Pastoral Associate for Faith Formation/Youth Ministry Events Coordinator: Rachel Collet
Email Rachel at smcff@nycap.rr.com.
What is youth ministry?
The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops outlined their vision for Youth Ministry within the United States in their 1997 document “Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry”.
GOALS for YOUTH MINISTRY
- To empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today.
- To draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community.
- To foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person.
Based on the values of the Catholic Church, we will strive to meet these goals by:
- Providing opportunities for the youth to experience the larger Church community as members of the Body of Christ.
- Connecting our youth to other young people that share their Catholic faith.
- Planting seeds of discipleship for our youth to grow into strong Catholic leaders.
- Impacting young people through the message of the Gospel to create young men and women who love Jesus and His Church.
Ministry with young people integrates each of the church’s ministries – “Components” – in an effort to achieve its goals. Each ministry component supports and enhances the others. A comprehensive ministry with youth provides balance among all eight components.
COMPONENTS OF YOUTH MINISTRY
- Advocacy – empowers young people by giving them a voice
- Catechesis – promotes the faith development
- Community Life – builds an environment of love & support; develops meaningful relationships; and nurtures Catholic faith
- Evangelization – the energizing core of all ministry with young people; invites them to a deeper relationship with Jesus
- Justice and Service – nurtures in young people a social consciousness & empowers them to work for justice
- Leadership Development – calls forth, affirms, & empowers the diverse gifts, talents & abilities of youth
- Pastoral Care – a compassionate presence in the image of Jesus’ care of people, especially those in need
- Prayer and Worship – celebrates young people’s relationship with Jesus & incorporates them more fully in the sacramental life of the Church; nurtures personal prayer and fosters family rituals