What is Pastoral Juvenil? | ¿Qué es la Pastoral Juvenil?
Pastoral Juvenil, or Hispanic Youth and Young Adult Ministry, exists to serve the Hispanic youth and young adult community within the parishes of the Archdiocese of Denver. Pastoral Juvenil includes the age range of 12 to 17 as adolescents and 18 to 35 as young adults. We serve the leaders of youth and young adult groups at the parishes, providing them with support in a variety of ways including in leadership formation, faith formation and resources for their groups.
Reality of Hispanic Youth and Young Adults in Denver | Realidad de nuestros jóvenes
We are experiencing, as in many parts of the US, a young Church that is increasingly Hispanic and bicultural. Hispanic teens are fully bilingual, speaking mainly Spanish at home and at Church, while English is spoken for most other things, like school and friends. The reality that we face is that we must serve this bicultural group in a way that promotes their English and Spanish abilities and encourages them to have a relationship with God and to embrace their unique and beautiful circumstance. We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us in finding the best way to serve these young people and help them to connect with their faith in both English and Spanish.
Hispanic Young Adults in Denver come from all over the world. Many of our young adults are immigrants from Mexico and other South American countries. Many of them speak some English but prefer to continue their faith journey in their native Spanish, as that is the language they grew up with. We wish to continue to provide opportunities for these young adults to remain close to their faith and involved at their parishes and Archdiocesan events.
