Special Issue on Catholic Youth & Young Adult Ministry

It gives me great pleasure to announce and provide the readership of Religions this special issue on Catholic youth and young adult ministry [...]

Queer Theology and Youth & Young Adult Ministry

This article is an invitation to Christian youth & young adult educators and ministers to be more understanding of queer theology and to discern its place within ministry to and for young people. The article examines the term “queer,” queer theology, and the placement of queer theology in youth & young adult ministry. Finally the article provides queer pastoral and pedagogical strategies and methods for integration into youth and young adult ministry.

New Directions in Youth and Young Adult Ministry Leadership: Where Have We Been and More Importantly Where Are We Headed?

Catholic youth and young adult ministries have evolved vastly since they began in the 1930s. Throughout this ministry’s history, a story of change is told. This article will explore three questions. First, what does the history of this ministry tell us about the future? This will include an examination of the past twenty years of research and trends on youth and young adult ministry and the ministry leaders serving them. Second, what are the current realities informing our new directions? Third, what are the new directions being called for regarding the Catholic Church’s ministry to youth and young adults, and those that serve this ministry? Undoubtedly, Christus Vivit has shaped this conversation, and a large part of this direction includes a call for evangelization and accompaniment. Regardless, the key to moving in a new direction is understanding both the framework or characteristics for the pastoral ministry and the evolved role responsibilities of youth and young adult ministry leaders.

Parishes as Homes and Hubs

Drawn from ethnographic observation in the Washington, D.C., area, this chapter explores how racially diverse, highly educated, and highly involved young adult Catholics in the region of Washington, D.C., relate to parishes. The Catholic scene, for young adults in this locale, is constructed through the efforts of parish-based young adult groups, diocesan offices for Young Adult Ministry, and parachurch organizations. Consequently, this group relates to parishes in three distinct but overlapping ways: parish as home, parish as hub, and parish as sacrament-station. This chapter suggests that scholars rethink the centrality and functions of the parish in American Catholicism. Using the D.C. region in this study, it would be a mistake to assume that young adults who are “loosely tethered” to D.C. parishes are disengaged from the church.