Welcome! We are pleased to welcome you to the Catholic Youth Ministry community of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and are excited that you have committed to serving the young people of your parish community through youth ministry.

The first question we are often asked is "What does a youth minister do?" However, perhaps the  real question is “Who should a youth minister be?" The first answer to this question is that a youth minister should be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Before a youth minister can or should do anything else, they must be intentional about their relationship with Jesus Christ. This includes a full, active, and conscious participation in the life of the Catholic Church, particularly through the sacraments, sacred Scripture, and daily prayer, as well the realization of their own need for ongoing conversion. Does this mean youth ministers are or must be perfect models of Catholicism? Of course not. We are all broken, imperfect people in need of God's mercy. What youth ministers should have is a belief in and desire to live out the moral teachings of the Catholic Church in their own daily life, even as works in progress.

Youth ministers must also have a love for young people, and a real desire to serve them by helping them to experience God's love, and His desire to invite them into relationship with Himself, and into the life and mission of the Church. Youth ministers are evangelizers who live and preach the Gospel with joy and conviction through their words, but even more, through the witness of how they live their lives. They serve, in the spirit of the Gospels, as a mentor, guide, example, teacher, friend, and companion on the journey. They know how to set and respect boundaries, have a good sense of self, and are not afraid to speak the challenging words of truth that young people sometimes need to hear. They are passionate about justice and peace, as well as fostering Church teaching on respecting life at all its stages and circumstances, from conception to natural death. 

Circling back to the question of "Who should a youth minister be?", the practical answer is often "Whoever the Lord has called." Youth ministers can look different from parish to parish. They can be anyone from a paid full time employee hired by the parish, to a part time volunteer parent who was recruited by the pastor. Regardless of whether you have chosen to be a youth minister as a career, or were roped into temporarily filling a gap and have stuck around, God has a plan for you as a youth minister, and wants to use your gifts and talents to serve the young people in your care.

In many respects, youth ministry is a job that never ends, since youth ministers never stop caring for the young people they serve. This doesn't mean 24/7 availability, but rather that we are constantly and consistently seeking to serve our young people as Christ serves the Church. We hold them in prayer, provide space for them to grow deeper in their relationship with Christ, provide opportunities for them to learn more about their faith and the teachings of the Church, and are always ready to reach out to them, and their families, with the care and concern of Christ. 

Some ways we accomplish these things include:

• Direct programming. Organizing and implementing  programs like youth group meetings, retreats, peer ministry, group outings, social events, trips, etc. for the youth in your parish.

• Seasonal programming. Involving youth in the liturgical life of the parish and its celebrations. This could include having your young people help to facilitate Vacation Bible School over the summer, lead the Stations of the Cross or serve at Parish Fish Fry's during Lent, or coordinate Christmas gift drives during Advent.

• Leadership development. Recruiting both youth and adult volunteers to serve in various capacities, and training them for effective ministry, and providing for opportunities for them to enrich the lives and the faith of young people in the parish. This could be high school students who would serve on a youth board or peer ministry team, or adults who would serve on a core/volunteer team. 

• Administration. Coordinating an efficient office, working in close cooperation with the pastor, other parish staff and ministry volunteers, as well as the Archdiocese through the Youth & Young Adult Ministry Office. Communication with both young people and their families about your own, as well as other relevant parish and/or Archdiocesan, ministry events, programs, and activities is vitally important.

• Sacramental and/or catechetical programs. Facilitating the faith development of young people in your parish in the areas of catechesis and preparation for the celebration of the Sacraments. In some parishes this is done as part of your own responsibilities as the youth minister, but more often times, youth ministers do this by working alongside other adult leaders involved in parish religious education and/or Sacramental preparation programs.

So, now that we've talked about who a youth minister is, and what a youth minister does, your next question might be "Now what?" Well first, we would love to meet you! 

If you haven't already, please contact our Associate Director for Youth Ministry, Patrick Duffey, at [email protected] or 504.227.3226 so that we can set up an informal meeting to meet you, hear your story, and have you share with us your vision and goals for ministry at your parish. In addition, click here to submit your contact information so that you can be added to our database, and be in the loop on everything going on in youth ministry around the Archdiocese!

One of our primary roles at the Youth & Young Adult Ministry Office is to be of service to those serving young people. Whatever that might look like for you, we want to be there for encouragement and support. Our office is dedicated to helping Church parishes develop an approach to youth ministry that works for their parish community. Regardless of the number of youth involved at a parish (large or small) or the experience of a youth ministry (brand new or veteran) our office is committed to supporting parish youth ministry efforts any way that we can. 

Some ways that our office can provide support which may prove helpful to your parish:

Organization

Whether you are a new youth minister trying to figure out how to “start” youth ministry at your parish, or a pastor looking to recruit/hire a new youth minister for your parish, we want everybody in our Archdiocese working in, or working to establish, youth ministry at a parish to feel confident, prepared, and capable. Our office can help by assisting youth ministers and/or pastors with:
 

• Identifying a vision and mission for youth ministry at your parish
• Establishing both short-term and long-term goals for youth ministry at your parish
• Assessing the needs of the youth in your parish
• Developing a process for implementing new youth ministry programming
• Building a structural organization for the youth ministry program
• Tailoring job descriptions for youth ministers specific to their parish dynamics
• Job descriptions for coordinators and program leaders
• Brainstorming ideas for events and programs
• Volunteer recruitment strategies
• Training for youth and/or adult leadership
• General youth ministry “best practices”
• Evaluating strengths/concerns of current youth ministry efforts

 
Resources & Networking

 Before too long, every youth minister will inevitably find themselves asking questions like: “Do I need permission forms for this event?”, “Where can I host our retreat?”, or “What are other youth ministers doing at their parish that works?” 

Our office can provide direction for many of the practical questions and challenges that arise in youth ministry, including:

• General programming ideas
• Retreat models
• Peer ministry models
• Youth ministry structure models
• Archdiocesan policies
• Retreat planning
• Retreat hosting sites
• Guest speaker suggestions
• Crisis management practices
• Prayer resources
• Fundraising 
• And much more

 
In addition, we can facilitate communication between new youth ministers and “veterans” from around the Archdiocese, who can provide guidance, and share invaluable wisdom with those just starting out.