Domestic Church and Discipleship
The Office of the Domestic Church and Discipleship is comprised of the diocesan offices that support parishes and schools in the work of evangelization, catechesis, and pastoral service. These offices collaborate to form leaders as missionary disciples who live the faith they profess and help others respond to the gospel message.
Encouraging and supporting the Domestic Church – the Christian household made up of members across all stages of life – is the goal of our efforts. Therefore, we work in partnership with the parishes and schools of our diocese to serve the faithful as they “follow the example of Christ… to carry out their earthly activity in such a way as to integrate human, domestic, professional, scientific and technical enterprises with religious values, under whose supreme direction all things are ordered to the glory of God.” (Vatican II, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 43)
“A Christian cannot think of his or her mission on earth without seeing it as a path of holiness, for ‘this is the will of God, your sanctification’ (1 Thess 4:3). Each saint is a mission, planned by the Father to reflect and embody, at a specific moment in history, a certain aspect of the Gospel… This is a powerful summons to all of us. You too need to see the entirety of your life as a mission.” -Pope Francis, Rejoice and Be Glad, Apostolic Exhortation on the Call to Holiness in Today’s World
This work is carried out by the following offices.
Catechesis and Faith Formation
We help Catholic parishes and schools in the work of evangelization and catechesis through the support, training, and mentoring of ministry leaders. We’re working to re-imagine faith formation through the lens of missionary discipleship, a personalized process that provides the right knowledge, skills, and perspectives for people to grow and be fruitful at every stage of the Christian life.
Hispanic Ministry
The Office of Hispanic Ministry is at the service of the Bishop in the formation of Missionary-Disciples of Jesus Christ among the Hispanic community of the Diocese. The Office provides assistance to parishes and other apostolates in the development of pastoral planning, workshops, leadership, organization, resources, and accompaniment that strengthen the Latino community from within and bridges the cultural and linguistic gaps between other groups. Our services include nearly every area of ministry, from evangelization and catechesis to liturgy, social ministry, pastoral juvenile (Hispanic youth and young adult ministry), and family ministry.
The Youth Ministry Office assists every parish and family to lead youth to a responsible participation in the life and mission of their faith community. We do this by discipling youth to embrace the love of Jesus Christ so they can live out their faith in prayer, service, evangelization, discernment and love. This office oversees the Diocesan youth summer camps, (Camp Savio and Camp Bosco) Confirmation Standards, Retreat Ministry, Youth Minister training, and other important Youth Ministry initiatives.
College Campus Ministry
The office for college campus ministry exists to form missionary disciples of all college students in the diocese. We do this by supporting campus ministry efforts at all college campuses within the diocese. These campus ministries work to establish places of authentic community where students encounter Jesus Christ and His Church, and then be sent out as missionaries in the midst of the world.
Young Adults
Young Adult ministry in our parishes is supported by the diocesan office. We also collaborate with City on a Hill Young Adult Apostlate an independent 501c3 that exists to form missionary disciples of those ages 21-35 within the diocese. City on a Hill began as an office in our diocese and became an independent organization several years ago. It offers personal formation through mentoring and spiritual direction, to small formation groups of men and women, to large-scale social events, retreats, mission trips, and even a sports league within the KC Metro area.
Marriage and Family Life
The Marriage and Family Life Office works to promote healthy, happy, and holy family life. We seek to support the life of missionary discipleship in the homes and daily lives of the faithful of our diocese. We support parishes in the areas of marriage preparation, marriage enrichment, natural family planning, grief support, troubled marriage support, and more. We also assist lay Catholic organizations and apostolates in their work related to families and parishes.
