Youth And Young Adults
Empowering Youth To The Call of Holiness
Overview
The Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry seeks to serve and support all those who minister with and to our young people for effective ministry and formation where all youth, continuing their faith journey, may become leaders and missionary disciples in the Church both today and in the future.
Mission Statement
The mission of Youth Ministry is to transform the youth from a disciple into an apostle. A disciple refers to the follower and student of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A disciple is called and chooses to believe. He or She is the learner of the teachings of Christ and his Church. An apostle refers to the messenger and ambassador of Christ. An apostle is chosen to serve the master and sent to spread the gospel. Therefore, the youth are to be active participants in fulfilling the mission of your parish and building up the Kingdom of God in Brooklyn and Queens. This mission continues today, and the youth serve in continuing to build a new heaven and a new earth here in Brooklyn and Queens. Our youth are given wonderful gifts, they have faith, hope, and charity. What they want is to put these gifts into action. The mission of youth ministry in parishes is to take the journey with our youth to answer their present call as those who serve, evangelize and lead the parish. Youth ministry is to connect our young people to the parish community through involvement in the life of the Church and the larger Catholic community. They are to be at the table, not simply a “kids” table.
The Goals of Youth Ministry
The goals of the Youth Ministry are threefold:
1) To empower young people in answering the universal call to holiness by becoming active members of the Church.
2) It is to give young people the responsibility of participating in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community.
3) To form and develop young people into leaders of today and tomorrow.
This is done through the four Pillars of Youth Ministry: Eucharistic, Evangelization, Community, Social Justice, and Service. These pillars must guide the efforts in empowering young people to live out the Mission of the parish. When Youth Ministry is done with, by, and for youth and young adults incorporating all four pillars, the youth and young adults not only will be formed as members of the future of the Church, but they become very much the present, who take an active role in achieving the Church’s mission.
