Training and Team Life

The training period of the Young Disciples program sets it apart from other similar ministries. Missionaries are not only equipped for their summer mission, they also receive tools and formation that will help them in their lives and vocations after their summer mission ends. 

The Young Disciples Apostolate begins with a training period of 17 days, which includes:

• Foundations of the Faith 
• Catechesis and Methodology
• Evangelization
• Prayer and Spiritual Life Formation
• Human Formation and Team Life
• Camp Skills and Preparation

The teams have ongoing supervisor visits, as well as correspondence with staff at the Pastoral Center throughout the summer. They receive additional training halfway through the summer and at the end of summer.

Furthermore, their life of service and mission continues after their summer.  Many Young Disciples missionaries have joined seminary and religious life. Others have used their Young Disciples skills while raising their own families. Many others have become youth ministers, DREs, volunteer catechists, diocesan staff, and long-term missionaries.

Team Life and Prayer

If you are looking for a summer experience where you are surrounded by faithful Catholic young adults who provide good community and spiritual support and also a summer of spiritual growth, Young Disciples is a great opportunity to do so.  Each year, without fail, the favorite parts of serving as a Young Disciple for many missionaries are team life and prayer. You will travel together, work together, eat together, and pray together. Over the summer your fellow teammates will become like family.

You will also have time for daily personal prayer and daily team prayer. Many missionaries have said that daily Mass at camp and daily personal prayer time were the most transformative experiences of the summer. Many have also spent the summer more intentionally discerning their vocations.