St. Joseph Shrine Parish, Brooklyn at 8743 US-12, Brooklyn, MI 49230 US - What is Youth Ministry?
What is Youth Ministry?by Alison Marshall |
The purpose goals of youth ministry can be confusing if it is running simultaneously with Confirmation preparation. Quite simply, Confirmation class prepares youth (in this case) for receiving the sacrament of Confirmation, confirming their commitment to God and the Church. This sacrament is like an adult initiation into the church, and in the case of St. Joseph Shrine, only 10th and 11th graders attend this year. Once the sacrament of Confirmation has been received, the class is done. You do not attend Confirmation class again as a confirmand. Likewise, once the youth are confirmed, they are confirmed. One does not receive the sacrament again.
Youth group is much broader. It is based on the issues teens see and experience in their lives everyday. Youth ministry is…a ministry, on-going, and it works into may different areas: life at school, such as classes, homework, sports, other extra-curricular, interaction with classmates and teachers; life at home, relationships with parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, etc. Youth ministry also is concerned with youth relationship with themselves (different than “each other”), and most obviously their relationship with God. There are three goals in youth ministry: 1) To empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today. 2) To draw youth people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community. 3) To foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person (from Renewing the Vision).