Young Adult Groups and Apostolic Movements

Deanery

Parish

City

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Escondido
St. Gabriel
Poway
Kierstin Rowell
youth@saintgabrielschurch.com
Escondido
St. Gregory the Great
Scripps Ranch
Bella Luna
bella@stgg.org
Oceanside
St. James and St. Leo
Solana Beach
Joe Anthony
joseph@sandiegocac.org
Oceanside
St. James and St. Leo
Solana Beach
Yvette Conde
conde.yvette.2010@gmail.com
Oceanside
St. James and St. Leo
Solana Beach
Nancy Wesseln
nancy@sandiegocac.org
Oceanside
St. James and St. Leo
Solana Beach
Jason Scheffler
jason@sandiegocac.org
El Cajon
St. John of the Cross
Lemon Grove
Monica Salazar
msalazar@stjohnofthecrosslg.org
El Cajon
St. John of the Cross
Lemon Grove
Carlos Salazar
salazar60@ymail.com
Cathedral
St. John the Evangelist
University Heights
Art Nerida
art@sjesandiego.org
Oceanside
St. John the Evangelist
Encinitas
Jenna Kuebler
youth@saintjohnencinitas.org
Oceanside
St. John the Evangelist
Encinitas
Jenna Kuebler
youth@saintjohnencinitas.org
Cathedral
St. Joseph Cathedral
Cortez Hill
Bridgitte Agcaoili
youngadults@sdcathedral.org
Cathedral
St. Joseph Cathedral
Cortez Hill
Max Sonnier
Cathedral
St. Joseph Cathedral
Cortez Hill
Cynthia Quezada
Imperial
St. Joseph
Holtville
Maria & Crystal Vaca
stjosephholtville@gmail.com
Imperial
St. Joseph
Holtville
Crystal Vaca
crycb76@outlook.com
Imperial
St. Joseph
Westmorland
Teresa Moya
ff@brawleycatholic.org
Cathedral
St. Jude Shrine of the West
Logan Heights
Dianna Sanchez
diannaramirez1999@gmail.com
El Cajon
St. Luke
El Cajon
Jane Alfano
PLDir@thechurchofstluke.org
Imperial
St. Margaret Mary
Brawley
Teresa Moya
ff@brawleycatholic.org
Oceanside
St. Margaret
Oceanside
Ariana Liberatore
ccd@oceanside4christ.com
Oceanside
St. Margaret
Oceanside
Nicolas Liberatore
Oceanside
St. Margaret
Oceanside
Anna Pallisco
Oceanside
St. Mark
San Marcos
Therese Tedrow
theresetedrow@gmail.com
El Cajon
St. Martin of Tours
La Mesa
Kia Scott
youthministry@stmarymagonline.org
Mission
St. Mary Magdalene
Bay Park
Kia Scott
youthministry@stmarymagonline.org
Imperial
St. Mary
El Cajon
Viviann Ceseña
ecyoungadults1@gmail.com
Escondido
St. Mary
Escondido
Maria Vicky Briceno
mbriceno@stmaryp.org
Escondido
St. Mary
Escondido
Marian Valadez
marvaldivia32@gmail.com
Escondido
St. Mary
Escondido
Rosa Mateo
rosemateo109@gmail.com
South Bay
St. Mary
National City
Mark Villas
mjvillas@stmichaelsandiego.org
Oceanside
St. Mary, Star of the Sea
Oceanside
Noe Garcia
noegarcia760@hotmail.com
Oceanside
St. Mary, Star of the Sea
Oceanside
Marissa Garcia
garcia.marissa1@gmail.com
Oceanside
St. Mary, Star of the Sea
Oceanside
Elvis Perea
elvisperea1@gmail.com
Escondido
St. Michael
Poway
Dylan Pastorin
youngadults@smpoway.org
South Bay
St. Michael
Paradise Hills
Mark Villas
mjvillas@stmichaelsandiego.org
South Bay
St. Michael
Paradise Hills
Arianna Melendez
arixmercedes@gmail.com
South Bay
St. Michael
Paradise Hills
Andrea Melendez
andreaaxmelendez@gmail.com
Imperial
St. Patrick
Calipatria
Fr Ronaldo Roque
stpatrickcalipatria@gmail.com
Oceanside
St. Peter the Apostle
Fallbrook
Jesus Ramon
jg9703805@gmail.com
Oceanside
St. Peter the Apostle
Fallbrook
Denell Robles
denellrobles@yahoo.com
South Bay
St. Rose of Lima
Chula Vista
David Zamuido
youth@Strosecv.com
Escondido
St. Stephen
Valley Center
Aaron Zamora
zam4508az@gmail.com
Mission
St. Therese of Carmel
Carmel Valley
John Navarette
Jnavarette@stocsd.org
Mission
St. Therese of Carmel
Carmel Valley
Priscilla Trastoy
ptrastoy@stocsd.org
El Cajon
St. Therese
Del Cerro
Jazmine Sanchez
Jazmine.sanchez90@gmail.com
El Cajon
St. Therese
Del Cerro
YoungAdults@stthereseparish.org
Oceanside
St. Thomas More
Oceanside
Fr Evan Bui
evanb@stmoside.org
Escondido
St. Timothy
Escondido
Justin Mora
youth@sttimothychurch.com
Cathedral
St. Vincent de Paul
Linda Vista
Rafael Quevedo
rafael@vincentcatholic.org
Mission
Immaculata, The
Linda Vista
Barbie Wenstrup
immaculatayoungadults@gmail.com
Organization
Young Catholic Professionals

Movements

Movements, ministries and lay religious associations offer young adults in the Latino community vibrant programs and events. Some in the San Diego region are listed here.

Two people hold a ship's wheel in a church, with a clergyperson in purple vestments standing behind them. Stained glass windows and a crucifix adorn the background.

Encuentros de Promoción Juvenil

Encuentros de Promoción Juvenil (Encounters of Youth Promotion) is a Catholic movement of young adults (ages 18-27) who evangelize their peers to accept the Gospel, live their vocation and take on leadership roles in Christian groups in their communities.

 

EPJ’s educational approach emphasizes human and spiritual development, group work, community prayer, Mass attendance, reflection and the sharing of experiences. EPJ announces and bears witness to Christ by rallying young people around the fundamental values of Christianity and helping them to mature in the faith.

 

EPJ was founded by Father José Maria Pujadas Ferrer in Medellín, Colombia in 1968. The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Laity recognized EPJ as an international association of the faithful of Pontifical Right in 1996. Today, the program is operating in 14 countries, including the United States. An emproista is the name given to a person who has made an EJP weekend. Each year, emproistas celebrate Dec. 9 as International EPJ Day to honor the program’s founder Father Pujadas, who died on Dec. 9, 1984.

 

For more information, visit the following link.

Information about the National EPJ can be found here.

Jornadas

Jornadas started in Mexico in 1961, founded by the Marist brothers, who had the desire to give their students a more complete religious formation. Thus, they created themes by which four personal stages were discovered in the process: Man, Christian, Holy and Apostle.

 

In 2003, after several young people saw the need in San Diego County, they went to Chicago to live a Jornadas retreat, and with the help of Auxiliary Bishop Gilbert Chavez, the first Jornada in San Diego took place.

 

Currently, 13 retreats have been carried out. The retreats are every year in the summer, for single young adults between the ages of 18 and 35.

 

For more information, visit the following link.

About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pulido’s coat of arms is divided into four quarters with wavy horizontal lines from top to bottom. The blue and white lines represent the Blessed Virgin Mary. They also suggest water, which alludes to Jesus washing the feet of His disciples and to the waters of baptism. The red and gold lines represent the Holy Spirit and fire. The colors also can be seen as referring to the Blood that (along with water) poured from Jesus’ side at His crucifixion, as well as to the bread (gold) and wine (red) transformed into the Eucharist. At the center is a roundel featuring a symbolic representation of the “mandatum” (washing of the feet), which he believes exemplifies service to all humanity. The roundel’s outer edge is a line composed of small humps; it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Diocese of Yakima, where Bishop Pulido served as a priest before being named a bishop.

About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pham’s coat of arms combines the Diocese of San Diego’s coat of arms on the left side, and his on the right. On his, a red boat on a blue ocean sits on diagonal lines suggesting a fisherman’s net. This symbolizes his ministry as a “fisher of men,” as well as how his own father had been a fisherman. The boat is also a symbol of the Church, which is referred to as the “barque of Peter.” At the center of the sail is a red beehive (a symbol of the bishop’s baptismal patron saint, St. John Chrysostom, known as a “honey-tongued” preacher). The beehive is surrounded by two green palm branches (an ancient symbol of martyrdom; the bishop’s ancestors were among Vietnam’s first martyrs). The eight red tongues of fire around the boat are a symbol of the Holy Spirit and a representation of the diversity of ethnic communities.

About the Coat of Arms

The coat of arms combines symbols that reflect Bishop Bejarano’s spiritual life and priestly ministry. The main part of the shield shows four wavy vertical lines on a gold background. These represent flowing waters. This alludes to his chosen motto and also symbolizes the graces that come from the Divine life to quench our thirst for God. The upper third of the shield is red because it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Order of Mercy, of which the Bishop’s patron saint, Raymond Nonnatus, was a member. The central symbol resembles a monstrance because St. Raymond is often depicted holding one. The Eucharist is Bishop Bejarano’s inspiration for his vocation. It was through the Eucharist that he received his call to the priesthood at age seven and which keeps his faith and his ministry going. It represents the call to offer oneself as a living sacrifice. The monstrance is flanked on either side by an image of the Sacred Heart, alluding to the mercy of God and echoing the idea of a sacrificial offering of oneself united to the sacrifice of Christ, and of a rose for Our Lady. It is an allusion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, and highlights the bishop’s Hispanic heritage.

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