For Edwin Arredondo, getting into youth ministry --- becoming a mentor, a leader --- changed his life.

"Everyone has a different way of finding God in the Church," says Arredondo, from St. Joseph Church, Hawthorne. "Youth ministry was how I found my connection to God."

Nearly 300 other young adults with their own connection to God through parish and diocesan ministry were honored Sept. 27 at the 13th annual Eucharistic liturgy, "Celebrating Young Adults in Ministry." Held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, the event was sponsored by the office of Religious Education's Young Adult Ministry and Pastorál Juveníl.

These young men and women, Cardinal Roger Mahony told them in his homily, represent "the single greatest group of leaders we have ever had in the Church. You are not simply our future leadership; rather, you the leaders of our Church today, right now. We need you to be strong in your leadership, and that means you must be strong in your relationship with Jesus Christ."

And as leaders in the Church, the cardinal noted, "we are called to raise the voice of God in our society, to bring Gospel values into our world." Such leadership, he said, is even more important in a society facing challenging economic times and a combative election campaign.

"The politicians talk about change that is needed in government," Cardinal Mahony said. "As Catholics, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to bring the change that the Gospel tells us about: to have the same attitude of love, mercy and care for one another that was modeled by Jesus. Ultimately, the change of our hearts, minds and attitudes is the only change that matters."

---Mike Nelson and Sr. Nancy Munro, CSJ