Marketing the Mission, Youth ministers learn to set hearts ablaze for faith

Eager to build and strengthen the religious faith of young people throughout the Diocese of Metuchen, youth ministers gathered in the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway, March 9 for the second diocesan Formation Day and a presentation by Chris Bartlett, vice president at Ablaze Ministries of Round Rock, Texas.

Youth ministers, seated at tables arranged by Deanery, were informed by Megan Callahan, director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, that their fellow ministers were all (from) parishes that are close by to yours” and encouraged them to “really get to know each other” throughout the day.

The first step in building a team for a youth ministry, Bartlett said, is to build a vision that is clear, concise and compelling. He said it is important to “get the right people in the room” to build that vision. These should include the pastor, representatives from the pastoral finance council and the parish council, a parent of a teen who is participating in youth ministry and a parent of a teen who is not participating and a teenager. People on a team should have different roles that help a ministry “lead and delegate to people’s giftedness, to their own strengths, their own passions,” Bartlett told participants.

“The goal is not to have good youth ministry at the parish. The goal is for the parish to be good and ministry to young people. We want our parishes to be a place where young people belong, believe, and are celebrated,” Bartlett said.

Participants also learned how to create elevator pitches in order to sell their youth ministry to potential members by encouraging them to attend a ministry gathering. Bartlett also reviewed how to build an audience for a parish ministry and the importance of franchising youth ministries.

“Franchise your ministry so that everyone knows the system that is going into place and you will grow your audience,” he urged.

During noon Mass in the Diocesan Center’s Chapel, celebrant Father Edmund A, Luciano III said our work is “to witness Christ love as it fulfills us to be faithful to Christ love as he asked us and let the Holy Spirit continue to do the rest … It means that we have to be more hopeful and joyful and faithful so that every opportunity that the Holy Spirit needs is there,” Father Luciano, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, South Plainfield, said.

The priest concluded his homily by speaking on behalf of Bishop James F. Checchio to the youth ministers: “Thank you for everything that you do: your work with your priests, your parents, with the adolescents,” he said. “Thank you for responding to that vision of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for laboring in that section of the vineyard. May God bless everything that you continue to do.”

Joe Butewicz of St. Mary of Ostrabrama Parish, South River, stated that his parish does not have a youth ministry, but is looking to start one to meet Bishop Checchio’s goal of having a youth ministry in every parish in the Diocese.

“We want to build on the momentum we have with our PREP (Parish Religious Education) program,” Butewicz said, noting that the parish has 60 children coming to its children’s Mass on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. “I have not seen that many children in church in a long time.”

Butewicz said the parish wants to have a youth ministry for high school students after PREP saying teens and their families want to do more in the Catholic Faith, noting that a Catholic Family Night of Prayer attracted over 25 families. “We want to provide more of that kind of thing.”

Ernest and Shirley Reed of Sacred Heart Parish, South Amboy, both retired high school teachers, told The Catholic Spirit they attended the previous Youth Minsters event.

Both gave high marks to the day’s event.

“It was so helpful,” said Shirley Reed. “They took our suggestions and answered our questions. This one tailored it to what we needed to hear, which was fantastic.”