FINAL REPORT Copyright ©2021 National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry
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on Catholic Pastoral Ministry with Youth and Young Adults FINAL REPORT Copyright ©2021 National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce in whole or in part in any form without the written permission of the copyright holder. Permission may be sought from the copyright holder by contacting: NFCYM 415 Michigan Avenue, N.E., Suite 40 Washington, D.C. 20017 202.636.3825 www.nfcym.org THIS REPORT IS DEDICATED: 9 To all the youth and young adults of our nation, who challenge us to live up to the best version of ourselves as Church and to accompany them on their journey as Christ accompanies them 9 To all the dedicated pastoral ministry leaders who give of themselves every day in service to, for, and with youth and young adults 9 To Pope Francis who, through his apostolic exhortation Christus Vivit, has inspired us to dialogue fearlessly and proclaim Christ is Alive! to all young people 9 And, most importantly, to the greater glory of God. Amen. PRAYER OF THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE Loving God, Open us to the beauty of dialogue that allows us to hear with our hearts and speak with our souls. May our conversations ignite your Spirit within us to go out into the world as missionary disciples. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen. National Dialogue | Final Report 3 Table of Contents Introduction 7 Executive Summary 17 Chapter 1: Synodality is the Way 25 Chapter 2: A Church that Goes Forth: The Findings 59 Chapter 3: The Need for Roots and Wings 102 Epilogue: Discerning How We Move Forward 125 4 National Dialogue | Final Report Letter from the Co-Chairs of the National Dialogue Dear Readers, Many journeys begin with a great sense of anticipation and excitement, and such was the case for the National Dialogue. Hopefully with such journeys, one takes time to develop an itinerary and a plan, and such was the case for the National Dialogue. Oftentimes, the challenges one might encounter on the journey are not always anticipated, but challenges do appear and adjustments made, and such was the case for the National Dialogue. Eventually the journey ends, and one arrives tired yet energized, tested yet blessed, grateful for the experience, and such is the case for the National Dialogue. The National Dialogue began as a strategy of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry to address the growing polarization of competing approaches, theologies, and spiritualities for ministry on behalf of the young Church. A few national organizations and ministries joined the effort as partners, and together this core group developed a plan, laid out a roadmap, and the journey began. Along the way, a few side trips, the USCCB’s V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry and the Vatican’s XV Ordinary Synod on Young People, were taken that wonderfully extended our journey. About 80 national youth-serving organizations, ministries, educational institutions, movements, and apostolates – representing many cultures and ethnicities, approaches, theologies, and spiritualities – hopped on board and became known as the National Leadership Network. During a long stretch of the journey, when the terrain seemed dull, hundreds of conversations took place with young Catholics, ministry leaders and parents from different social, cultural, and ethnic groups all across this country. These conversations have brought us to the moment where we talk about the journey. In one sense this report ends the journey of the National Dialogue, while in another sense, it begins a journey that examines the discoveries and discerns meanings for the future of ministry on behalf of our young people. As co-chairs for this journey, we have witnessed the amazing power of the Holy Spirit. We have been blessed to work with amazingly gifted, committed, and passionate colleagues on the National Dialogue Core Team and the National Leadership Network. We have had the privilege of facilitating and witnessing conversations with young people, ministry leaders, and parents about life, faith and Church. For all this and much more, we are deeply grateful for the privilege of service God has given us. What a journey this has been! And what a journey all of us who serve young people now undertake as we move forward into a new paradigm for youth and young adult ministry. To all our journey companions, we say, thank you. To all who are now joining the journey, we say, welcome aboard. Let us all move forward together, accompanying each other, as we strive to form missionary disciples and transform ministry on behalf of the young. Sincerely, Mr. Don Boucher and dr. timone davis Co-Chairs of the National Dialogue National Dialogue | Final Report 5 Letter from the Episcopal Liaison to the National Dialogue Dear Friends, I have been involved with the National Dialogue on Catholic Pastoral Ministry with Youth and Young Adults for several years, and I have truly been encouraged by all that it has accomplished. For me, the National Dialogue initiative called to mind the experience of the XV Ordinary Synod on “Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment,” for which I had the honor of participating as a Synod Father in 2018. Throughout the process, we took time to carefully and prayerfully listen to the young and discern what the Holy Spirit was saying. Pope Francis reminded us of this lesson in his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Christus Vivit, saying: Those of us who are no longer young need to find ways of keeping close to the voices and concerns of young people. “Drawing together creates the conditions for the Church to become a place of dialogue and life-giving fraternity.” We need to make more room for the voices of young people to be heard: “listening makes possible an exchange of gifts in the context of empathy.” (Christus Vivit, 38, here quoting the Synod’s Final Document) What has impressed me about the National Dialogue has been its ability to do just that. Not only was there ample time to listen to youth and young adults across the United States, as well as those who accompany them, but there was a call for fostering a sense of unity within our Church, which often seems so divided, to come together as brothers and sisters in Christ, in service to the young. This report offers a summary of an incredible project, filled with recommendations and insights that can re- shape our Church’s ministries with youth and young adults for years to come. What it contains amounts to a radical shift towards “the art of accompaniment” (Evangelii Gaudium 169) and “a pastoral care that is synodal” (Christus Vivit 203) in our work with young people. As you read this report, remember that what it contains is a snapshot; however, each of us is called to continue the dialogue in our own way. We are also called to constantly draw close to the concerns of young people and respond with a loving embrace and concrete pastoral action (cf. Christus Vivit 77) With that in mind, this is not just a report for youth, campus, or young adult ministers, although they will benefit greatly from what it proposes; rather, the National Dialogue’s insights are critical for every single leader in the Church: from my brother bishops, priests, and deacons to consecrated religious, lay women and men, parents and families, and any person of faith with a heart for young people. God bless you as you read this important report and take inspiration and action from it. Sincerely yours in Christ, Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano Bishop of Bridgeport | Episcopal Liaison to the National Dialogue 6 National Dialogue | Final Report National Dialogue | Final Report 7 Introduction Dear Young People, Parents, and Ministry Leaders, God has called the Church in the United States of America to dialogue: to dialogue with one another; to dialogue with God; and to a dialogue that is true to itself, in that it includes both speaking and listening. God has been calling you, the young and those who accompany youth and young adults, to speak, just as he called the young prophet Jeremiah: “The word of the Lord came to me: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you. ‘Ah, Lord God!’ I said, ‘I do not know how to speak. I am too young!’ But the Lord answered me, Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak.” (NABRE, Jeremiah 1:4-7) God has also been calling our leaders, in Church and in society, to listen, just as he called the prophet Elijah to Mount Horeb: “Then the Lord said: Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will pass by. There was a strong and violent wind rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord – but the Lord was not in the wind; after the wind, an earthquake – but the Lord was not in the earthquake; after the earthquake, fire – but the Lord was not in the fire; after the fire, a light silent sound.” (NABRE, 1 Kings 19:11-12) But that is not all, for God has been calling the young and our leaders to speak and to listen to one another, just as the prophet Joel once foretold: “It shall come to pass; I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” (NABRE, Joel 3:1) 8 National Dialogue | Final Report At the same time, God has been calling everyone to dialogue with God in prayer.