Background
Youth Ministry
Young people are a blessing to our community, cherished members of the body of Christ and partners in our faith journey. Through our work with youth, we deepen our own sense of vocation within the Church and invite those with whom we minister to consider their own call, where God is inviting them to serve our family of faith in their own lives. Those who work in youth ministry have been given the privilege of helping to develop young Catholic leaders and assist those who have been called to work with youth.
The needs of our young people are ever changing and the Church has invested considerable resources to ensure they are not forgotten. The Third Continental Congress on Vocations, held in 2002, highlighted the importance of continued efforts in youth and young adult ministry, calling for a:
preferential option for the young...For the sake of the Church's future mission, significant financial, human and spiritual resources need to be invested in presence to and direct pastoral work with young Catholics.
(Third Continental Congress on Vocations Final Report, p. 61)
Over the years, youth ministry has been professionalized, moving from a willing group of volunteers to being led by those with more formalized training, and ever more parishes hiring paid youth ministers. As we continue our work to professionalize this ministry in Canada, we also seek to collaborate with others working in this field.
Most dioceses/eparchies have full time youth ministry offices and staff, empowered by their Bishop to serve the needs of the young people of their community, walking with them on their faith journey and providing a nurturing faith environment for them to flourish and spread the gospel message in their daily lives. Much of the work of the diocesan/eparchial youth ministry office involves training and support of youth ministers in addition to offering events and "youth related activities."
The desire for collaboration and mutual support
In hosting World Youth Day 2002, the Church in Canada recognized the clear hunger to respond to the needs of youth and young adults in a very tangible way. Emerging among the many fruits of WYD 2002 has been the opportunity and desire to partner together as diocesan/eparchial leaders, sharing gifts and collaborating, while recognizing the uniqueness of our individual ministries.
In February of 2004, representatives from ten diocesan youth ministry offices gathered in London, Ontario following a successful Youth Ministry Conference sponsored by the Youth Ministry offices of the Dioceses of London, St. Catharines, Hamilton and Toronto. Diocesan directors, representing Ontario, Atlantic Canada and British Columbia, had the chance to dialogue and share thoughts around youth ministry in our country and opportunities for collaboration. It became clear that the group was on to something that should be pursued. This small group identified two priorities that they felt would be vital in order to continue collaborative efforts.
The first would be to establish an annual gathering of diocesan/eparchial directors in youth ministry from across Canada. This gathering would offer support for those working in youth ministry at the diocesan/eparchial level, allow us to explore pertinent issues in youth ministry/youth culture, and begin to form a common (in essence if not in practice) vision for youth ministry in Canada.
The second identified priority was to move forward with a biannual Youth Ministry Conference for adults working with youth.
The CCYMN is born
Clearly 10 dioceses do not make a national network. Directors and/or appointed diocesan/eparchial leaders from across Canada were invited to meet in Ottawa in May 2005. At the gathering, every province was represented and included delegates from the francophone and Eastern Catholic sectors along with an observer from the CCCB.
Those present agreed that some form of Canadian organization that serves youth and youth ministers nationally would be worthy of pursuit, though this did not necessarily mean establishing a national infrastructure (with office, staff, etc.). While our dioceses and eparchies are very different in their size, geography and diversity, there are common elements that bring us together and make us a Canadian Church.
The Canadian Catholic Youth Ministry Network was born. A mission, vision, values statement was developed and an initial set of organizational goals established. Among the goals was to continue meeting as a group annually (AGM) and to designate the upcoming Youth Ministry Conference in Hamilton in 2006 as Canada-wide, beginning a biannual conference schedule. Both the Conference and AGM would move regionally throughout the country. Invitations would continue to be extended to those youth ministry leaders who were not able to attend, with the goal of every Canadian diocese/eparchy being represented and heard.
Young people are a blessing to our community, cherished members of the body of Christ and partners in our faith journey. Through our work with youth, we deepen our own sense of vocation within the Church and invite those with whom we minister to consider their own call, where God is inviting them to serve our family of faith in their own lives. Those who work in youth ministry have been given the privilege of helping to develop young Catholic leaders and assist those who have been called to work with youth.
The needs of our young people are ever changing and the Church has invested considerable resources to ensure they are not forgotten. The Third Continental Congress on Vocations, held in 2002, highlighted the importance of continued efforts in youth and young adult ministry, calling for a:
preferential option for the young...For the sake of the Church's future mission, significant financial, human and spiritual resources need to be invested in presence to and direct pastoral work with young Catholics.
(Third Continental Congress on Vocations Final Report, p. 61)
Over the years, youth ministry has been professionalized, moving from a willing group of volunteers to being led by those with more formalized training, and ever more parishes hiring paid youth ministers. As we continue our work to professionalize this ministry in Canada, we also seek to collaborate with others working in this field.
Most dioceses/eparchies have full time youth ministry offices and staff, empowered by their Bishop to serve the needs of the young people of their community, walking with them on their faith journey and providing a nurturing faith environment for them to flourish and spread the gospel message in their daily lives. Much of the work of the diocesan/eparchial youth ministry office involves training and support of youth ministers in addition to offering events and "youth related activities."
The desire for collaboration and mutual support
In hosting World Youth Day 2002, the Church in Canada recognized the clear hunger to respond to the needs of youth and young adults in a very tangible way. Emerging among the many fruits of WYD 2002 has been the opportunity and desire to partner together as diocesan/eparchial leaders, sharing gifts and collaborating, while recognizing the uniqueness of our individual ministries.
In February of 2004, representatives from ten diocesan youth ministry offices gathered in London, Ontario following a successful Youth Ministry Conference sponsored by the Youth Ministry offices of the Dioceses of London, St. Catharines, Hamilton and Toronto. Diocesan directors, representing Ontario, Atlantic Canada and British Columbia, had the chance to dialogue and share thoughts around youth ministry in our country and opportunities for collaboration. It became clear that the group was on to something that should be pursued. This small group identified two priorities that they felt would be vital in order to continue collaborative efforts.
The first would be to establish an annual gathering of diocesan/eparchial directors in youth ministry from across Canada. This gathering would offer support for those working in youth ministry at the diocesan/eparchial level, allow us to explore pertinent issues in youth ministry/youth culture, and begin to form a common (in essence if not in practice) vision for youth ministry in Canada.
The second identified priority was to move forward with a biannual Youth Ministry Conference for adults working with youth.
The CCYMN is born
Clearly 10 dioceses do not make a national network. Directors and/or appointed diocesan/eparchial leaders from across Canada were invited to meet in Ottawa in May 2005. At the gathering, every province was represented and included delegates from the francophone and Eastern Catholic sectors along with an observer from the CCCB.
Those present agreed that some form of Canadian organization that serves youth and youth ministers nationally would be worthy of pursuit, though this did not necessarily mean establishing a national infrastructure (with office, staff, etc.). While our dioceses and eparchies are very different in their size, geography and diversity, there are common elements that bring us together and make us a Canadian Church.
The Canadian Catholic Youth Ministry Network was born. A mission, vision, values statement was developed and an initial set of organizational goals established. Among the goals was to continue meeting as a group annually (AGM) and to designate the upcoming Youth Ministry Conference in Hamilton in 2006 as Canada-wide, beginning a biannual conference schedule. Both the Conference and AGM would move regionally throughout the country. Invitations would continue to be extended to those youth ministry leaders who were not able to attend, with the goal of every Canadian diocese/eparchy being represented and heard.