Youth Ministry

  • Youth Ministry Sky Zone Trip 2023

The Importance of Youth Ministry

Youth ministry is a vital aspect of the Church’s mission to form the next generation of disciples. It provides a space where young people can deepen their relationship with Christ, build a strong foundation in their Catholic faith, and learn how to live out the Gospel in their daily lives. As young people face unique challenges and questions about their identity, purpose, and values, youth ministry offers them the support, guidance, and spiritual tools they need to navigate life’s journey with faith and hope. It fosters community, encourages personal growth, and helps youth discover their place within the Body of Christ.

 

Encounter Christ: The Power of LifeNights

Biweekly during the academic year, teens gather for LifeNights—a powerful space to encounter Christ through engaging teaching, prayer, and real conversation. LifeNights are not just about learning about the faith, but living it. These nights are tailored to meet teens where they are, addressing the real questions of identity, purpose, and hope in light of the Gospel. There’s food, friendship, and faith—everything a young Catholic needs to grow in a community that cares.

“Come and see.” – John 1:39
Jesus didn’t just teach from a distance—He invited people into relationship. That’s what LifeNights do: create the space where faith becomes personal.

 

Step Up: Join the CORE Team

We believe youth ministry is most powerful when it’s led by those who live it. That’s why we invite both teens and adults to serve on our CORE Team—the group that prays, plans, and leads our ministry. Teen leaders are given a unique opportunity to share their gifts, grow in their confidence, and witness boldly to their peers. Adult CORE members offer mentorship and walk alongside teens as spiritual guides.

“Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” – 1 Timothy 4:12

LifeTeen reminds us:

“Teens are not only the future of the Church—they are the Church right now.”
(—LifeTeen Vision)

When teens lead, they rise. When adults walk with them, the Church grows stronger.

 

Live the Gospel: Retreats and Service Opportunities

Discipleship isn’t confined to a classroom or one hour a week—it’s lived out in the everyday. Through service opportunities, teens put their faith into action by serving both in the parish and the wider community. Whether it’s helping at parish events, engaging in acts of mercy, or supporting those in need, these experiences root teens in the Church’s mission.

Our Annual Onsite Retreat offers a sacred space to step away from the noise and reconnect with God in a personal and powerful way. And each summer, teens are invited to the Steubenville East Youth Conference, where thousands of Catholic young people gather for a weekend of unforgettable worship, Eucharistic adoration, and deep spiritual renewal.

“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” – Romans 12:2
Retreats and conferences help us step away from the patterns of the world and rediscover who we are in Christ.

 

Choose to Engage: Your Yes Matters

In a world filled with distractions and demands, choosing to engage with your faith is radical. But it’s the most important choice you can make. Youth ministry isn’t one more thing on a crowded schedule—it’s the thing that gives everything else meaning. Choosing LifeTeen, choosing LifeNights, choosing to serve, to retreat, to pray, to grow—these are the steps that lead to a life of purpose and joy.

“I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.” – Deuteronomy 30:19

This is your invitation to choose life.
To choose Christ.
To choose engagement over passivity.
To choose discipleship over distraction.

Let your “yes” be bold. Let it be now.