Youth Ministry on the Parish Level

“...there is a concerted and imaginative effort to feed the young people, truly minister to them in their complex and difficult lives.”

The Roman Catholic Church has always been solicitous for the welfare of its younger members, especially its teens. That concern is at the root of many of the Church’s official positions on family life and sexual activity. In our own time, that concern is finding fresh expression in many parishes, and, is, perhaps, more emphasized than ever.

Today, in parishes like that of San Antonio in Anaheim Hills, California, youth ministry is at the center and heart of the community’s activity. The fulltime lay Youth Minister, aided by a paid staff of four, believes the health of the parish is largely dependent on its ministry to its teenagers. And, the 600 plus registered members of its youth ministry programs make a strong case for that belief.

In most American communities it is not considered ‘cool’ for teenagers to be present at Catholic parish activities or even interested in them. The opposite is the case at the parish in Anaheim Hills. There, teens feel truly at home in their parish’s facilities and activities and their presence is a leaven for the entire parish.

This was not accomplished overnight. The Youth Minister has been on the job for nine years now, and her programs embrace all of the teens lives, not simply preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation. She insists that there is a great difference in a parish between having a youth program and the youth being fed by a program. In San Antonio parish there is a concerted and imaginative effort to feed the young people, truly minister to them in their complex and difficult lives.

In San Antonio parish the hearts of the teens are ministered to, first of all. Through the loving care of the staff and members of the parish, in a most realistic fashion, teens are challenged to wonder why this is happening. This leads to a ministry of the head, the reasons behind the care they experience. It leads them to knowledge and appreciation of the Christian faith.

The Youth Ministry at San Antonio parish reflects many of the positive changes that are taking place in the Catholic Church in the United States since Vatican Council II. Among these changes is the leadership exercised by lay people who are paid members of the staff. While this parish of 11,000 registered members 3,000 of whom regularly attend weekend Masses – is staffed by only one fulltime priest, there is an ever increasing number of paid lay ministers, and it can be argued, that the people are better served than ever.

The relationship between the pastor and the Youth Minister at this parish is good, if not always easy for either person. It is a mark of the dedication and maturity of both parties that they are so mutually supportive. That places heavy burdens on the Church, of course, to recruit personnel of this high caliber.

The priest shortage in the United States defies the feeble efforts of the top leaders in the American Church to provide remedies. But, the situation is giving rise to more paid lay ministers, and the over-all effect may be a positive one.    

Yet, only 20% of the parishes in this nation have paid Youth Ministers. Most parishes make a sometime effort at this ministry, but  the results are programs that exist mainly on paper, not programs that actually feed our teens. The difficulties of this ministry are clearly reflected in the fact that Youth Ministers in the diocese of Orange, California, of which the San Antonio parish is a part, remain at their posts for an average of only 13 months.

Reform is genuinely taking place in the Church in the United States on the parish level, which is where people most often encounter helps to live their faith. It is not happening in all of the nation’s parishes. But, it is happening in many of them, and that is truly a hopeful situation.