Province announces pilot program for youth and young adult ministry, invites broad participation

Editor’s Note: Imagine a future where thousands of young adults are committed to Franciscan values and are contributing their talents to strengthen the Franciscan way of life across the U.S., and beyond? The Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry unveils a new pilot program launching this September that has the potential to turn it into a reality by growing, shaping and empowering a new generation of Franciscan leaders. Read on to learn about this exciting opportunity for parishes, schools, campus ministries and other ministry sites.  

Building a shared pathway for missionary discipleship in the Franciscan tradition 

In this moment of renewal for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we are responding to a clear and Spirit-led invitation: to listen, accompany and walk with young people in a way that is deeply Franciscan and sustainable for our future.  

Across our province, we already see vibrant signs. Young people are encountering welcoming spaces, experiencing fraternity and growing through retreats, service and community. At the same time, we have heard the need for greater clarity, connection and continuity, and a way to link these powerful experiences into a lifelong journey of faith. 

Now, we are ready to build a future together that addresses these needs in a comprehensive way. 

We are creating a coordinated Franciscan ecosystem of discipleship, also known as a discipleship pathway – one that accompanies young people from their first encounter with Christ to mature mission. 

Launching the pilot program: a step toward sustainability 

To bring this vision to life, the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry is launching a province-wide pilot program that begins September 2026 and continues through June 2027.   

This pilot will help us test, refine and strengthen a model that is: 

• Scalable across the province

• Adaptable to local communities

• Rooted in Franciscan spirituality and practice

   

Pilot sites will implement the full discipleship pathway and benefit from intentional leadership formation and connection with a growing Virtual Fraternity Network. 

What pilot sites will experience 

Selected parishes, schools and ministries will receive: 

• Full access to Discipleship Pathway learning modules and session guides 

• Ongoing training and coaching for friars, staff and peer leaders 

• Formation in Franciscan accompaniment, listening and discernment 

• Support from friar and lay collaborators 

• Participation in a province-wide pilot retreat (Spring 2027) 

• An implementation grant to support local ministry 

• Flexibility to adapt the pathway across life stages (ages 14–39)   

Each module includes a structured four-session experience rooted in Scripture, the life of St. Francis, practical spirituality and concrete invitations to deeper discipleship.   

This program ensures a transformational process of accompaniment and mission. 

Leadership formation & virtual fraternity 

A key insight from our provincial listening is clear: sustainable ministry requires formed leaders.  That is why each pilot site will also receive access to: 

Franciscan formation that trains leaders to: 

• Accompany young people with authenticity and humility 

• Facilitate small groups and mentoring relationships 

• Build sustainable rhythms of ministry rooted in fraternity  

   

Virtual fraternity that connects ministries across the province through: 

• Shared resources and formation 

• Ongoing communication and collaboration 

• A sense of belonging beyond any one local site 

   

Together, these elements ensure that the pathway is not only implemented, but lived, shared and sustained. 

A shared pathway: encounter to mission 

At the center of our vision is a unified framework that offers a common language and structure for all our ministries while remaining flexible to local needs. 

The pathway has four vital stages: Encounter → Accompaniment → Formation → Mission  

• Encounter – creating spaces of welcome where young people experience God’s closeness and belonging  

• Accompaniment  – building authentic relationships and walking with young people as they ask difficult questions and face challenging circumstances  

• Formation  – helping them grow in prayer, Scripture, Franciscan identity and Christian life 

• Mission – sending them to live their faith through service, leadership and daily witness  

This is a living pathway rooted in Gospel encounter, Franciscan fraternity and missionary sending. 

From good moments to lifelong movement 

Our listening across the province revealed a crucial insight: there is strong participation, but limited continuity.  Young people are showing up to retreats, youth nights and service. However, too often: 

• There is no clear next step 

• There is no bridge into young adult life 

• Leaders seek shared formation and support 

• Ministries operate in isolation 

   

Our new discipleship pathway addresses this directly by turning moments into movement - connecting experiences into a clear, relational journey of growth. 

Who is eligible to participate? 

We are inviting parishes, schools, campus ministries and ministry sites that: 

• Serve youth, young adults or intergenerational communities 

• Desire deeper discipleship—not just programming 

• Are open to accompaniment, experimentation and shared learning 

• Want to form leaders and build long-term mission 

No prior expertise is required—only a willingness to journey, listen and grow. 

An open invitation: become a pilot site 

This is an invitation to help shape the future of Franciscan Youth & Young Adult Ministry. 

Pilot sites will receive a program that will co-create a provincial model for ministry with youth and young adults. One that strengthens belonging, deepens faith, forms leaders and fosters a culture of vocation and mission.   

If your ministry is ready to take this step, we invite you to apply to become a pilot site for this year’s launch by Aug. 1.  

To apply, contact Christopher Rivera, director of the Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry, at crivera@friars.us.  

Looking ahead 

What we are building is more than a pathway. It is a shared way of accompanying young people across the province—rooted in the Gospel, shaped by Franciscan life and sustained through collaboration. 

Soon, we will introduce the Friar Co-Collaborator Model, which will outline how friars and lay leaders together will sustain this work through relationships of fraternity, co-responsibility and mission. 

Because ultimately, this is not just about what we build. 

It is about who we become together as a Franciscan family— walking with young people, forming disciples and being sent on mission.