If you’re reading this in church, look around. How many preteens, teens and young adults do you see?
If Armando Cervantes has his way, the numbers will be much higher in two to three years.
Cervantes is director of the the Office of Youth and Young Adults for the Diocese of Orange, and lately he’s been busy getting his department prepared to achieve its mission as part of the Diocese’s new strategic plan, which Bishop Vann unveiled to staff in November 2023 (the plan is available on the diocesan website, https://www.rcbo.org/strategic-plan/
Key to the office of Youth and Young Adults – one area of focus in the strategic plan to guide the Diocese into the future — is to have all parishes, within five years, staffed with full-time, highly qualified youth ministers whose sole focus will be youth and young adult outreach and evangelization.
Cervantes wants to achieve that sorely needed accomplishment sooner.
Currently, there are only 20 out of 62 parishes in the Diocese with a full-time youth and young adult minister – and often, his or her duties spill into other areas, Cervantes said.
“Of these 20 ministers, some are not just in charge of youth,” he added. “They’re in charge of children, of families or OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults or the Catechumenate). Even though they have the title, they’re too overwhelmed. They have too many things on their plate.”
ARMANDO CERVANTES IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS FOR THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE. PHOTO BY DREW KELLEY/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
That’s a reality that must change, according to the Diocese’s strategic plan, which addresses the value of having robust youth and young adult ministries at all parishes.
“I’m really passionate about walking beside them,” Cervantes, also director of the Diocese’s Office for Hispanic Ministry, said of working with all diocesan pastors in the ambitious endeavor. “We can make this happen, but we have to invest in high-quality people to have high-quality ministries.”
DOING THINGS WELL
Lately, Cervantes has been busy visiting pastors to ready them to jump on board with the hiring plan beginning the fiscal year starting July 1.
“Some early adopters are excited and want to start right away,” Cervantes said, “while others want to wait until July 1. And others want an extension. As you can imagine, the response has been all over the place.”
Cervantes said the Diocese is setting aside funds to ensure that Bishop Vann’s strategic plan initiatives are being enacted in every parish and will help support parishes that cannot afford to hire a fulltime minister who is exclusively devoted to youth and young adult outreach and evangelization.
“I’m deeply grateful for the leadership of both the bishop and our pastors who have been excellent and very receptive to understand, ‘How do I do this well?’” Cervantes said.
Youth ministry done well starts with middle-school students (11-14 years old), Cervantes said, and includes high-schoolers, families with teens, college students, young adult professionals, young adult couples and even young families with children.
Dr. Erin Barisano, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Orange, is directing implementation of the new strategic plan to ensure parishes are mission focused and are looking out into their local communities to grow.
NURTURING FAITH
“The vision of the strategic plan states that we need to better serve our young people, and despite our best efforts to hold large diocesan events, the reality is that on a daily, regular basis, families are going to church in their local parishes, and many don’t have a space for their young people,” Cervantes said.
“How do we nurture their faith, respond to their questions? How do we help them form their identities as Catholics?
“No longer is it enough to have one Bible study on a random day or night and to say, ‘That’s our youth ministry efforts.’ We’re looking for breadth and depth in a very direct, intentional, and pastoral way. “For outreach and proper evangelization, we need to create a variety of ways to engage our young people. We need to accompany them regularly, so they see that their church as a place for them that exists to respond to their questions when they have them.”
Future stories in this series will take a closer look at the remaining areas of focus in the new strategic plan: Parishes and the Mission of the Diocese, Catholic School Identity, Governance, Communications, Financial Resources and Stewardship. To learn more about the need for ministers for youth and young adult outreach and evangelization, or to apply for a job as a youth minister or to donate to the cause, email Armando Cervantes at [email protected]