Job Description

Job Description

Job Description

Order of Friars Minor – Franciscan U.S. Organization

Youth and Young Adult Director

New York City NY, Albuquerque NM, Atlanta, GA, Albany NY, Oceanside CA, Cincinnati OH, Cleveland OH, Silver Springs, MD, San Antonio TX, or Chicago, IL (Hybrid Remote)

Organizational background and Mission Organizational background and Mission

We Franciscans owe our inspiration to Francesco di Bernardone, an affluent young merchant from the Italian town of Assisi, who in 1206 renounced his wealth and social status in favor of a life dedicated to God and the poor. His life and ministry inspired other men to join him and become the first Franciscan friars.

Today, Francesco is known as St. Francis of Assisi, and the Order of Friars Minor comprises more than 100 provinces located around the world. The Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a unified, US coast-to-coast Catholic brotherhood devoted to living the Gospel in the manner of St. Francis of Assisi and in imitation of Jesus Christ. They serve the poor, the forgotten and the marginalized alongside people of goodwill located across the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Jamaica. 

Founded in October 2023, the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe was formed from friars coming together from six legacy provinces, which are part of the long history of the Order of Friars Minor in the United States. Combining their gifts has allowed them to renew their Franciscan witness to American society and begin an exciting new chapter of their history in the United States.

A bit about the role:

You will be architecting and leading an entirely new Office directed at youth and young adults, learning from the US Franciscan organization, Catholic dioceses and other secular organizations doing work doing work with youth and young adult communities.

Key Responsibilities

• Create an engagement strategy for a Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the US that is aligned with the Franciscan charism.
• Develop and deliver experiential opportunities, multi-media material and developmental programming supportive faith-development and wellbeing of Youth and Young Adult populations.
• Involve Franciscan lay communication resources and align [RL1] Franciscan Friars to conduct a needs analysis that will determine programs and initiatives that are high-priority for youth and young adults.
• Benchmark other youth and young adult ministries to identify programs and initiatives that (1) resonate and need to be amplified and/or (are needed and missing in communities).
• Identify religious and lay ministries in the US that may be good opportunities for partnerships and joint initiatives such as YouFra, Secular Franciscans, etc.

Key Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Theology, Religious Studies, Youth Ministry, or a related field (Master's preferred) coupled with 5+ years of experience in youth/young adult program development and implementation, plus a strong understanding of the challenges and needs of young people.
• Proficiency in using social media and digital platforms for outreach and engagement.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse group of stakeholders, including friars, lay staff, and volunteers.
• Commitment to learning and understanding the values and mission of the Province and Order, with a Franciscan heart and spirit.
• The applicant must be a actively-practicing Catholic, and committed to understanding, demonstrating and living-out Catholic faith and Franciscan Charisma. Preference for knowledge of the Franciscan charism, intellectual and spiritual tradition.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and inspire others.
• Spanish language fluency is a must.
• Preference for training experience in group dynamics, problem-solving, mental health coaching.
• Willingness to travel ~20%.

Celebrating difference, together stronger

Franciscan values suggest we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it as we actively live out our spirituality for the benefit of people, particularly the underserved and marginalized. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect and make the world a better place.

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