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Updates from the USCCB

by Barbara Anderson
Program Coordinator: Family, Laity, Women, and Youth

Subcommittee Notes

The Subcommittee on Youth and Young Adults continues to address the items they have identified: World Youth Day; catechesis; and advocacy for youth and young adult ministry. In September they welcomed six young adult advisors: Luis Alcalá, Portland, Oregon; Jason Brown, Portland, Maine; Sa Dao, Orange, California; Lenny Howard, Baltimore, Maryland; Ellie Pilon, Duluth, Minnesota; and Jen Reed, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

In February, two more advisors were added to the committee: Andrea Conder, Owensboro, Kentucky, and Maria Francisco, Tucson, Arizona. These young adults work as a sales advisor, a couple of parish youth ministers, a mortgage broker, a development advisor for non-profit organizations, a Catholic school administrator, and a student. The advisors have served the subcommittee well with their insight and opinions. They have already contributed in helping to shape the direction of the subcommittee. If you know any of these folks, please congratulate them on their appointment to the committee and ask them how you can help them to best serve the subcommittee and the youth ministry community.

At the February meeting this year, the subcommittee again held a forum for national groups involved in youth or young adult ministry. Over 20 groups were represented. The topic this year was the spiritual hunger that is being expressed by young people and their attraction to traditional pieties and devotions. The discussions focused on why young people are expressing this need and how the church is responding. A summary of the discussion will be placed on the USCCB website— http://www.usccb.org/laity/ygadult/index. htm.

World Youth Day Notes

Bishop Dennis Schnurr, chairman of the subcommittee, Rick McCord, executive director of the secretariat, and I went to Rome and Cologne for meetings on World Youth Day 2005. We got a chance to visit the sites for the major events and learned that many events like the youth festival activities and catechetical sessions will be held between Dusseldorf (about 30 minutes to the north) and Bonn (about 30 minutes to the south). The Cologne cathedral will be a focal point for pilgrims to visit. Though registration costs have not yet been finalized, registration will begin in July 2004 and will be done on-line through the German website at http://www.wyd2005.org.

Each episcopal conference has been invited to nominate two people to serve as long-term volunteers. A letter was sent to all bishops with the criteria for these volunteers. Information is available on the USCCB WYD website at www. wydusa.org. The positions will begin between August 1, 2004 and March 1, 2005 and will last until August 31, 2005. Short-term volunteer opportunities will be for 7-31 days between August 1 and August 31, 2005. Applications for the short-term positions will take place on-line on the German website beginning July 2004.

Scholarships for pilgrims from Home Missions dioceses will be available through the regular Home Missions application process. They have set aside $200,000 specifically for WYD scholarships. If you are a Home Missions diocese, check with your grant coordinator for information as to how to apply and the appropriate deadlines.

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