The National Council of the Secular Franciscan Order, meeting in Nashville Oct. 14-19, unanimously voted to disband the Youth/Young Adult Commission and resurrect it as the Franciscan Youth/Young Adult (FYYA) Council, as presented by youth commission chair Kathy Taormina, SFO.

The FYYA Council -- featuring four young adults, a spiritual assistant and two professed Secular Franciscans serving as fraternal animators -- now enters a two-year transition, Taormina said, with the aim of:

• encouraging local fraternities to sponsor YouFra groups, while continuing to minister to youth with one-time or on-going activities.
• having each local YouFra group elect a president who sits on the local fraternity council and represents youth/young adults on a regional FYYA council.
• having each regional FYYA council elect a president who will serve on the SFO regional executive council and represent regions on the national FYYA Council.
• having regional FYYA presidents elect a national FYYA president to represent youth and young adults on the NAFRA Executive Council.

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Media Contact:  Robert Stronach, SFO