Resources Youth Ministry

Evangelization and catechesis for the mission of forming young people as disciples of Jesus Christ.

The Church’s Vision for Youth Ministry

“Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our world, and everything he touches becomes young, new, full of life. The very first words, then, that I would like to say to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!” – Pope Francis, Christus Vivit, 1

Listen, Teach, Send

In June 2024, the Catholic bishops of the United States approved a National Pastoral Framework for Ministries with Youth and Young Adults entitled “Listen, Teach, Send.” This text serves as the United States’ response to Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on young people, Christus Vivit. It is also a summons to local Catholic communities to renew and revitalize their approach to the accompaniment and evangelization of youth (in junior high and high school) and young adults (in college and in their 20s and 30s).

The methodology is rooted in the Gospel story of the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35) and invites pastoral leaders and families, in their engagement with young people, to imitate Jesus who listens attentively, teaches from the heart, and sends disciples into the world. The document begins with a preface letter addressed directly from the U.S. Bishops to youth and young adults and continues with the three-part framework text for pastoral ministers, families, and young leaders in the Church.

Directory for Catechesis

As the Catholic Church embarks on the mission of teaching the Christian faith, the new Directory for Catechesis (2020) lays the how-to guidelines for catechesis and presents universal norms to guide pastors and catechists in the work of evangelization.

First released in 1971 and then updated in 1997, this latest edition considers both the opportunities and the challenges which the Church faces in an ever more global and secular society. The new Directory builds upon the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the ongoing work of the new evangelization.

The Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization presents the Directory to guide the proclamation of the Gospel by the Christian faithful to people of all ages and in all seasons of life.

The Directory places catechetical instruction and formation of catechetical teachers clearly within the realm of evangelization. It offers guidelines to assist in the creation of local directories and catechisms and clarifies the importance of catechetical renewal in Christian communities.

The Directory affirms the presentation of the Catholic faith articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as a sound point of reference for instruction while drawing deeply from Scripture and the writings of recent popes, especially Pope Francis’s Evangelii Gaudium.

These guidelines are important for bishops, who are the primary catechists in their local diocese. The Directory will also be indispensable for all those responsible for formal religious instruction, including pastors and parish priests, deacons, lay and religious catechists, and religious education teachers in dioceses, parishes, and schools. The Directory will furthermore aid directors of formation who train the faithful in the forms and means of catechesis, including seminary rectors, directors of formation for the permanent diaconate, and lay ecclesial minster formation program directors.

The Directory for Catechesis (2020) is not currently available online as per the Holy See’s request. You may purchase it with various publishers including:

OSV

Amazon

Directory for Catechesis | Catholic Books Direct

Christus Vivit

Pope Francis’ Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit from 2019 casts a vision for youth ministry that emphasizes the role of young people in the life of the Church today. This document discusses the role of young people in the Bible and the life of the Church, addresses some of the pressing issues of the day, invites young people into relationship with Christ, reviews the current forms and needs of youth ministry, encourages young people to be missionary disciples, and asks young people discern their vocation. Of particular interest is Chapter 7: Youth Ministry.

Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry

Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry, approved as a statement of the United States bishops in June 1997, builds upon the tradition begun by the 1976 document by the bishops, A Vision of Youth Ministry. To respond to the challenges and opportunities of the present age, the Catholic bishops of the United States have given the Church this pastoral framework as a blueprint for the continued development of effective ministry with youth and adolescents in local communities of faith.

Renewing the Vision identifies three goals for ministry with adolescents:

empowering young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ
drawing young people into responsible participation in the Catholic Church
fostering the personal and spiritual growth of young people

The document identifies seven themes of a comprehensive vision. Youth ministry must:

be developmentally appropriate
family friendly
intergenerational
multicultural
have community-wide collaboration
have strong leadership
have flexible and adaptable programming for young people

The document identifies eight components of comprehensive ministry with young people:

advocacy
catechesis
community life
evangelization
justice and service
leadership development
pastoral care
prayer and worship

The Archdiocese of Boston’s Vision for Youth Ministry

Setting an ambitious goal

We seek to support parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston in building committed teams of adults capable of accompanying, evangelizing, and equipping young people to pursue ongoing conversion and growth in personal holiness, evangelize their peers, and lead others closer to Christ.
We seek to encourage parishes to identify at least 2 adult disciples accompanying young people on a journey of discipleship in every parish of the archdiocese by May 2027.
We understand youth ministry to be a variety of adult disciples using a variety of means to walk with young people on their individual journeys of faith one-on-one, in small groups of their peers, in community with other young people, and active in the life of our parishes.

Working towards fulfilling our goal

The Secretariat for Evangelization and Discipleship of the Archdiocese of Boston intends to support parishes in fostering and enhancing comprehensive youth ministry as outlined above in the following ways:

Spiritual Formation – providing a community of prayer and support for clergy, staff, and volunteers in parishes to grow in holiness together as we work to accompany young people
Human and Pastoral Formation – providing opportunities – including workshops, trainings, and seminars – to grow in understanding of young people themselves; how to recruit, form, and train adults to accompany young people; how to actively listen, ask good questions, and walk with youth appropriately one-on-one and in small groups
Intellectual Formation – providing opportunities for clergy, staff, and volunteers to deepen their understanding of the teachings of the Church and effective strategies for evangelization and catechesis of young people today

Sessions on A Vision for Youth Ministry

We all desire for young people to encounter Christ and to follow Him. Clergy, staff, and volunteers from around the archdiocese joined the Secretariat for Evangelization and Discipleship and Andrew Ministries for important discussions on the Archdiocese of Boston’s vision for youth ministry in September 2024.

The first session on September 11th at the Pastoral Center in Braintree 7:00 to 8:30pm was for priests and bishops only. See a recording of that session at this link and of the Q&A portion of that session at this link.

Then, parish teams (clergy, staff, and volunteers) who engage in any ministry with youth attended sessions across the archdiocese at the end of September. A recording of one of those sessions is below!

Zoom Youth Ministry Training Series

On the 3rd Wednesday of the month beginning in October and going through June (except in December and April) we will offer trainings on Zoom from 7:00 to 8:30pm on various topics. These sessions will be led by a mix of local and national youth ministry leaders and panelists.  Register today and mark your calendars!

Upcoming Meeting Dates (and Topics when available):

November 20

Small Group Discipleship in Youth Ministry with Everett Fritz

December 11:

Relational Youth Ministry with Annie Grandell

January 15:

Generation Alpha and Differences between Middle and High School Youth
with Katie Gray

February 19:

Leading a Large Group Youth Gathering with Katie Gray

March 19:

Navigating Hot Button Issues with Emilia Cowell

April 9:

The Role of Service in Youth Ministry: A Panel Discussion with Sheila Bauer, Jason Deramo, and Francesca Alberti Reynolds

May 21
- Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional Health of Youth Ministers with Jim Beckman
June 18
- Coming soon!

Meeting Time: 7:00-8:30pm

Please register at this link!

ReKindle: Community for Lay Leaders

ReKindle is a monthly gathering of staff and volunteers who minister to youth, from middle to high school. It is an informal space to share and support the ministry and each other.

ReKindle usually meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month 12:00-2:00pm for a brown bag lunch and discussion.

Contact ReKindle at rekindle.rcab@gmail.com or visit the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1245732288776205.

Upcoming Meeting Dates and Locations

November 21, 2024 at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish in Acton
December 19, 2024 at St. Brigid Parish Lexington
- This gathering will feature a $10 Yankee Swap with the theme of weird Catholic kitsch
January 16, 2025 at St. Catherine Church in Westford
February 20, 2025 at St. Agnes Parish in Arlington
March 20, 2025 at Holy Family Parish in Concord
April – 3rd Thursday is Holy Thursday – no meeting this month
May 15, 2025 at the Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Boston in Braintree
June – Date TBD because the 3rd Thursday is Juneteenth, a federal holiday

Spiritual Accompaniment for Youth Ministry Leaders and Volunteers

As we embark upon a new initiative to support youth ministry efforts across the Archdiocese of Boston we want to encourage everyone to pray for these efforts in support of bringing young people to know Christ present in His Church.

Perhaps you are able to offer a weekly or monthly rosary, holy hour, Mass, or other time of prayer for this intention. Perhaps you have a prayer intention related to youth ministry you would like us to share with those praying for this initiative.

Please let us know here if you are accepting our invitation to pray for the work of inviting young people to encounter Jesus so that we can let those engaged in this work know that people are praying for them.

if you have a particular prayer request related to youth ministry in the archdiocese that you would like us to share with those praying, use this form to share the request with us.

Youth Ministry and Confirmation

The Cardinal’s decision to lower the normal age of reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Archdiocese of Boston gives us the chance to reflect on how well parish confirmation preparation and youth ministry efforts complement one another. We have two upcoming sessions this fall on that topic:

Did you just decide to use Life Teen’s Purpose for Confirmation preparation? Are you still trying to decide on a curriculum? Have you been using Purpose but would like some additional guidance and support?

Please join Katie Gray, Life Teen’s Director of Parish Outreach, for training on how to best use Purpose for your Confirmation preparation.

Tuesday November 12, 2024, 12:00-2:30pm
at the Pastoral Center, 66 Brooks Drive, Braintree MA 02184
A light lunch will be provided.

We all desire lifelong discipleship for those we serve in parish life. If you lead or participate in Confirmation preparation, have you considered how your sacramental preparation efforts complement the efforts of adult disciples in your parish to accompany young people in their journeys through life and their journeys of faith?

Join Katie Gray, Director of Parish Outreach at Life Teen, for
Confirmation and Youth Ministry: A Wholistic Approach.

This session will be offered twice, on
11/12, 6:30-8:30pm, at the Pastoral Center in Braintree,
and on 11/13, 10am-12:30pm, at St. Brigid in Lexington.

Please choose the session that works best for you.
(A light meal will be offered at both sessions.)

Accompaniment of Parishes

We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with a few organizations – including but not limited to Andrew Ministries, Life Teen, NET Ministries, Newman Ministry, YDisciple, and Young Life – to provide parishes in our archdiocese with coaching, training, and support for a year or more at little to no cost to the parish.

If you are interested in individualized coaching in youth ministry for your parish or collaborative and your parish leadership (pastor, staff, councils, and volunteers) is supportive, please reach out to our team at youthministry@rcab.org to be considered.

Available slots with Everett Fritz from Andrew Ministries are now full, though we still have opportunities with Life Teen, YDisciple, and Young Life.

Intellectual Formation for
Youth Ministry Leaders and Volunteers

Please join us every other week from October 7 through November 18 as we gather to discuss the US bishops’ new document Listen, Teach, Send: A National Pastoral Framework for Ministries with Youth and Young Adults.

Meeting Dates:

October 7
October 21
November 4
November 18

Meeting Time: 7:00-8:30pm

Please register at this link.

Key Resources for Youth Ministry

Jesus, himself eternally young, wants to give us hearts that are ever young. God’s word asks us to “cast out the old leaven that you may be fresh dough” (1 Cor 5:7). Saint Paul invites us to strip ourselves of the “old self” and to put on a “young” self (Col 3:9-10).[1] In explaining what it means to put on that youthfulness “which is being renewed” (v. 10), he mentions “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving each other if anyone has a complaint against another” (Col 3:12-13). In a word, true youth means having a heart capable of loving, whereas everything that separates us from others makes the soul grow old. And so he concludes: “above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col 3:14). – Pope Francis, Christus Vivit, 13

Andrew Ministries

Discipleship is a process, not a program. When you have a team of people who pursue youth, offer their witness and shoulder their crosses, life-changing ministry can take place. Andrew Ministries helps build high-impact small group ministries.

Cultivation Ministries

Cultivation Ministries offers training, resources, and support to adult and student youth ministry leaders and grew out of Frank Mercadante’s successful parish youth ministry experience.

Life Teen

Life Teen is a movement within the Roman Catholic Church, Life Teen leads teenagers and their families into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church.

Marathon Youth Ministry

Experienced youth minister and speaker Christopher Wesley offers youth ministry coaching and resources.

National Study of Youth & Religion

This groundbreaking, long-term, study directed by Christian Smith, Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Notre Dame, began in August 2001 and provides a wealth of information regarding the religious lives of American youth from adolescence into young adulthood.

NET Ministries

NET challenges young Catholics, through relational ministry, to follow Christ and embrace a life of community in the Church

ProjectYM.com

ProjectYM, invests in the ADULTS who are making a difference in the lives of young people.

TochBearer Ministries

TorchBearer Ministries provides youth ministry tools in English and Spanish focused on a blend of community and catechesis. They are meant to help create a place for youth to have open discussions about Catholicism, society, culture, and more.

YDisciple

YDisciple understands that programs don’t make disciples – disciples do. They provide a robust library of training content ranging from practical to spiritual skills helps train faithful adults to be more than instructors, but disciple-makers. YDisciple gives you tools to create small group environments where teens are known, loved, and cared for. With adolescents, you need to earn the right to be heard. YDisciple video resources for teens center around personal testimony in order to communicate theological truth and are never filmed in a studio, but in real life. YDisciple provides strategies for engaging parents and parent resources (in English and Spanish) to help parents engage their teens in meaningful conversation. An ever-growing number of YDisciple studies have guides with activities and questions specifically designed for middle school students alongside the standard guides for high school students. Whether you have 10 young people in your parish or 1000, or 1000 teens but only 10 who are involved, small group discipleship can be scaled to fit your parish’s needs.

Young Life

Young Life doesn’t start with a program. It starts with adults who are concerned enough about kids to go to them, on their turf and in their culture, building bridges of authentic friendship. These relationships don’t happen overnight — they take time, patience, trust and consistency. Simply put, the mission of Young Life is introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith. Young Life is a Christian organization, not a Catholic one. Here is an article on why Catholic dioceses are teaming up with Young Life. Here is a blog post on Young Life’s attempts to build bridges with Catholic dioceses.

Books about Youth Ministry

…aspects of Jesus’ life can prove inspiring for all those young people who are developing and preparing to take up their mission in life. This involves growing in a relationship with the Father, in awareness of being part of a family and a people, and in openness to being filled with the Holy Spirit and led to carry out the mission God gives them, their personal vocation. None of this should be overlooked in pastoral work with young people, lest we create projects that isolate young people from their family and the larger community, or turn them into a select few, protected from all contamination. Rather, we need projects that can strengthen them, accompany them and impel them to encounter others, to engage in generous service, in mission. – Pope Francis, Christus Vivit, 30

The Art of Forming Young Disciples

Experienced youth minister and speaker Everett Fritz considers the challenge of encouraging youth engaged in youth ministry and large church events for young people to remain committed to lifelong discipleship.

Discipleship-Focused Youth Ministry

With over 40 years of combined youth ministry experience, Jim Beckman and Eric Gallagher offer an approach to youth ministry that seeks to deepen the impact that youth ministry has in the church through discipleship. The book lays a foundation of understanding on what youth ministry is (or should be!), provides insights into many of the shifts happening in the Church, especially looking at the work of discipleship and the fruit it is bearing across the country, as well as providing a five step plan that parishes can use to begin shifting their youth ministry efforts to be more discipleship focused.

Rebuilding Youth Ministry

Christopher Wesley is on the front lines of youth ministry. He’s been in the parish trenches, refocusing an unpopular youth program and making it one where teens feel connected, stay involved, and grow in faith. In Rebuilding Youth Ministry, Wesley offers ten indispensable strategies to help you make your youth programs just as successful.

Wesley coaches fellow Catholic ministry leaders on how to overcome common hurdles of ministering to young people. Wesley shares how he faced feelings of complacency, underestimated youth, and entertained rather than ministered in his own parish. Wesley built a distinctive program based on small group faith formation and sustained it with the assistance of more than sixty volunteer adult mentors.

Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers

This book reports the findings of The National Study of Youth and Religion, the largest and most detailed such study ever undertaken. The NYSR conducted a nationwide telephone survey of teens and significant caregivers, as well as nearly 300 in-depth face-to-face interviews with a sample of the population that was surveyed. The results show that religion and spirituality are indeed very significant in the lives of many American teenagers. Among many other discoveries, they find that teenagers are far more influenced by the religious beliefs and practices of their parents and caregivers than commonly thought. They refute the conventional wisdom that teens are “spiritual but not religious.” And they confirm that greater religiosity is significantly associated with more positive adolescent life outcomes.

Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry

This book by experienced Evangelical Protestant Youth Minister Doug Fields is a helpful resource for new coordinators of youth ministry and parishes considering starting youth ministry or hiring a coordinator of youth ministry.

Growing Teen Disciples by Frank Mercadante

Engaging a New Generation by Frank Mercadante

Faith Beyond Youth Group by Kara Powell, Jen Bradbury, and Brad Griffin

Youcat

Docat
Helping Teens with Stress, Anxiety, and Depression by Roy Petifils

Our Faith Formation & Missionary Discipleship team offers evangelization and faith formation workshops, retreats, consultation, and training primarily to parishes, communities, and institutions throughout the Archdiocese of Boston.