What Is CEND?

What Is CEND?

Well, the simplest answer is “The Center for Evangelization & Discipleship,” but this is a full blog post, so I’m going to go into a bit more detail.

Maybe you’ve heard of us or just know about our work here at MSP Catholic, but either way, I want to use this post to share more of our story and invite you into our mission. 

Let’s start at the beginning. CEND started with a group of concerned entreprenerial adults who had a desire to see more young adults in their 20s and 30s engaged in their local parishes. Faith and faith-centered communities were essential to their own upbringings, but things were looking different for the next generation.They wanted Christianity to be a driving force in the lives of young people in their community. 
 
This shared desire spurred conversations in the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis. These conversations would eventually lead to the formation of CEND. 

CEND’s vision is for all young adults to find a home in a Catholic parish. It works towards this vision by empowering young adults to find, connect, and belong to an active life of discipleship in the Church and to support those who assist them on their journey. 

With this vision, CEND became an official non-profit organization in June of 2020. We filled our calendars, meeting with pastors, parishes, young adults, and others who had an interest in and unique perspective of our mission. We listened--a lot--and started to assemble ideas of how we can make a difference in the lives of young adults in our Archdiocese. 

It’s been amazing to be a part of so many conversations with dynamic people who truly care for young adults and are on mission to serve this community. Every connection made and insight received was yielding an abundance of fruit. Even in the early stages of CEND, YAs were being encouraged in their faith and finding new ways to connect with their local Catholic community.

As mentioned above, MSP Catholic is one of the initiatives of CEND. Read below to learn more about the three pilars of CEND.

MSP Catholic - A digital hub for Twin Cities Catholics. Its mission is to unify and amplify the message of Jesus Christ that is alive and vibrant in the Twin Cities Catholic community. MSP Catholic brings together the best events, groups, parishes, and resources for Young Adults and promotes them in ways that young people communicate - online, on social media, in email inboxes, and perhaps over a conversation at a brewery. A great team of talented young adults makes it all happen. Not a week goes by without hearing a story of how a simple post online led to an in-person connection and growth in one’s faith. More about the story of MSP Catholic can be found here.

Making Parish Home - A parish initiative that helps to establish and support a young adult community. Our team works with pastors and parish staff to create a team of young adults at a parish who are on mission and desire to feel more at home in the parish community. We help equip YA leaders, set a strategy and action plan for how to create a community, and provide support and connections to make the plan a reality and enhance the mission of each unique parish. By forming small groups, learning the basics of evangelization and discipleship, integrating into the life of the parish, and creating new opportunities for YAs to gather at a parish, we help light the spark of YA ministry in a parish community and ensure its sustainability.
Speaker Series - An opportunity to gather, listen, learn, and discuss important topics within today’s Church. This series in memoriam gives young adults and others in the community a chance to be inspired and respond to the way God is working in our Church. We’re bringing some of the best national and local speakers to the Twin Cities community.

That’s three initiatives in just over two years for the sake of one important mission. What a wild ride it’s been. Did we mention this all started in the middle of the pandemic?(!!)

If you’d like to learn more or be part of our mission, there’s a few things you can do.

First, pray for us! If we believe in the power of prayer, this is the most impactful thing you can do. 

Second, tell someone about us! Who came to mind while you read this? Give them a call, send them a text, or bring it up the next time you chat. 

We are always blessed with feedback, encouragement, and people offering to share their unique gifts. If one of the initiatives above resonates with you or the mission God has for your own life, we want to hear from you. We’re especially looking for people who have skills in marketing, communications, fundraising, and ministry.

And lastly, we are so blessed by those who keep the lights on and YAs gathering through financial support of our mission. We welcome donations (one-time or recurring) on the CEND website: www.catholiccend.org/donate. All donations are tax deductible and go directly into the work that is explained above.

And there you have it...an overview of CEND. I hope this post was helpful for those of you who have heard of CEND connected with MSP Catholic or joined us here for the first time  (welcome!). The next time you like, comment, share, or read something from MSP Catholic, remember this is all a part of something bigger. Thank you for your time, prayers, and participation in our community. God bless!