Saint Helena Youth Group

Saint Helena Church > Saint Helena Youth Group

Saint Helena Youth Group

 

We are hiring: Youth Ministry Leader/ Communications

Contact Lindy Johnson for additional information:  LJohnson@sainthelenachurch.org / 610-275-7711 x105 

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.”

Program Goals

  1. Discipleship – Empower young people to live as active disciples of Jesus Christ.
  2. Community Participation – Foster responsibility in the life and mission of the Catholic Church.
  3. 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

  1. Advocacy – Encourages youth to live out Catholic social teaching.
  2. Catechesis – Provides solid faith formation based on Catholic theology.
  3. Community Life – Builds friendships and strengthens parish engagement.
  4. Evangelization – Helps teens share their faith with others.
  5. Justice and Service – Promotes acts of service and social justice.
  6. Leadership Development – Trains young people in Christian leadership.
  7. Pastoral Care – Offers emotional, spiritual, and moral support.
  8. Prayer and Worship – Strengthens faith through liturgy and personal prayer.

Three Goals for our youth ministry (provided by the USCCB)

  1. 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!  
  2. 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.
  3. 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 Saint Helena Parish Office for Additional Information.

Lindy Johnson:  LJohnson@sainthelenachurch.org.