The Ministry of Catholic Educations says that youth ministry is a “response to the mission entrusted by Christ.” God told his disciples in Matthew chapter twenty eight verse nineteen ‘Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit.’ And youth ministry is one of the many ways the Catholic Church is doing this.
As stated in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, recreational workers create programs that can be altered to specific age groups. Being a youth minister you encounter many different things. Like recreational workers, youth minister put together programs for both middle school and high school. The Arch Dioceses send a lesson plan of what the students should know by the end of the year. The youth ministers will then branch together similar topics and make that the main focus for the night. The themes revolve around the four pillars of the Catholic Church. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church these four pillars are faith, liturgy and sacraments, morality of our life and prayer. This program is a fun an interesting way to bring these teenagers to Christ. A typical night starts with snacks and games to start building a community and then officially starts with a prayer. One of the reasons we pray is to calculate disengagement which is transitioning the students into a more prayerful mode for the rest of the night. After prayer we go into a talk prepared by the minister and sometimes having a
The thought simply occurred to him while driving home from church one morning: Why not pursue youth ministry? The question came with the understanding that he simply enjoyed working with those who were younger than him, helping them grasp topics concerning Christian spirituality. Returning to college the very next morning, Sean met with his academic advisor and decided to weave ministry classes into his schedule in order to double major in Intercultural Studies and Youth Ministry. Eventually this gave way to a full-fledged Christian Ministries major with a focus in youth ministry.
One organization that is becoming increasingly popular, is the new youth church. These churches are made up primarily of young adults; those that attend gain a sense of belonging by their family-like structures and “cell groups”. They also dabble with the postmodern and nontraditional ways of worship, to attract outsiders, and they have a strong emphasis on missionary work.
Daniel says that she has seen many who are involved in teaching and providing care through the church go on to be teachers, counselors, and administrators for various youth programs. Mrs. Daniel says, “the church opens doors for people to get involved with kids and shows them the impact that one person can make in a child’s life.” She became interested in working with children in this very way. Mrs. Daniel began to volunteer at her church, which later led to a part-time job. While working part-time, she continued her education and gained more experience that eventually led her to become the Director of Children’s Ministry. In order to prepare for entering this field, Mrs. Daniel suggest that, while it is not required, a person should have a college degree that prepares them for working with families and children and that they stay up to date on trends and issues in the church as well as in the community. She also says that if one plans to work in a church environment, they should have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Mrs. Daniel describes working in this kind of environment as a “calling.” She does not think that this is a field for everyone, “it takes a special kind of person to put the needs of children and the community in front of their own” says Mrs.
How can we minister more effectively to young Latino Catholics and help them increase their participation in the Church? These are key questions that are frequently raised and that must be acknowledged and studied carefully as we consider the future of the Catholic Church as well as her numerical growth. If we bear in mind that 44% of all Catholics under the age of thirty in the U.S. are Hispanics (according to the 2013 Pew Research Center survey of Hispanic adults) it would certainly seem that increasing Hispanic teenagers ' participation in the Church would be beneficial not just for Hispanic families and communities, but also for the future Church in general. To effectively minister to Hispanic teenagers, an understanding of what is happening in their lives is crucial. Indeed, family plays a big part, but what we often neglect is how significantly culture impacts the life of an adolescent.
High school plays a pivotal role in a student's life, helping to decide what type of person they want to become. The best high schools go one step further, giving students the skills and tools needed to move on to college and realize their passions and dreams. My personal Skutt Catholic experience fully prepared me for college and beyond with a top-notch education that gives every student the necessary resources to begin a life of empowering others, promoting justice, and initiating change. It has represented the "Legend of the Skyhawk" and formed me into the young man I am today through abundant opportunities in scholarship, friendship, and leadership.
3) Scripture Memorization- Have students memorize a specific scripture a week, and have them quote it every time you guys are together throughout the week. 4) Coffee discussions- The student will have the opportunity to grab coffee with a student leader, and discuss anything they would like to discuss. Serve: Serving is important to youth ministry because it teaches the student how to serve the church and their community. It is important, because it helps the student realize that they need to care for the people and things that God has given them leadership and ownership over.
In Pazmino’s text, he expresses the idea of the preacher playing many different roles, and as the youth minister at my church, I play many different roles in order to enhance the educational experience. It is my job to plan the lessons, and teach the teachers how to best teach their students. Pazmino states education as, “ a process of sharing content with people in the context of their community and society.” All of the teachers are equipped with the knowledge that is on the appropriate level of the congregants they are teaching. For example, I would not put someone who is good at talking with adults about topics such as interreligious dialogue, and put them with three year olds that are learning about the infamous Bible stories. Making people
From 2005-2014, the number of Catholics grew from 1.12 billion to 1.27 billion. The greatest increase wan in the African continent at 41 percent even though the population growth was at 23 percent. Asia has a 20 percent with an increase of population of 9 percent and then America which had an 11 percent increase in Catholics compared to a 9 percent of population.
Along with discrimination in the schools, it is unjust that the Ontario Government provides 100% funding for Catholic Schools but not for any other faith. First and Foremost, the funding of Catholic schools infringes on the freedom of religion of all taxpayers who are not Catholic. According to a 2011 census by Statistics Canada, 68.6% of Canadians are not Catholic. With an overwhelming majority of the country not practicing the catholic faith, it does not make sense that the bulk of the population would have to contribute to the cost of education for a religion they do not believe in and cannot even send their own children to. It is damaging that the Province of Ontario is not only giving one religion their own education system, but making
Youth Alive is a ministry for the 12-18 age group. With a vision of seeing a church full of anointed and equipped youth, empowered to live their life for CHRIST in boldness. Youth that are set apart and that won’t conform to the image of the world. Throughout volunteering at my church for senior project I was able to explore three major key
In the text, "The Intellectual Appeal of Catholicism and the Idea of Catholic University," the author Mark W. Roche is biased towards public universities versus a catholic university. "A Catholic university is well-positioned to satisfy these expectations," and, "Whereas many contemporary universities now call for interdisciplinary curricula, most Catholic universities have sought both interdisciplinary and integrative knowledge." Roche writes how Catholic universities are better than public universities because they not only have interdisciplinary knowledge but integrative knowledge as well. Roche should not be biased towards public universities because it is not like he has been to every public school. Every school is different and every
The principles of Catholic Social Teaching have been used as a guide to making responses to social problems ever since the principles were developed in 1891. The following three principles are the most relevant to the refugee crisis.
Canada has a long history of reinventing itself. In the modern world, Canada strives to be known as one of the most diverse countries in the world; however, there are barriers deeply embedded into Canada’s system that stops it from achieving that goal. Among these barriers is the issue of Canada’s government publicly funding Catholic schools compared to the non-funding of other religiously-centered schools. This issue also happens to be of heat between the United Nations and the Government of Canada. Even though the Catholic schools go back into the early 17th century, the modern Catholic system did not originate until the early 19th century (History of Catholic Schools, OAPCE).
I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience helping the youth and ministering to them. I have found that it only takes a few minutes to get to know someone. You should never judge a book by its cover is truly an understatement. You never know what a person is going through by looking at them so to assume anything about a person is a terrible mistake. When speaking with a young lady named Dymon, I learned that we all are going through some things. Some more dramatic than others.
My Catholic School leadership experience stems from years of being involved in my diocese, first as a student, then as an employee and then as a mother who raised and educated three children in that diocese. I am a firm supporter of Catholic education as I have experienced the benefits that only a Christ centered learning environment can provide as a student, parent and educator.