2022 AMM Schedule
Program
Detailed Program
Tuesday, February 8
General Session 1 | 9-10:30 am PT
- Host Welcome
- Introductions/Networking Activity
- Opening Prayer
- Keynote: “It Was All A Dream” with Cecilia Flores
- USCCB Update
"It was all a dream..."
What does God have in store for those working in and for the Church in 2022? In 2021, we experienced the Great Resignation—people leaving their jobs in record numbers, increasing numbers of people leaving organized religion, and many parishes reducing their staff sizes and overall budgets. All that, and we are still here! Some might say we’re the strong ones, while others might say that we’re the crazy ones. Perhaps we’re a bit of both. At our journeys start, we all had a dream—an idea, a vision of what our ministry would be like, and what the lives of the people we encountered could become. That dream has probably changed a bit since we each started. Maybe at this stage, some of us are having a hard time dreaming at all, but as Pope Francis said, “We need to dream so that we do not go backward.” During this session, we will reflect on the role of dreaming and imagination in the heart of a person in service of Christ, the Church, and the world.
CECILIA FLORES
Cecilia Flores is the daughter of Filipino immigrants, Evelio and Marie, and mother of Kiara and Jacob. She grew up in Pittsburg, California, and has spent more than fifteen years working with communities of faith to address issues of poverty and injustice in the US and in Central America through the formation and development of youth, young adults, and women. She holds an MA in global development and social justice from St. John’s University. Cecilia currently works as a community organizer with Sacramento ACT. Click here to learn more about Cecilia.
General Session 2 | 11 am-12 pm PT
- State the NFCYM by Paul Sifuentes and Christina Lamas
- Report on 2021 AMM Minutes Vote
- Grace before Lunch
General Session 3 | 1:30 pm-3:30 pm PT
- Opening Prayer
- Presentation: Narrowing Our Focus—Four Key Strategies for the Next Five Years
- Introduction to Ministry Networks
- Closing Prayer
Narrowing Our Focus
Join us as we share an overview of the four central strategies that are guiding NFCYM through the next five years:
- Embrace the Essential Elements of Comprehensive Youth Ministry
- Embrace the Profession and Practice of a Youth Ministry Leader
- Understand and Engage Youth as Protagonists
- Support the Growth of the Domestic Church
You will have time to share your thoughts and offer input as to what these will look like and which one(s) you may be interested in helping to bring to life with your gifts and strengths. This is a great opportunity to help set the course for our next steps as an organization.
wednesday, February 9
General Session 4 | 9-10:30 am PT
- Welcome and Opening Prayer
- Member Networking Activity
- Report on Bylaw Change Vote
- NCYC Update (2021, 2022, 2023)
- Introduction to Current Projects
General Session 5 | 2-3:30 pm PT
- Professional Development: Pastoral Framework for Responding to Issues of Same-Sex Attraction by Kimberly Zember (Presentation, Q&A, Table Discussion)
Pastoral Framework for Responding to Issues of Same-Sex Attraction
As the church teaches, we must treat with respect, compassion, and sensitivity those with same-sex attraction (SSA), avoiding every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard. Through baptism, we are called to fulfill God’s will in our lives and to unite the difficulties we face to the sacrifice of the Lord’s cross. Through her testimony, Kim will talk about what this looks like for Catholics with SSA and what the church can, and should, do to support them. There will be time for small group discussion and a period of questions and answers.
KIMBERLY ZEMBER
Kim is passionate about sharing the love, freedom, and restoration found through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Whether in her hometown of San Diego or her “home away from home,” Ethiopia, she shares the love and redemption of life through Jesus. Kim shares her testimony of living a homosexual lifestyle and the radical transformation of her life through a relentless pursuit of a relationship with her bridegroom, Jesus. Kim is extremely passionate about seeing all people experience the radical love of Jesus. She believes that turning her life inside out for all to see shows how the Lord has and continues to set the captives free! She feels deeply that authenticity with one another in God’s love and truth is so needed today more than ever. When Kim is not in the States, she is most likely in Ethiopia surrounded by hundreds of children from Unforgotten Faces, the non-profit she started when she was 23 years old. Click here to learn more about Kim and her ministry.
Thursday, February 10
General Session 6 | 9-10:30 am PT
- Welcome and Opening Prayer
- Member Networking Activity
- Pastoral Care of the Minister: Are we DONE yet? with Katherine Angulo
Are we DONE YET?
Covid has stretched us in all aspects of our life. Although we would like to be on the other side of this pandemic, we find ourselves back in the middle of it. In one of the most powerful conversations I had in 2020, my friend Christopher Wesley reflected on the Israelites. As they left Egypt for the promised land, they did not know it would take 40 years. They were unsure of what was waiting for them on the other side.
Yet their trust was proven when they took the first step, believing that God would be walking along their side no matter what.
Like the Israelites, we seek the promised land without Covid. How long is it going to take? Are we trusting God is taking care of us in this journey? Most importantly, are we taking care of ourselves so we can be the leader that brings joy, hope, love, and shelter amid the chaos? We will reflect on the wounds we have encountered during these past two years and allow our bodies to tell us how tired they are. We will reconnect to our support systems to strengthen our steps ahead. Because, as ministry leaders, we are not called to survive in this time—on the contrary, by his hand, God calls us to thrive and be the light this world so desperately needs.
KATHERINE ANGULO
As the program director of the Thriving in Ministry Initiative at the McGrath Institute for the University of Notre Dame. Katherine works to prepare pastoral leaders for long-term ministry in the Church and also directs the Bishop John M. D’Arcy Program in Priestly Renewal.
Born in Mexico and raised in Colombia, Katherine received a B.A. in Modern Languages and a M.A. in Pastoral Ministries. She has more than 23 years of experience in youth ministry. She began as a Youth Minister at St. Mary’s Church in Johnson City, Tennessee, where she later became the Director of Pastoral Ministries. After nine years, she became the Director of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Raleigh. Before coming to the McGrath Institute, Katherine served for four years as the Associate Director of Youth Ministry at the Office of Formation and Discipleship for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Angulo was the creator and Editor of The Mark, a Catholic teen magazine, and the Executive Producer of the volunteer training program, Called to Accompany/Llamados a Acompañar. She was part of the Board of Directors for the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) and Board of Advisors for the Lilly Endowment in Thriving in Ministry Initiatives. Click here to learn more about Katharine.
General Session 7 | 11 am-12:30 pm PT
- Full, Active, and Conscious NFCYM Participation with Paul Sifuentes
- Final Remarks
- Closing Prayer
Full, Active, and Conscious Participation
Our mission is to support and strengthen those who accompany young people. Before we depart for home, this is an opportunity to process the time spent together. What will we take “home” from this meeting? What insight about ministry challenged or encouraged you? Did you experience a new friendship or a renewed connection? NFCYM members are vital in leading the young Church to Christ. We will take the opportunity to reflect on how each of us will contribute to the youth ministry profession as we return to the mission field.
