Youth Ministry

Into the New Millennium...

It’s all about making a difference in our world…

"Teens Need Togetherness" (T.N.T.) is the name selected by the teens for the Youth Group seven years ago. Since that day, T.N.T. has proven to have great impact on our church, and the community at large. T.N.T. is open to all teens in our area - regardless of religious affiliation. Yet the group addresses all areas of teens' lives from the spiritual and the social dimensions to community service and education.

T.N.T. offers a wide variety of activities, including Youth Masses and Services, topic - based meetings with discussion groups, sports, nursing home visitation, cooking meals at a soup kitchen, mission work in Appalachia, Guatemala, and Mexico, retreats, and pilgrimages to World Youth Day in countries like France, Italy, and Israel. Throughout the year, teens are active on the parish level, serving as lectors and Eucharistic Ministers, assisting with religious education, collecting food and blankets for those in need, designing an annual "Haunted House" for the Safe Halloween Party, etc.

To assist in the transition from junior high to high school, junior high students are invited to participate in various social activities, and the high school students share their stories and talent while hosting the Confirmation Retreat every year.

A growing number of young adults continue with the group after high school, contributing their gifts and talents while planning retreats and meetings and providing a "listening ear". Many of our young people have expressed an interest in ministry-related occupations. This year alone, I've spoken with various teens and young adults inquiring about Youth Ministry, Music Ministry, mission work and priesthood.

Again and again, I'm amazed at the number of gifts god has given the teens of St. Julie and their generosity in sharing them. They're "quick to assist", and their creative energy and idealism combine to impact our world for the better. We're very proud of them. They are not only the Church of the Future" but also, "the Church of the right-here-and-now".

Father Jim Curry