NFCYM recognizes its work, grounded in Jesus Christ and in communion with the Catholic Church, must be in solidarity with the struggles and joys of the peripheral communities of society across the United States. We believe in using language to better address those efforts, reflecting our Catholic identity and values, Scripture and Tradition, and the pastoral response to the varying needs of many different communities. NFCYM describes this as a faithful journey towards Accessibility, Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity, and Empathy, which can be shortened to the acronym ABIDE.
In the fall of 2023, NFCYM was awarded a grant to expand its commitment to Diversity and Inclusion. This grant will fund three initiatives: the Diversity and Inclusion Training, the Encountering Christ video series, and the Imago Dei Leadership Initiative. All three initiatives have run successful pilots over the past few years.
The Church is Our Home Training (formerly the D+I Training) was developed for NFCYM Members. Recognizing that diversity alone does not breed cultural competency, this program creates baseline knowledge for ministry leaders through a common language and helps them understand the cultural groups they will encounter, engage, and lead. The name of the training is based on the address by Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (1989).
This pilot consists of four sessions combining technical knowledge, conversation, exposure, practical implementation, and modeling. Between sessions, participants have opportunities to understand further and give and gain feedback from other participants about how their session learnings are being implemented in their communities. Participants leave the training with a renewed sense of understanding of their own identities, the identities of those they minister to, and the barriers to evangelization faced in ministering in diverse church contexts.
Encountering Christ is a video series created as a diversity and inclusion effort of NFCYM to serve as a member resource to encounter the diversity of the U.S. Catholic Church. Through this series, you can hear from our brothers and sisters how Catholicism is lived and experienced in relation to their culture. The video series is divided into four segments: historical context, current realities, pastoral practices, and a panel discussion with reflection questions. The initial pilot focused on the African American / Black Catholic experience. The next installment in the series will examine the importance of cultural competency and inculturation in ministry. The next installment will be available in the first quarter of 2026.
This NFCYM initiative invites a select group of young adults serving in ministry who represent the diversity of the U.S. Catholic Church to engage in a shared conversation on leadership and intercultural competency in ministry. The cohort meets for ten sessions over a year.
The initiative seeks to:
After completing the program, each participant will consider themself a leader in the church with ample gifts to be shared. The participant will have familiarity and practice with concepts, skills, and attitudes that are key to leadership and intercultural ministry. The participants will have access to many resources on various ministry best practices. The participants will also be equipped for ministry in a multicultural setting and ready for more learning and experience. Participants will also receive a free NFCYM Associate membership for one year.
Visit the pages below for more resources and information on NFCYM’s diversity and inclusion efforts.
In this spirit of hope, we invite you to join us in commemorating the significant milestone of 43 years of our organization’s history and service. Whether it’s $4, $43, or even $300, every gift makes a difference!
Join the celebration and help continue inspiring the next generation of Catholic leaders.
Pastoral Juvenil Hispana Coordinator,
Diocese of Austin
Diocesan Member
"NFCYM has accompanied me in reaching out to like minded professionals to better provide service (ministry) to adolescents. NFCYM has allowed me to network and grow professionally.
'Youth as Protagonists' has been essential to Pastoral Juvenil Hispana in the Diocese of Austin."
Youth Minister, St. Christopher Church
Associate Member
"The various resources have helped me keep our program exciting and vibrant. NFCYM has provided me with shared information via webinars, workshops, conferences, outreach, and opportunities that are very informative to help make my ministry successful.
NFCYM is an open forum for me to seek material, guidance and support in keeping the youth ministry program successful."
