Articles Under: Youth Ministry

The 1997 General Directory of Catechesis contained a statement about catechizing youth that I found to be both profound and prophetic: It must be emphasized, however, that frequently contemporary evangelization of young people must adopt a missionary dimension rather than a strictly catechumenal dimension. Indeed, the situation often demands that the apostolate amongst young people be an animation of a missionary or humanitarian nature , as a necessary first step to bringing to maturity the dispositions favorable to the strictly catechetical moment . [1] As a formator for people who minister to young people, I had often quoted the above... Read more

For many young people, the “domestic church” is like Plato’s world of ideas: a great concept that doesn’t necessarily have a corresponding reality. Marriage and family life have an innate beauty that young people are naturally drawn to because of the heroic love, sacrifice, virtue, and holiness involved in them. But why does the ideal seem so hard to transfer into reality? How do we teach the domestic church to young people in a culture that seems antagonistic to marriage and family life? Authenticity Young people crave authenticity. When we teach the hard truths, the high ideals, the demanding precepts,... Read more

This is a paid advertisement in the April- June 2019 issue. Advertisements should not be viewed as endorsements from the publisher. To order the book or for more information from Ave Maria Press click here or call (800) 282-1865, ext. 1.Read more

The Treasure We Give With the smell of Domino’s pepperoni pizza in the air and the sound of girly giggles that had not quite settled down, a group of 50 or so high school students crowded in small groups on the carpet floor of the parish center on a Sunday night, ready for another catechetical lesson in the St. Gertrude youth ministry program. As a Freshman in high school, I would carpool with friends 40 minutes across town just to be a part of this group. It wasn’t my home parish, but the faith was alive and well at St... Read more