-Pope Benedict XVI, Message on the Occasion of the Twenty-Fourth World Youth Day

The vision and purpose of Catholic Young Adult Ministry of the Diocese of Portland is to participate in the mission of the Catholic Church by advocating for and supporting Catholic young adult ministry on the diocesan, cluster and parish levels. As such our first priority is to serve those who serve the Church in delivering comprehensive young adult ministry programming, as articulated in Sons and Daughters of the Light, with catechesis being the foundation upon which such programs are developed.

Additionally, our office will provide leadership, resources, services, retreats and conferences for the education, formation and evangelization of young adults and their families. We will advocate for the roles and needs of young adults in the Church and in society and promote the role of the Church and the Gospel in their lives.

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

In every age, Jesus Christ is the light of all nations (Lumen Gentium, no. 1) with Christian men and women called to reflect the light of Christ and, in this way, to be "light" for the world. To reflect the light of Christ requires a maturity of faith and a willingness to live this faith daily in society. We join the Holy Father in affirming the essential dignity of young adult men and women--those in their late teens, twenties and thirties--as "sons and daughters of the light." Yet, many young adults tell us that they face increasingly complex and difficult times and that they need the help of the Catholic Christian community to be this "light."

The goals for ministry with young adults (ages 18-39) are:

• Connecting young adults with Jesus Christ through spiritual formation/direction, religious education/formation, and vocation discernment
• Connecting young adults with the Church through evangelizing outreach, formation of the faith community, and pastoral care
• Connecting young adults with the mission of the Church in the world through forming a Christian conscience, educating and working for justice, and developing leaders for the present and the future
• Connecting young adults with a peer community through developing peer leadership and identifying a young adult team for the purpose of forming faith communities of peers