USCCB - (Office of Media Relations) - Young Adult Ministry Document Now Available to Korean and Vietnamese Catholic Communities

Young Adult Ministry Document Now Available to Korean and Vietnamese Catholic Communities

WASHINGTON (August 18, 1999) -- Sons and Daughters of the Light, the highly regarded pastoral plan for meeting the challenges of ministry with young adults, is now available in both Korean and Vietnamese, the acting chairman of the committee which drafted the document announced today.

"Ministry with young adults has become a major focus for many religious communities," said Bishop Joseph Delaney of Fort Worth (TX), Acting Chair of the Bishops' Committee on the Laity. "Too many young adults have felt alienated from the Church and we want to get the word out to as many of them as possible: 'You are not only welcome and wanted, you are greatly needed.' We are delighted that this resource is now offered to the Korean and Vietnamese Catholic populations in their native languages."

There are approximately 80,000 Korean Catholics and approximately 250,000 Vietnamese Catholics in the United States.

Although the document begins with a message from the U.S. Bishops to young adults, the Pastoral Plan's main audience is those who minster to and with young adults. The Pastoral Plan identifies common characteristics of young adults and the developmental tasks associated with this age group. Four goals are presented as a means to address the needs of young adults: connecting them with Jesus Christ, connecting them with the Church, connecting them with the mission of the Church in the world, and connecting them with a peer community. The Pastoral Plan offers objectives and strategies for achieving these goals at the parish and diocesan levels, within young adult related organizations, and on college campuses.

Sons and Daughters of the Light -- A Pastoral Plan for Ministry with Young Adults was first published by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in November 1996, in English and Spanish only.

The Korean translation of Sons and Daughters of the Light can be ordered by calling The Resource Center for Ethnic Youth and Young Adult Evangelization in Columbia, Maryland, at 410-992-0971. The Vietnamese translation can be ordered by calling the National Pastoral Center for the Vietnamese Apostolate in New Orleans at 504-254-5660. The U.S. Catholic Conference Office of Publishing and Promotion Services (1-800-235-8722) will take orders for the English (Pub. No. 5-127) and Spanish (Pub. No. 5-128) versions.