Youth Ministry

The Office of Family, Youth, and Young Adult Ministry honors the rich history of youth ministry in the Premier See, and is facilitating a renewal of ministries with, by, and for young people in this new era. Learn more about why and how this renewal is unfolding below:

The Need for Renewal & the Importance of Youth Protagonism

National Coverage of the Archdiocesan Youth Missionary Protagonism Lab (AYMP Lab)

Archbishop Lori’s Change in the Standard Age of Confirmation & Shift to Family-Focused Formation

The Call from the USCCB to Listen, Teach, & Send

In 2024, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a new pastoral framework for ministries with youth and young adults called Listen, Teach, Send. Nationally, regionally, and within the Archdiocese of Baltimore, we are currently in the process of implementing this framework.

In-Person Workshops:

• Listen, Teach, Send Region 4 Workshop in Washington, DC – September 23, 2025 (free/sponsored)
• Alternative workshop option in Philadelphia (additional charge; overnight accommodations available)

The Listen, Teach, Send Document:

• Listen, Teach, Send: A National Pastoral Framework for Ministries with Youth and with Young Adults (English PDF)
• Escucha, Enseña, Envía: Un Marco Pastoral Nacional para el Ministerio con Jóvenes (Spanish PDF)
• Bilingual Printed Edition – available for purchase from OSV

Accompanying Resources for Listen, Teach, Send:

• Listen, Teach, Send Overview (English PDF)
• Escucha, Enseña, Envía Un Rápido Resumen (Spanish PDF)
• Bridging Renewing the Vision and Listen, Teach, Send (English PDF)

The Foundational Vision of Catholic Youth Ministry

Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit (2019):

• Christus Vivit: The Pathway to Accompaniment (English PDF)
• Vive Cristo: El Camino Hacia el Acompañamiento (Spanish PDF)
• NFCYM – 10 Major Themes of Christus Vivit (English PDF)
• NFCYM – Los diez temas principales encontrados en Vive Christo (Spanish PDF)

USCCB Documents:

• Renewing the Vision (1997) (Full text online)
• Renovemos la Visión (1997) (Spanish PDF)
• A Vision of Youth Ministry (1976) (Bilingual PDF)

Additional Recommended Reading:

Studies/Research Entities:

• NFCYM – 2024 Pastors’ Perspectives on Accompanying Young People – Executive Summary (English PDF)
• Life Teen – 2024 State of Catholic Youth in America (English PDF)
• Springtide – 2024 Thirteen: A First Look at Gen Alpha
• Yellow Line Digital – 2025 Reaching Next Gen Catholics: The Ever-Present Need for Compelling Evangelization (English PDF)
• Springtide Research Institute
• Fuller Youth Institute
• Future of Faith

Books: 

• Sharing the Gospel with Our Lives: A Relational Approach to Catholic Youth Ministry (Deacon Bob Rice, 2024)
• Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover and Love Your Church (Brad M. Griffin, Jake Mulder, and Kara E. Powell)