Goals of Comprehensive Youth Ministry
Total youth ministry at Divine Mercy Parish, in light of these missions, calls the community to respond to the needs of our young people, and encourages the sharing of the unique gifts of our youth with the larger community. The Catholic Church has strong concern for our youth. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops have set forth three goals in their document “Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry” (1997). Divine Mercy Parish adopts these goals, as our own in ministering to the precious young people of our parish. These goals are:

1) To empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today.
2) To draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community.
3) To foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person.

These goals are brought to reality for our parish through the above support and utilization of the following components of comprehensive ministry of the Church.

ADVOCACY – engages the Church to examine its priorities and practices to determine how well young people are integrated into the life, mission, and work of the Catholic community.

CATECHESIS – helps adolescents develop a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and the Christian community, and increase their knowledge of the core content of the Catholic faith; helps young people enrich and expand their understanding of the Scriptures and the sacred tradition and their application of life today, and live more faithfully as disciples of Jesus Christ in their daily lives, especially through a life of prayer, justice, and loving service.

COMMUNITY LIFE – builds an environment of love, support, appreciation for diversity, and judicious acceptance that models Catholic principles; develops meaningful relationships; and nurtures Catholic faith. The ministry of community life is not only what we do (activity), but who we are (identity) and how we interact (relationships).

EVANGELIZATION – shares the good news of the reign of God and invites young people to hear about the Word Made Flesh. It enables young people to uncover and name the experience of a God already active and present in their lives.

JUSTICE & SERVICE – nurtures in young people a social consciousness and a commitment to a life of justice and service rooted in their faith in Jesus Christ, in the Scriptures, and in Catholic social teaching; empowers young people to work for justice by concrete efforts to address the causes of human suffering; and infuses the concepts of justice, peace, and human dignity into all ministry efforts.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT – calls forth, affirms, and empowers the diverse gifts, talents, and abilities of adults and young people in our faith communities for comprehensive ministry with adolescents.

PASTORAL CARE – is a compassionate presence in imitation of Jesus’ care of people, especially those who were hurting and in need. It involves promoting positive adolescent and family development, caring for youth and families in crisis, and providing guidance in making life decisions and moral choices.

PRAYER AND WORSHIP – celebrates and deepens young people’s relationship with Jesus Christ through the bestowal of grace, communal prayer and liturgical experiences; it awakens their awareness of the spirit at work in their lives; it incorporates young people more fully in the sacramental life of the Church, especially Eucharist; it nurtures their personal prayer life; and it fosters family rituals and prayer.

COMMUNICATION TO YOUTH, PARENTS, and PARISH

Information on youth ministry programs and events are distributed and available through:

• Youth Ministry pages on parish web site: http://divinemercyofourlord.org/youth-ministry
• Youth Ministry Email updates. To subscribe, email: angelo@divinemercytx.org
• The Parish Bulletin
• Flyers available at church doors, youth center
• Text messages

EDUCATIONAL AND VOCATIONAL RESOURCES

America’s Faithful Colleges

http://thenewmanguide.com/

Catholic Youth Networking—brief explanations on vocations to marriage, religious life, single life, priesthood

http://catholicyouth.freeservers.com/vocations/index.htm

Catholic Underground—a day in the life of the franciscan friars of the renewal

http://www.catholicunderground.net/index.html

Diocese of Dallas—discerning a priestly vocation

http://www.cathdal.org/default.asp?contentID=103