Young adult Catholics gather for new task force

Gerard Garcia (left), chairman of the recently formed Commission
for Young Adult Ministry (CYAM), poses with his fellow members
at a recent meeting.

Commission plans to focus on 18- to 35-year-olds in the Archdiocese of Vancouver

Alistair Burns profiles a new commission dedicated to addressing the needs of 18- to 35-year-old Catholics:

"This is a commission made up of young adults who come from different backgrounds," said CYAM chairman Gerard Garcia, a consultant for the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry (OYYAM).

He explained that the commission is one of the latent responses to the Archdiocesan Synod held in 2000. The commission will meet monthly as an advisory body to the OYYAM team.

There are 452,000 registered Catholics in the archdiocese; 33 per cent of them are between the ages of 25 and 44.

"At a time when so many people in their 20s are without direction and hope, this initiative hits the sweet spot," exclaimed Ray Tarnai, an engineering project manager who is a CYAM member.

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.