Guiding Philosophy - Catalyzing Encounter

1. Encountering God

An encounter with the Lord brings about a profound transformation in all who do not close themselves off from him. The first impulse coming from this transformation is to communicate to others the richness discovered in the experience of the encounter. This does not mean simply teaching what we have come to know but also, like the Samaritan woman, enabling others to encounter Jesus personally: “Come and see” (Jn 4:29)... “to encounter the living Christ means to accept the love by which he loves us first, to choose him, to adhere freely to his person and his plan, which consists in proclaiming and in bringing about the Kingdom of God”. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation on the Encounter with the Living Jesus Christ: the Way to Conversion, Communion and Solidarity in America, Ecclesia in america (22 January 1999), §68.

Catechetical/Evangelical Events and Worship/Prayer events fulfill this Objective

2. Catalyzing Authentic Chistian Community

[The Church has a call to] with a greater capacity to nurture relationships: with the Lord, between men and women, in the family, in the local community, among social groups and religions, with all of creation. Many participants were delighted and surprised to be asked to share their thoughts and to be given the opportunity to have their voices heard in the community. Others continued to express the pain of feeling excluded or judged because of their marital status, identity or sexuality. The desire for more real and meaningful relationships is not only a longing to belong to a close-knit group but may also reflect a deep sense of faith. The evangelical quality of relationships in a community is decisive for the witness that the People of God are called to make in history. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Jn 13:35). The most eloquent sign of the Holy Spirit’s action in the community of disciples is the invitation to relationship extended to those most in need, which flows from a renewal of grace and accords with the teaching of Jesus. To be a synodal [(accompanying, communing, and team minded)] Church, we are required to open ourselves to a genuine relational conversion that redirects each person’s priorities, and we must once again learn from the Gospel that attending to relationships is not merely a strategy or a tool for greater organizational effectiveness. Relationships and bonds are the means by which God the Father has revealed Himself in Jesus and the Spirit. When our relationships, even in their fragility, allow the grace of Christ, the love of the Father, and the communion of the Spirit to shine through, we confess with our lives our faith in God the Trinity. XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Synodal Instrumentum Laboris on Communion, Participation, Mission, For a synodal church (27 October 2024), §50.

Community and Service Events fulfill this Objective

3. Servant Leadership, Teamwork, Organic Sourcing, and Collaborative Discernment

The Young Adult Team works to offer not just any opportunities to encounter Christ but strive to offer the opportunities those we serve desire/have need for. Thus, we are always open to ideas but no less subordinate any idea to the overall vision derived from the above and what we see in general. Sometimes this requires persistence and perseverance via trial-and-error and other times agility. This team is accountable to the parish staff (foremostly the clergy) and endeavors to align its mission with that of the Church Herself and the local Church in particular not only for practical or legal necessity, but out of a spirit of unity in the One mission of Christ.