Foundation for Ministry to Young Adults,  18-40 Years of Age by The Office of Campus/Young Adult Ministry Foundation for Pastoral Statement In Matthew's gospel, Jesus proclaims, "You are the light of the world. In the same way your light must shine so that, seeing your good works, they may give praise to you Father in heaven" (Mt 5:14-16). Lumen Gentium (1) picks up this same theme, challenging Christian men and women of every age to reflect the light of Christ and be "light" for the world. The American bishops join the Holy Father in affirming the essential dignity of young adult men and women ­ those in their late teens, twenties, and thirties ­ as "sons and daughters of the light." (SDOL, page1) The Diocesan Office of Campus/Young Adult Ministry actively works to implement the vision of Pope John Paul II and the U.S. Bishops in their Pastoral Plan for a Ministry with Young Adults, entitled Sons and Daughters of the Light. In this Pastoral Plan, the Bishops state "We dedicate this vision and pastoral plan to Catholic young adults ­ men and women in their late teens, twenties, and thirties. We do so because we realize the tremendous gifts they bring to church life. As single people or married couples, with or without children their presence enriches our society and our church." Pastoral Statement "In the next ten years, I will be making some of the biggest transitions of my life. I am not looking for a singles group to meet that special someone. I am searching for community, I am searching for people to share my journey." This quote by Christopher Hood of New York, NY, contains the essence of the ministry of the Office of Campus/Young Adult Ministry. Notice that the word searching is used twice. This word more than any other characterizes young adulthood - that period of life that begins with high school graduation and ends when "roots" are established, roughly from 18-40 years of age. Life after high school is quite different. Gone are the security and protection that comes from being underage and dependent upon others. Decisions and challenges take on new importance. In addition to undertaking numerous other life tasks, young adults in late adolescence and beyond search to find a faith that they can call their own. In many ways they are alone in this endeavor for maybe the first time in their lives. Often their "searching faith" moves them away from the church of their birth. Many are wary of institutional religion as they grapple with questions about the purpose of life and what it means to be a good person. In whatever way this searching manifests itself - be it an introspective reexamination of traditional beliefs, intentional religious education, rejection of organized religion, or functional atheism - young adults need to know that the Church is there for them even though they may not be there for the Church. They need to know there is a place where they are welcome, where their doubts and questions are welcome, where they can find the support and fellowship of their peers. While acknowledging there are significant differences between the faith journeys of those in late adolescence and those in their late twenties and thirties, ministry to young adults should always be respectful of these differences and directed towards inclusion. There are no better mentors for those searching for a place to belong than those who have come through the doubts and questions into ownership of their Catholic identity and a growing maturity in the Christian faith. Our Catholic tradition is rich and affords many opportunities for young adults 18-40 to find common ground around the calls to holiness, community and service. In discerning how best to serve the needs of young adults in parish communities, it is our hope that principles of hospitality and inclusion would be paramount. In addition, as Sons and Daughters of the Light, young adults have both responsibility and accountability for themselves (personally) and for each other (fraternally) as they discern the best ways to meet the needs of all young adults. At this critical juncture in young adults' lives when youth ministry has ended and formal church membership is doubtful, our Church more than ever needs to welcome and invite all young adults from 18-40 to contribute their gifts and talents. We do both them and ourselves a great disservice if we allow them "to fall through the cracks." Through hospitality and presence, we can all be witnesses of the living Christ, walking with our young adults as they search for answers, preparing them to be tomorrow's Catholic leaders. "As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one spirit we were all baptized into one body". If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy." (1 Cor 12:12-13,26)   Conclusions Drawn From Pastoral Statement We, the diocesan staff for Campus/Young Adult Ministry, fully and actively support the mission entrusted to us through the U.S. Bishops Pastoral Plan, Sons and Daughters of the Light. As a staff we reviewed the feasibility of working with the age range 18-40. Parish staff members and some young adults would like us to name Young Adult Ministry as an outreach to those who are 21-40. After very careful discernment, our office staff have decided to continue this ministry as an outreach to ages 18-40. We have a mandate from our Church and from our Bishop to minister to and with young adults 18-21. At this point, we do not have the personnel to sort out these ages to better meet individual needs. For the reasons given above, and most especially for the reason the Bishops stated: "Because we realize the tremendous gifts that they bring to church life. As single people or married couples, with or without children, their presence enriches our society and or church," we feel strongly that the advantages of keeping the age range of 18-40 greatly outweigh the disadvantages.