The National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) is pleased to announce that it has received a $998,050 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to empower churches throughout the United States to design, test, and implement new models for nurturing the religious lives of adolescents and engage them more fully in the life of their parishes. This is the second grant that NFCYM has received from Lilly Endowment this year.
The five-year grant will enable NFCYM to implement the Accompaniment Project and impact the culture of youth ministry in up to the 17,000 Catholic parishes throughout the United States. The Accompaniment Project will provide resources and processes to guide effective strategic planning for youth ministry at both diocesan and parish levels.
“I am grateful to Lilly Endowment Inc. for believing and trusting in the membership of NFCYM to pilot new models of ministry to engage young people fully in the life of their parishes. The creativity of our members never fails to amaze me. I know that united as one body, while contemplating the needs of today and attentive to how the Spirit is moving and shaping the field of youth ministry, we will successfully impact the culture of youth ministry.” said Christina Lamas, Executive Director of NFCYM.
The Accompaniment Project has three overarching goals:
- Identify and work with a cohort of 40 diverse parishes across at least five dioceses to develop, test, and evaluate new, experimental approaches to ministry with youth
- Gather the participating parishes regularly for mutual learning as they design and test innovative ministries with youth
- Share insights and discoveries with other parishes and ministry organizations about new, effective ministry practices and strategies for engaging youth
We believe that these resources will help transform parishes into those who accompany young people as they seek to follow Jesus Christ, as evidenced by:
- Relationships of accompaniment between young people and adults throughout the parish
- Flexibility in the ways young people can participate in the parish
- Transformation of current programs and processes to meet the needs of young people
- Development of new initiatives that engage young people who have been left on the margins of previous strategies
- Integration of families as a stronger part of the parish, empowering them to actively live the faith in their homes
- A unified pastoral vision for youth ministry among parish leaders and across all ministries
In the coming months, NFCYM will work on creating a project team, identifying five dioceses to participate in the first phase of the project, and begin planning for a national research study that will help clarify how Catholic parishes make strategic decisions about youth ministry.
“I am very excited that the Accompaniment Project will allow members to explore ways to engage young people in our communities,” said Christopher Leach, Director of Strategy and Formation for NFCYM.
For more information, visit www.nfcym.org. For media inquiries, please contact Natalie Ibarra, Communications Manager for NFCYM at [email protected].