Sharing the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry’s mission and vision
Author: Chris Rivera
Date Published: April 10, 2026
A message from Chris Rivera, director of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe's Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
As we rejoice in the light of Easter, I write to share the heart of this office and why it exists for the sake of our fraternity and the young people we are called to accompany.
Earlier this year, the province formally established this office in response to the Franciscan Provincial Synod and the critical need to listen to and walk with young adults. What I offer here is not a report or an announcement, but a reflection on what has already been unfolding through relationships, presence and listening.
A season of listening
Over the past year, the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry has been focused on a season of listening.
We have listened to friars, ministry leaders and especially to adolescents and young adults across the province. This listening took place through visits to parishes, campuses, formation houses, retreat centers, and ministry sites that are already serving youth and young adults with generosity and faith.
As you view the video that accompanies this article, you will see moments from those visits. These are real encounters with real people, in real Franciscan communities. Many of these images come from earlier reflections shared about individual sites, each revealing how the Franciscan spirit is already alive and bearing fruit.
Across regions and contexts, what we heard was remarkably consistent: Young people are yearning for meaning, belonging, and authentic relationships. Most encouragingly, when they encounter the Franciscan spirit, not as an idea but through real people and real communities, they are deeply moved.
Chris Rivera, director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, explains the heart of his mission to help young people encounter Christ and to live with a Franciscan spirit.
The mission that guides this work
The mission of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry is simple.
We support the fraternity as we accompany young people, helping them encounter Christ and discern how he is calling them to live their lives with a Franciscan spirit.
This office does not exist apart from the fraternity. It exists for the fraternity, walking alongside friars and ministry collaborators as we respond together to the pastoral realities young people are carrying today.
At the heart of this work is accompaniment:
- Listening before speaking.
- Presence before program.
- Relationship before strategy.
What this looks like in practice is found not only in plans or documents, but in the lived encounters already taking place across our province.
A shared Franciscan responsibility
These encounters remind us of a central truth: This work belongs to the whole fraternity.
Whether or not you are in direct ministry with young people, your presence, your wisdom, your prayer and your lived experience of the Franciscan life matter deeply. Your story and witness can become a light for young adults as they discern their vocation and their response to God’s call.
Many young people expressed this clearly during our visits. They are not looking for perfect answers. They are looking for authentic witnesses who will walk with them.
Beginning together
As the short video accompanying this article shares: This moment is not about launching something finished. It is about continuing to walk together with humility, openness, and hope.
I look forward to walking this journey with you and seeing you throughout the province as this work continues to unfold.
Thank you for your prayer, trust, and willingness to accompany the next generation.