Youth Ministry Office
540-373-1926
540-371-0251 (fax)
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High School Program
Our high school program here at St. Mary Catholic Church, serves students in grades 9 through 12. We shatter the stereotype that church is boring! Our programs are created to celebrate our faith and life in a way that is fun for all teenagers and welcoming to those who are not Catholic or affiliated to any faith.
We offer social programs to our young people so that they may have fun and fellowship with one another, which allows our young people to build healthy, faith based friendships. We also offer spiritual programs that strive to connect our young people to the teachings of the Catholic Church and guide them to learn more about how to grow in their own relationship with God.
As teens enter into high school it is essential for them to continue building their relationship with God and their peers; below are the programs we offer to facilitate this process.
Sunday,
This is the Mass that we encourage all of our teens to get involved within the liturgy through choir, being a lector, ushering, altar serving, and many of the other ministries done throughout Mass. Note that teens may participate in these ministries at other Masses as well. All teens and their families are welcomed to join us.
CYM
Dinner
Not only do we strive to feed our young people
spiritually, but we also do it physically. Following the
Youth Group
Following the CYM Dinner we gather to feast on
the richness of our Catholic faith. We begin with ice breakers and
games to get to know one another and simply be silly. Then we engage
our young people in discussing topics about our faith, the Church
and current issues occurring in their lives. Small Groups are
heavily used in our Youth Group which allows teens to break up in
smaller numbers (4-7 teens per group) and dive deeper into the topic
at hand. All high school age teens are invited. Friends are always
welcomed. You don’t have to be Catholic to come, but know that we
will be talking about the Catholic faith. Youth Group begins at
Right click image and select play to start
YOUCAT night
Meeting Wednesdays, from 6:30pm - 8 pm in the John Paul II house. For High School teens interested in going deeper in their Catholic faith. We'll discuss theology, Church teaching in a teen friendly small group format that is engaging and dynamic. We are calling it YOUCAT after the new Youth Cathechism that was released at the 2011 World Youth day by Pope Benedict XVI. This catechism will be the main resource utilized during meetings. For more information on the YOUCAT catehism click on the video next to this text or go to www.youcat.us.
During the spring we take an entire weekend to go deeper into our faith as individuals and with our peers. Retreats are a great opportunity for young people to grow in relationship with God, new friends and Youth Ministry staff. We have tons of fun activities throughout the weekend: bon fires, Ultimate Frisbee games, ice breakers, Mass, Confession, and Eucharistic Adoration. We go away to recharge our batteries from the business of life. Retreats give us the opportunity to pray and see how deeply we need personal time with God. We focus on one particular topic and dive into it for the entire weekend. Retreats are one of the best things that we do in Youth Ministry so don’t miss it!
Lock-Ins
We provide two Lock-Ins a year (fall and
spring). Lock-Ins begin Saturday evening and end the following
morning. We have tons of games, movies, video games, and food; mixed
with friends, Mass at