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Saint Helena Youth Group
Program Name: Ignite: Catholic Youth Discipleship
Mission Statement
“Our youth group seeks to empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ, to foster their full personal and spiritual growth, and to integrate them into the mission and life of the Catholic Church through prayer, formation, service, and community.”
Theme of the Program
“Rooted in Christ, Ablaze in the Spirit” – A call for young people to deepen their faith, build community, and live as witnesses of Christ in the world.
Thoughts on the youth group…
So, just what exactly IS a youth group? Why would I send my teen to a youth group? Isn’t is just ONE MORE activity in an already jammed-packed schedule? Don’t they get ENOUGH religion at school? All of these are great questions to ask. Before you leave this page, may I invite you to check out this Welcome Letter for an answer? Also – continue reading this page to learn even more.
Our youth group is open to ALL teens in grades 8 – 12. We meet Sunday evenings (see our schedule below) from 7 – 8:15pm for prayer, games, food, and good and healthy friendships. Led by Christian and Gabrielle Thompson, our youth group is a great place for teens to discover the truths about who they are, who God is, and what is the great plan and potential for a life lived in union to our beautiful and tremendous God!
We can do great things when we are in relationship with Jesus. My hope is that all teens who pass through our youth group have an encounter with Jesus, Who will provide them with a true sense of purpose. Through prayer, food, games, and personal interactions, we seek to provide teens with healthy relationships that can build a sense of purpose, from which they can spread the mission of Jesus to all those they meet!
We start by recognizing that we are loved by God and created to be in relationship with Him.
With that truth, we acknowledge that our sin divides us from this communion of love with God. We teach that Jesus “bridges” this divide by dying for each one of us and ransoming us back from death. Finally, we respond to this message with thanksgiving and love by giving our lives over fully to Jesus by building and deepening our personal relationship with Him through the Church, sacraments, and prayer.
Program Goals
- Discipleship – Empower young people to live as active disciples of Jesus Christ.
- Community Participation – Foster responsibility in the life and mission of the Catholic Church.
- Holistic Growth – Support personal, social, and spiritual development.
Core Themes of the Program
- Developmentally Appropriate – Tailored to meet the needs of teenagers at different stages of faith and maturity.
- Family Friendly – Encourages family involvement in youth faith development.
- Intergenerational – Connects youth with older generations in the parish.
- Multicultural – Recognizes and celebrates diversity within the Catholic faith.
- Community-Wide Collaboration – Partners with parish ministries and local organizations.
- Leadership – Equips youth to become faith-filled leaders in their communities.
- Flexible and Adaptable Programming – Designed to meet the dynamic needs of young people.
Program Components
- Advocacy – Encourages youth to live out Catholic social teaching.
- Catechesis – Provides solid faith formation based on Catholic theology.
- Community Life – Builds friendships and strengthens parish engagement.
- Evangelization – Helps teens share their faith with others.
- Justice and Service – Promotes acts of service and social justice.
- Leadership Development – Trains young people in Christian leadership.
- Pastoral Care – Offers emotional, spiritual, and moral support.
- Prayer and Worship – Strengthens faith through liturgy and personal prayer.
Three Goals for our youth ministry (provided by the USCCB)
- Empowering young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ – We seek to empower our youth to live their lives to the fullest potential, which is only done through a relationship with Jesus. A soul in a state of sanctifying grace radiates the love and life of the Holy Trinity. What better way to live! We teach – through example, prayer, and teaching – that all of us, especially our teens, have a particular purpose and reason for being here. One of our goals is to help teens realize that they do have a purpose in life. Most teens don’t believe there is a purpose to their lives. We teach that their purpose that is so much deeper than sports, academics, or friend circles – rather, the true purpose is one that comes from being a beloved child of God. This is how we empower our young people!
- Drawing them into responsible participation in the Catholic Church – Why do most Catholics leave the faith after high school? Simple – they are bored. Teens are inundated constantly with fake and inauthentic option (think of Snapchat filters and TikTok influencers). They are craving the true, good, and beautiful. Think about it – when is the last time you saw a teen walking without having their eyes buried in an I-Phone and ears muffled in Airpods and just enjoying the world around them? What is our solution? Simple – offer the Catholic faith authentically and without apology. We don’t need gimmicks or flashy signs to draw teens to the Faith. In fact, they don’t want gimmicks or flash – they get enough of that through social media. In a world where teens are starved for the true and authentic, we just need good ol’ fashioned Catholicism with all its truth, goodness, and beauty. Our youth group seeks to draw teens into responsible participation in the Catholic Church through the Person of Jesus, most especially in the Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and communal prayer.
- Fostering their personal and spiritual growth – a whole teen is a healthy teen. We seek to foster the whole person of the teen by supporting them in their spiritual, emotional, psychological, and physical growth. Let’s face it – being a teen is tough and there are a lot of changes during the teen years. Our youth group offers a space where teens can discover who they are – true, beautiful, and good children of God Who has a specific plan for their lives.
We’d love to connect you with our Youth Ministry program whether you’re a teen, parent or just interested in helping out!
Contact Christian Thompson
Phone: 610-930-0349
E-Mail: cthompson@sainthelenachurch.org