Strangers in the House of God

1
Strangers in the House of God

• Sons and Daughters of the Light
• A Pastoral Plan for
• Ministry with Young Adults

2
High School and Teenage Years

• Salesian Contact
• Youth Center
• Parish
• Camp
• School
• Boys and Girls Club

3
The Value of a Dream

• Don Bosco Rector Major
• Motivation
• Focus
• Purpose
• Meaning to Ones Life

4
Problems with a Dream

• Lack of Development/Fully Thought Out
• Lack of Support
• Lack of Resources Guidance
• You Cant Go Home
• -especially after HS graduation

5
College and Young Adulthood
6
How to Measure Success

• Different for each person, location
• We are called to be faithful, not necessarily
  successful

7
Cafeteria Catholics

• It is not easy to live as a Christian in
  contemporary society.
• Sin and temptation are everywhere
• Religious vs Spiritual

8
Potential Traps

• False Promises
• False Prophets
• Frats
• Drugs
• Sex
• Alcohol
• Roommates
• Relationships

• Questioning Faith
• Afraid to Question
• Afraid to Hear Answer

Are they prepared? Have we prepared them?
9
Results of Being Trapped

• Less Participation
• Flashy Religions
• Unhealthy relationships
• Change in Priorities and Morals
• Inability to fulfill dreams

10
Tasks of Young Adulthood

• Developing Personal Identity
• Developing Relationships
• Developing A Meaning of Work
• Developing A Spiritual Life

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Developing Personal Identity

• New Surroundings Introduce New People with
  Different Values, Faiths, Cultures, Sexual
  Orientation
• Independence Interdependence

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Developing Relationships

• Common Bonds
• New Location
• Activities and Involvement
• Reordering Relationships in Family
• Mutual Experiences
• Big Group Events
• Intermingling
• Pain of being alone in a crowd
• Loneliness

13
Developing A Meaningof Work

• Seek meaning to their life
• Fulfillment of Dreams and Visions
• Unhealthy Balances/Misconceptions

14
Developing a Spiritual Life

• Relationship with God
• Balance Gods Will Society
• Willingness to Challenge
• Searching
• Internally
• Participation
• Community

15
Developing a Spiritual Life

• Challenged by media
• Inhospitable or Unresponsive Parishes
• Desire to return to faith
• Positive Experience in YM
• Seek Participation in Church
• Feeling important

16
Accepting Gods Invitation
17
Group Vs. Individual

• Longing to Belong
• Salesianity
• Do they understand what they are apart of?
• Why are they at the institutions that they are?

18
Call to Community

• Young adults have expressed the desire to be a
  part of a community
• Helps to develop potential, foster talents, form
  identity, and respond to the challenges of being
  holy men and women.
• Give and Take
• Healing

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Get Involved (cont)

• Teach for America (teachforamerica.org)
• AmeriCorps (www.americorps.org)
• Missions
• Salesians (www.salesians.org/slm)
• Corporately Accepted
• Vocations
• Priesthood, Brotherhood, Sisterhood, Teachers,
  Youth Ministers, Volunteers
• Others?

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Get Involved

• Be Knowledgeable Informed
• Encourage them to get involved
• Give Direction to get involved
• Follow up/Check-in

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A Plan for Ministry

• Connect Young Adults to
• Jesus Christ
• The Church, by inviting and welcoming their
  presence in the Christian community
• The Mission of the Church in the world
• A Peer Community to strengthen and nurture their
  faith

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Four Types of Accompaniment

• Personal
• Group
• Project
• Environment
• Let us reflect and see what we are doing
  right/best. What needs to be improved?

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Personal Accompaniment

• Names
• Friendship
• Confession

• Spiritual Direction
• Emails
• Sense of Paternal/Fraternal Support

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Group Accompaniment

• Fostering Relationships
• Formation
• Service
• Festivity and Celebration
• Prayer
• Spirituality

25
Project Accompaniment

• Vision
• Purpose
• Team Building
• Formation

• Discernment
• Delegation
• Empowerment
• Follow-Up

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Environmental Accompaniment

• Sense of Family
• Belonging
• Safety
• Happiness
• Trust