % of our US Catholic Population are

young adults

Vatican II – “What’s that?” 50 % of those confirmed young adult Catholics recently surveyed did not know what Vatican II was.

Vatican II is no longer the frame of reference for a large number of Catholic young adults

Meet the MilieuGeneration X (older young adults)

Born between 1965 – 1979 Formative events: Watergate, Fall of Berlin Wall,

Challenger explosion, Gulf War, PC boom In the workplace/life, Gen Xers:

shun the hard-core, super-motivated, do-or-die boomer work ethic

Want open communication, regardless of position, title or tenure

Respect production over tenure Value control of their time Look for a person in whom they can invest loyalty,

not a company

Meet the Milieu Millennials (also called Generation Y)

Born 1980 – 2000Formative events: Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11,

The Internet boomIn the workplace/life: Search for the individual who

will help them achieve their goalsWant open, constant communication and positive

reinforcement from their bossSearch for a job that provides great personal

fulfillmentAre searching for ways to shed the stress from their

lives

Meet the MilieuMillennials (also called

Generation Y)Seeking truth & meaning in

their life Protected & scheduled It’s all about the time Grew up in an entertainment

culture

Meet the MilieuNot a cookie cutter approach

Examples: rosary generosity of service cultural differences

Meet the Milieu

Good News•High Catholic affiliation 90% of surveyed confirmed young adult Catholics identify themselves as CATHOLIC!

•What else did they say:• Sacraments and devotion to

Mary are essential to Catholic faith

• Most consider themselves spiritual, pray regularly, and support the Church’s social mission

Meet them where they are?Eclipsed – other things are more important

This group is not angry but disengagedTheology on Tap ModelWorld Wide Web

Private- intentional about prayer aloneGo out in natureAdoration

Ecumenical- differences make no senseGo to local big box churchMarriage issuesQuestions about salvationBacik & Reese Classifications

Meet them where they are?Evangelical – “Zeal for your

house will consume me” –Psalm 69

Strong, challenging & relevant preaching

good music – praise & worship Mix of community & contemplation

Sacramental – Sacraments are important

Christ Centered tradition

Meet them where they are?Prophetic – Social Justice & Service

are keyMission trips – Alternative Spring

Break JVC, AmeriCorps and more

Communal – Party people in young adult circlesSocial networking for datingRetreats, socials, parties, prayer

groups

Meet a needTo connect young adults with Jesus Christ

To connect young adults to the Church

To connect young adults to the Mission of the Church

To connect young adults with their Peer Community

(From Sons and Daughters of the Light)

Meet the visionParishes need to be young adult

responsive in all their ministries. Every parish ministry—

—needs to welcome young adults and address their spiritual hungers

(Young Adult Works, Center for Ministry Development)

Liturgy

Sacraments

Faith formation

RCIAService

Justice

Pastoral care

Marriage preparation Educatio

n

Baptismal Preparation

In the walls

•Young adults at Mass, but not registered•Marriage Preparation•Baptismal Classes•Lectors•Extra-ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion•Sports teams•RCIA•Adult Confirmation•Parents of younger children in parish or public school

Outside th

e

walls Starbucks, Spot, Happy Hour

Gyms

Looking to volunteer

Connected on the web

In College or not in college

Young moms

Brides to be

To learn more about the faith

Retreats

Service Mission Trips

A place to call home

A chance to meet other Catholics

Spiritual direction

Brainstorm: Who are the young adults known to you?

Assess: Successes & Growing Edges

Name: How can we move forward?

Choose Christ so that in each moment of your life -- whether happy or difficult -- you will have the interior certainty that he sustains you with the grace and power of the Holy Spirit.” – Benedict XVI to youth pilgrims to Lednica (June 2009)

Catholics on Call, www.catholicsoncall.org

Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, http://cara.georgetown.edu“Young Adult Catholics in the Context of Other Generations: Living with Diversity, Seeking Service, Waiting to be Welcomed,” 2000

Hayes, Mike. Googling God: Landscapes of People in their 20’s & 30’s, Mahwah, Paulist Press, 2007.

Marston, Carm . Founder and president of Generational Insight (www.marstoncomm.com) and author of Motivating the “What’s In It For Me?” Workforce: Manage Across the Generational Divide and Increase Profits (Wiley, 2007)

Resources for Young Adults, Archdiocese of Baltimore www.archbalt.org

Young Adult Works, Center for Ministry Development, 1997

Sons and Daughters of the Light, 1997.

Gregory CooganYoung Adult Ministry Coordinator

The Diocese of BuffaloDepartment of Youth & Young Adult Ministry

w. 716-847-8789

gcoogan@buffalodiocese.org