For more information on the 2022 Steubenville Youth Conferences, go online at www.steubenvilleconferences.com or call 1-740-283-6315 .Read more
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Articles Under: Youth Ministry
How to change a flat tire. How to turn off the water to an overflowing toilet. How to manage money, create a budget, and balance a checkbook. How to perform the Heimlich maneuver or CPR in an emergency. These are all invaluable life skills that every parent ought to add to their list of “important lessons to impart upon our children.” Sadly, however, if one were to poll most Catholic parents, “how to pray” would likely not even crack their top ten list. Why is that, exactly? Perhaps prayer is seen as a “given,” something more “caught than taught.” Possibly... Read more
One of my primary roles in my work for the Church has been to respond to questions from parish priests and lay leaders about how to start a youth group or the right time to hire a youth minister. As I’ve met with these individuals to discuss these questions in greater depth, I’m often struck by the “why” of the questions. What are they wanting to accomplish? Some of them have few, if any, youth involved in their parish so they are looking to hire a staff person or to start a program that will better engage the youth. Some... Read more
Stay connected to your parish or school. Download myParishApp here for free. This is a paid advertisement in the July-September 2021 issue. Advertisements should not be viewed as endorsements from the publisher.Read more
How do you bring someone to faith in Jesus Christ? As Christians, this is a question we should have a ready-made answer for. Whatever our response, we cannot withhold that Jesus Christ is God , that he is a person , and that he is alive . We need to introduce people to faith not as a concept or doctrine but rather as a profound and personal meeting with the risen Jesus. [1] Yes, we desire people to know the faith, but primarily we desire people to encounter Jesus and enter into a relationship with him because, ultimately, “the faith... Read more
In the 1997 General Directory for Catechesis , “Missionary Initiation” is listed as a sixth and unique task of catechesis. The 2020 Directory for Catechesis folds this task into the fifth task of catechesis, “Introduction to Community Life,” with the logic that an integral part of being formed in Christian community is learning to contribute to the growth of the community through our baptismal vocation as missionary disciples. [1] The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls mission work “a requirement of the Church’s catholicity,” meaning that because the Church is for all humanity, we must be a welcoming people, taking... Read more
In 2020, the Shepherds of the Church gave us a treasure in the new Directory for Catechesis . Dr. Farey was a member of the working party for the bishops on the new Directory and shares additional reflections on its practical implications in this issue and the next two issues. “The new generations are not always formed and equipped culturally to face the challenges that digital society presents. . .. what is at stake is a form of digital illiteracy. Amid unending digital production today’s illiterates will be those who are unable to perceive the differences in quality and reliability... Read more
It’s no secret that over the past year the use of media has become a near necessity, causing its importance in our youth programs to skyrocket. The conversation about what it looks like to effectively use media within the realm of youth ministry is more paramount today than it has ever been in the Church’s history. There is certainly no lack of differing perspectives when it comes to the best media practices, and there’s not necessarily “one right way” to engage with the youth culture through media. But there are most definitely some dangers in regard to the use of... Read more
I’ve had the pleasure of being a certified teacher for twenty years now. I started my teaching career in a public school, and have spent the last five years teaching middle school students at a Catholic school outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Most teachers will agree that the greatest reward of teaching comes from watching students grow academically and socially. In a Catholic school we have an added bonus and responsibility, which is to help guide students as they form their spiritual life. Our youth face the difficult task of navigating a social and public landscape that is often in opposition... Read more
It is not a secret that knowledge of the faith continues to decline. It is tempting to insist simply upon teaching more doctrine, but this overlooks a more fundamental problem. What is catechesis really about? It is not simply knowledge of the faith but knowledge of the living God, a knowledge that includes and goes beyond simply the intellect, as it must include a complete transformation of life. We are not simply missing knowledge of the faith but the entire structure of life and culture that should undergird and support this knowledge. The Cultural Foundation for Catechesis Grace builds upon... Read more