Mandate
The Department of Pastoral Agents is tasked with the formation, animation, and coordination of the Church’s human resources engaged in pastoral ministry across Nigeria. It supports formation and deployment efforts for clergy, consecrated religious, lay ministers, and pastoral collaborators, ensuring that Church personnel are equipped for effective service in parish, diocesan, and national settings.
Primary Areas of Focus Include:
- Oversight of formation and ongoing development programmes for clergy (priests), consecrated religious, and seminarians.
- Support for lay pastoral workers, youth ministers, and other lay collaborators actively engaged in pastoral ministry.
- Development and dissemination of formation policies and national formation programmes.
- Coordination with diocesan formation structures to ensure coherent linkage between national and local pastoral priorities.
Leadership Seminar
Annual Leadership Retreat
Units Within the Department of Pastoral Agents
A. Laity Unit
The Laity Unit champions the formation, mission, and organisational vitality of the lay faithful in Nigeria. Its work enables lay Catholics to participate actively in the life of the Church and to contribute effectively to evangelisation and society.
Core Responsibilities Include:
- Coordinating national lay apostolate groups, associations, and movements.
- Providing spiritual, doctrinal, and leadership formation for the lay faithful.
- Assisting dioceses in promoting active lay participation in parish ministries and evangelisation.
- Developing guidelines for lay ministries and apostolic initiatives.
- Encouraging collaboration between lay organisations and other ecclesial structures.
Through this unit, the Secretariat nurtures a mission-driven laity capable of contributing meaningfully to the Church’s evangelising mission and the transformation of society.
B. Youth Animation Unit
The Youth Animation Unit focuses on the pastoral care, empowerment, and missionary engagement of young people across Nigeria.
Key Responsibilities Include:
- Designing and coordinating national youth programmes, congresses, and faith-formation initiatives.
- Supporting diocesan youth ministries and developing youth leadership structures.
- Training youth chaplains, coordinators, and peer leaders.
- Promoting Catholic values in digital culture, evangelisation, and social engagement.
- Encouraging youth participation in World Youth Day and other international events that strengthen global Catholic identity.
- Addressing pastoral needs such as faith formation, vocational discernment, and social pressures unique to young people today.
This unit ensures that the Church’s youth apostolate remains dynamic, relevant, and deeply missionary.
Bootcamp
Soul
