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What
is Youth Ministry?
The Catholic
Bishop’s of the United States clarified youth ministry in
their publication A Vision by saying “Youth Ministry is
the response of the Christian community to the needs of
young people, and the sharing of the unique gifts of youth
with the larger community.”
So what? What does
that mean to me as a Catholic Teenager? Quite simply it
means that Youth Ministry is the ministry of the church that
is specifically for you. Youth Ministry is a ministry of the
church that is For, With and By young people. How great is
that? I see, so you aren’t into church you say? Ok we can
deal with that, but why is it you aren’t into church?
Church is boring, church is for adults, the church doesn’t
understand what it is like to be young. If these are your
reasoning’s you should take another look at the church.
The Catholic Church
of 2008 is a vibrant, youthful church, energetic, and filled
with the Holy Spirit. Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it. A
new movement in the church often referred to as the
Charismatic movement has begun to influence worship, and
while there is beauty in traditional forms of worship, the
charismatic make great use of modern upbeat music within the
Catholic Celebration of the Eucharist.
So what is it we
intend to do to you through Youth Ministry? There are three
goals of youth ministry. To empower young people to live as
disciples of Jesus Christ in our World today. To draw people
to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work
of the Catholic faith community. And finally, To foster the
total personal and spiritual growth of each young person.
To meet these goals
Youth Ministry engages in a number of activities. Some of
which are spiritual, like prayer services and retreats. Some
are social, like dances and lock-ins. Other activities are
service oriented, like the Souper-Bowl for Caring or
visiting our elderly parishioners during the holidays in
their homes or nursing homes.
Still thinking
Youth Ministry is going to be lame? Give it a try if for no
other reason but that your grandmother will be happy. We are
all called to be Disciples of Christ “And he saith unto
them, come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
(Matthew 4:19) Shouldn’t you at least give it a shot?
Mission
Statement
Based on the goals and themes expressed
in “Renewing the Vision” by the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops, the Youth Ministry program at St. Joseph’s
will attempt to respond to the needs of our parish’s young
people, and assist young people in sharing their unique
gifts with the larger Christian community. Beyond catechesis
our program will expand to address the call to personal
discipleship, evangelization, and leadership.
Goal 1: To Empower
young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our
world today.
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Learn what it
means to follow Jesus Christ and to live as his disciples
today
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Empowering them
to serve others and to work toward a world built on values
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“All ministry
with adolescents must be directed toward presenting young
people with the Good News of Jesus Christ and inviting and
challenging them to become his disciples” (Renewing the
Vision, Pg 10)
Goal 2: To draw
young people to responsible participation in the life,
mission, and work of the Catholic faith community.
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The family
community
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The parish
community
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The school
community
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The service
community
Goal 3: To foster
the total person and spiritual growth of each young person.
Youth
Ministry - In the News!
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