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Apply now to join a Franciscan youth and young adult pilot program
Author: Chris Rivera, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry
Date Published: June 04, 2026
As we recently announced, 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.
Pilot sites will be supported by a friar and two young adult leaders participating in our leadership formation pipeline. This pivotal opportunity will strengthen belonging, deepen faith, form leaders, and foster a culture of vocation and mission. Participants will not simply receive a program; they will co-create a Franciscan model for ministry with youth and young adults.
How to apply
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 August 1.
To apply, contact:
Christopher Rivera
Director, Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry
crivera@friars.us
Our pilot program fills the gap from moments to mission
Our Franciscan model for ministry is rooted in a distinct pathway for discipleship: Encounter → Accompaniment → Formation → Mission.
Across the province, young people are encountering welcome, belonging, and authentic Franciscan life. Yet a consistent gap remains; too often, there is no clear next step.
Our discipleship pathway responds by creating a relational journey, not just a series of events, that invites young people to:
Encounter God in authentic community
Be accompanied by real relationships
Grow in formation rooted in Gospel and Franciscan life
Be sent on mission through leadership and service
This transforms isolated experiences into a coherent process of growth, linking youth to young adult life and beyond.
Our pilot program forms leaders for mission
Our monthslong listening efforts across the province revealed a need for this clear pathway and a strong need for formation, especially in the area of accompaniment.
The pilot program integrates a Franciscan Leadership Formation process alongside the discipleship pathway.
Leaders will be formed to:
Accompany others with authenticity and humility
Facilitate small group discipleship and mentorship
Build rhythms of prayer, community, and service
Invite young people into ownership, leadership, and mission
This reflects a key shift: we are not simply forming leaders to run programs, but to form missionary disciples—who in turn form others.
Our formation framework includes:
A shared Franciscan approach to ministry
Formation in listening, accompaniment, and discernment
Skills for mentoring and small group leadership
Support in guiding young people through vocation and life transitions
This is why leadership formation is not secondary; it is foundational. Sustainable ministry requires formed leaders who can form others.
Our pilot program establishes a Virtual Fraternity Network
Leadership formation will be sustained through a growing Virtual Fraternity Network, connecting leaders across the province.
This online resource will provide shared formation, collaboration, and ongoing support—ensuring that formation is not a one-time event, but a communal process rooted in Franciscan fraternity.
Our pilot program cultivates a culture of co-responsibility
At the heart of our vision is a Franciscan conviction: young people are not just participants, but co-responsible for the Church’s mission.
The pilot intentionally creates space for:
Peer leadership development
Opportunities to lead and accompany others
Integration into a broader culture of vocation and discernment
This is how ministry becomes a movement—when young people are entrusted with real responsibility, they step forward in mission.
Looking Ahead
What we are building together is a generational investment: a clear path of discipleship, a strong network of formed leaders, and a province rooted in Franciscan fraternity and mission.
Because ultimately, this is not just about what we build— but who we become:
Disciples who are leaders
Leaders who form disciples
Join the movement!