Plan For Young Adult and Campus Ministry

 Print Young Adult and Campus Ministry Plan

This plan was developed then refined over the past three year with input from vicars, campus ministers, young adult ministers, parishioners, etc. The plan was approved by Central Services Curia, the Council of Vicars and the APC in 2003. The parishes and vicariates making up Oakland County developed Genesis Ministries as the first "prototype" of this plan. The success of Genesis Ministries as well as the plan's ability to connect with the Together in Faith mission resulted in approval of funding for young adult ministers in all regions. At the request of the Together in Faith Coordinating Council all eight regions will have developed and submitted plans for young adult ministry by December 2006. The specific responsibilities and process for implementation of this request are included in this document.  

Following the current regional and vicariate structure model used in the Together in Faith process this plan envisions ministry coordinators for each of eight vicariate regions.

The greater portion of each identified vicariate region would be serviced by at least one (1) college campus minister and at least one (1) young adult minister. Each vicariate region that enjoys the presence of a Catholic college or university would benefit from their efforts through outreach and encouraged collaboration.

Christianity by its very nature is lived out in ecclesial communities. The call to form communities of faith flows from the very nature of the Gospel and from the pastoral situation on campuses therefore, is the focus of the plan.

In the residential campuses, sacramental oriented campus ministry is a valuable means of incorporating and strengthening the faith of those who are living there. On the other campuses, primarily those that are called commuter, different forms of community building predominate, especially those that help form leadership and collaboration with local parishes through vicariate based relationships.

The campus minister (CM) would identify two to three young adult students (2-3) from the college or university who would receive a stipend and would form a "team" to respond to the needs of other young adult students on campus. The campus minister would provide the necessary formation for this team of students.

Their work would address outreach, retreat planning, service projects, seasonal liturgical celebrations, Bible study programs, personal contact for gathering faculty and students for reading and discussing.  This might lead to prayer groups and joint projects of outreach and service to others outside of the campus. These kinds of programs reveal the power of the scriptures to call individuals out of their isolation and to give them a sense of solidarity as they struggle to live out the Christian life in the academic world. The team has an active role of evangelization!

An experience for Christian Community is important to the life of the whole Church no different than the experience of Christian Community to the total vicariate. Of paramount importance is the need for the "team" to build a sense of community among themselves that ripples out to include young adults in the larger community. 

Theological reflection is at the center of this endeavor. The Campus Minister is responsible for identifying, supporting, encouraging, motivating, and supervising the "team".  As well as creating the important connections to faculty and staff of the college or university.

The hope is that the "team" would continue to provide the existing ministry, but also help to identify further needs within the young adult community and then incorporate those areas into their ministerial response. 

One of these means could be Sunday evening Eucharist celebrated in a contemporaneous manner at each residential campus and in each vicariate group.  These liturgies would be developed with the CM and the YAM and their teams. 

The young adult minister (YAM) is responsible for relating to the vicariates and their leadership. They too would form a team of young adults. A core leadership team would represent the diversity of the vicariate region and provide a strong young adult voice in the planning and implementation of ministry to their peers.

The Young Adult Minister would be responsible for the care and mentoring of the core leadership team. On a regular basis these two teams (CM & YAM) and two ministers (CM & YAM) will meet to offer support, information, the sharing of resources, and encouragement to stay true to their vision and ministry. 

The Campus Minister whose primary focus is their regions' institutions of higher education and building community with students, faculty and staff would continue as chaplain to those institutions, be responsible to the Archdiocese of Detroit's Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry Office and have the resources of  experience, certification and the National Catholic Campus Ministry Association.

The Young Adult Minister whose primary focus is on the formation of young adult communities within their respective vicariate region would be responsible to the Archdiocese of Detroit's Youth, Young Adult and Campus a Ministry Office and have access to the resources already developed for Young Adults to include the National Young Adult Ministry Association. However, they would be implementing the plans and goals set by the core leadership team in their vicariate region.

The Campus Minister and the Young Adult Minister would meet regularly in each vicariate region and a certain number of times per year with other vicariate Campus and Young Adult Ministers as well as Catholic university campus ministers in order to collaborate more effectively and to access the resources each brings to their ministry.

There is no way today that one can separate Campus Ministry from parish life. The two are on the same track. The student who comes to campus, comes from a parish; the student who leaves campus, goes back to a parish. Those two tracks must have the same vision and the same goal. It is quintessentially important for Campus Ministry and Young Adult Ministry as described in this model to be completely and totally involved in Vicariate Pastoral Planning as well as the ongoing Together in Faith process.

Financing this new paradigm is that present CSA monies would go to provide salary, benefits and programming budget for each campus minister.  We have presently identified eight positions to be involved as Campus Ministers within the vicariate regions. These eight positions are in the Campus Ministry budget for the 2005-06 fiscal year.  (Also, funded are specific ministries to WSU and WSU Medical School, both residential and for support staff to all) Campus Ministers are responsible to the Department of Education, Office for Young Adult and Campus Ministry and will work in conjunction with and in collaboration with the Young Adult Minister assigned to each vicariate group. 

Further CSA money will be provided for identifying and financing the salaries and benefits for each Young Adult Minister (YAM) in a vicariate region. Young Adult Ministers are responsible to the Department of Education, Office for Young Adult and Campus Ministry and will work in conjunction with and in collaboration with the Campus Minister assigned to each vicariate group. 

Each vicariate region, therefore, would have one Campus Minister and one Young Adult Minister and parishes within the vicariate region would provide funding for young adult ministry office space, phones, computers, programs, continuing education and young adult leadership stipends (i.e.; Leadership for Tomorrow) should those be included in the vicariate region plan.  These cost could range from $5,000 — $10,000 per vicariate region depending on the extent of programming.

Planning/Educational Resources for implementation will to be developed for individual Vicar and vicariate meetings taking place in February, March, and April 2006.

Regional Planning Teams will be named and timeline for writing plans developed in May, June, July of 2006.

Each of the eight vicariate regions will have plans approved and ready to be submitted to the Together in Faith Tracking Committee by December 2006.

Diocese: Office for Young Adult and Campus Ministry

• provide all salary, benefits, office, program expenses for Campus Ministry, one each for 8 vicariate regions plus coverage of WSU and WSU Medical School.

• provide salary and benefits for Young Adult Ministers, one each for 8 vicariate regions.

• supervision of all Campus Ministers and Young Adult Ministers,

• planning/educational resources and assistance for vicariate regions in development process,

• consultant to vicariate regions with YAM's,

• convene vicariate region teams of CMs & YAMs

Vicariate Region (consists of one or more vicariates)

• Develop a 3-5 year plan for Young Adult Ministry for each named vicariate region
  • 80% of those involved in development of the plan are between the ages of 18-35.

• At least one campus minister, preferably the one assigned to the vicariate region, has been included in the planning process.

• 80% of the parishes in the area are in agreement with the plan with those parishes in agreement being equally divided between vicariates in the a named vicariate region if there is more than one.

• Ensure a 3-5 year commitment of the vicariate region to office and program funding of the above plan.
  
  • 80% of the parishes in the area with a written commitment to fund - being equally divided between vicariates in the named vicariate region if there is more than one.

• 100% of the first year's program funding (approximately $6,000 to 10,000 per vicariate region depending on extent of plans) in the vicariate account (s).

Campus Minister

• provide a reliable contact for students, faculty, administration, by being available to the campuses located within vicariate region;

• plan and implement retreats, days of reflection and other faith/spiritual formation programs for the student body and other appropriate groups;

• work in collaboration with the AOD Evangelization Team to develop and implement programs for evangelization at campuses,

• develop formal groups (Newman Club, Little Rock Bible Study Group, Amnesty International, International Catholic Students), which will collaborate in joint ministry to students, faculty, and administration;

• identify and form student leadership team for each campus within corridor, providing necessary leadership skills to students who will assist with planning and outreach to other young adults outside the campus;

• work with young adult ministers to help identify further needs within the young adult community and then incorporate those areas into a ministerial response, and example would be a jointly sponsored Young Adult Mass;

• collaborate with young adult ministers and youth ministers within region to form a core ministry team to assist young people in their journey from parish (youth ministry) to campus (campus ministry) back to parish (young adult ministry);

• plan and implement service outreach opportunities for students, insuring faith reflection as an integral component of outreach and service.

Young Adult Minister

• determine gaps in ministry to young adults in collaboration with vicariate region core leadership team;

• establish a network of communication;

• work in collaboration with the AOD Evangelization Team to develop and implement programs for evangelization with a young adult focus;

• identify, invite, and train young adult leaders;

• develop young adult communities in new areas;

• support existing young adult communities;

• work with campus ministers to help identify further needs within the young adult community and then incorporate those areas into a ministerial response, and example would be a jointly sponsored Young Adult Mass;

• collaborate with campus ministers and youth ministers within region to form a core ministry team to assist young people in their journey from parish (youth ministry) to campus (campus ministry) back to parish (young adult ministry).