| FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS |
| What
is Youth Ministry? |
 Youth
Ministry is every effort by the Christian community to reach out
to the youth with the love of God as revealed to us in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit. The entire parish does youth
ministry by caring for its young people and welcoming them into
every aspect of parish life. Oftentimes, some members of the parish
specifically focus on running youth-oriented programs that invite
teens into a relationship with Christ and His Church. |
| |
| Why
call it "Youth Ministry" and not "CYO" like my parents and grandparents
used to? |
| We
call ministry to teens "youth ministry" and not "CYO" because
the current understanding of youth ministry is far more comprehensive
than the older model of CYO. The CYO of the 1950ís and
1960ís operated in the context of a Catholic culture--especially
Catholic family life, which formed teens into the Catholic community.
CYO, therefore, served as a supplement to that Catholic culture,
providing primarily social and sporting outlets for Catholic teens.
Nowadays, however, teens grow up in a secular culture for the
most part. The response of parish youth ministry to this reality
has been to fill the gap by providing programs that reach teens
on every level: spiritually, emotionally, intellectually and physically.
A typical parish youth ministry today might include: peer ministry,
teen leaders, prayer, retreats, service, Catholic Christian formation,
fellowship, socializing and athletics. In other words, to call
youth ministry today "CYO" could leave some people with the impression
that the parish sponsors basketball and dances for teens when
in fact there is far more to their youth program. |
| |
| What
does a Youth Minister do? |
| A
youth minister is the point person in the parish for youth ministry.
He/she coordinates all the youth programs, trains the youth ministry
team in the parish that is made up of adult parishioners, advocates
for the needs of youth in the parish, and insures that the vision
of the youth outreach remains rooted in the mission of the Church.
Most of all though, the youth minister and the youth ministry
team invest their time into building relationships with the teens
of the parish so as to serve as Christlike role models and people
in whom the youth can trust as Christian friends and mentors.
Therefore, it is not unusual to see a youth ministry person "hanging
out" with teens at their school, the movies, a local diner, or
a high school sporting event. Good youth ministry invests a lot
of time into building relationships with teens and earning the
right to invite young people into a deeper experience of faith
through youth programs. |
| |
| My
parish doesn't have a Youth Ministry, how can we start one? |
| The
Office of Youth Ministry provides a clearinghouse for parishes
looking to hire youth ministers part-time or full-time. If you
are interested in hiring a youth minister, please call Al Forsythe
at 201-998-0088 or e-mail him at forsytal@rcan.org.
If you are looking for a position in youth ministry, please contact
Al and send a resume to the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry,
499 Belgrove Drive, Kearny, NJ 07032. |
| |
| Is
there any training available for people interested in doing Youth
Ministry? |
| Training
is available for youth ministers or parishioners who are called
to do youth ministry in their community. Parishes can send these
people to a Basic Training in Youth Ministry series sponsored
by the Archdiocesan Youth Ministry office. See our Current Programs
link for more information or call the CYO Office at 201-998-0088. |
| |
| Do
people who do Youth Ministry get paid? |
 Since
everyone in the parish should be "doing youth ministry" (i.e.
reaching out to young people in the community), it would be
impossible to pay everyone. However, those who coordinate the
formal youth ministry efforts of the parish usually receive
a professional salary. A standardized salary scale for full-time
and part-time coordinators of youth ministry is available through
the Archdiocesan Office of Youth Ministry.
The
Documents of the Second Vatican Council, as well as several
statements of the American Bishops, call for the Church to address
the question of just wages. A just wage for any minister (priest,
vowed religious or lay person) is one which frees that person
from being preoccupied with such material concerns as food,
clothing, medical care, etc. While no minister expects to accumulate
a fortune from ministry, the pay scale is intended to meet ordinary
expected expenses of the average lay minister. |
| |
| Where
can I look for more information about Youth Ministry? |
| The
National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry has a website
at www.nfcym.org. Another
good youth ministry site is at www.ymnetwork.net. |
| |
| What
about vocations to the priesthood, religious life (sisters and
brothers) and lay ministry? |
| The
Office of Vocations would be happy to speak with anyone interested
in a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. You can contact
the Office of Vocations
via the Archdiocese of Newark web site.
If
you are looking to talk about possible vocations to lay ministry
in the Church, please contact Al Forsythe at forsytal@rcan.org.
|
| |
| What
is the U.S. Bishops document Renewing the Vision: A Framework
for Catholic Youth Ministry? |
| In
August of 1997, the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops
issued a formal statement about youth ministry in the U.S.
The Bishops outline three goals for ministry with teens: Youth
Ministry seeks to empower young people to live as disciples
of Jesus Christ in our world today, Youth Ministry seeks to
draw young people to responsible participation in the life,
mission, and work of the Catholic faith community, and Youth
Ministry works to foster the total personal and spiritual growth
of each young person.The Bishops also highlight 8 components
of Youth Ministry including:
-
Ministry
of Prayer and Worship
-
-
Ministry
of Community Life
-
Ministry
of Pastoral Care
-
Ministry
of Justice and Service
-
Ministry
of Evangelization
-
Ministry
of Advocacy
-
Ministry
of Leadership Development
A
copy of the Bishops' document Renewing the Vision (English or
Spanish) is available for $5.00 through the Archdiocesan Office
of Youth Ministry. Call the Office at 201-998-0088. |
| |
| What
is the status of youth ministry in the Archdiocese of Newark? |
| The
Archdiocese of Newark currently has approximately 240 parishes
with 1.4 million Catholics. More than half of the parishes report
to be involved in some ministry with their youth. Many of those
120 parishes employ a full or part-time youth minister. Others
serve their youth work with a priest and a team of parents and
young adult parishioners. Training through the Youth Ministry
office is available for all those who are interested. Please see
the Current Programs link for more information. You can also call
the Office at 201-998-0088. |
