Youth Ministry

The Youth Ministry of Our Lady of Grace parish
is a place for young people to grow in the love & knowledge of Jesus Christ.

 A CULTURE OF WELCOME & BELONGING

We are all children of God, our Creator. We embrace a spirit of welcome and belonging and do not exclude anyone.
Each young person is on a journey of faith. We try to meet them where they are on that journey, accepting them for who they are at any point on that journey.  We also recognize that young people are vulnerable, easily influenced, and in need of our protection. The youth ministry will strive to protect all young people from harm and will follow proper reporting procedures if harm is done.

All children and youth workers at Our Lady of Grace Church are required to undergo background checks and trainings,
and strictly adhere to all State and Diocesan Child Protection Policies.

A CULTURE OF DISCIPLESHIP

Everyone, regardless of age, has a vocation to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Each person offers a unique gift of self to help bring about the reign of God. Catechesis is not the only thing necessary for a person to become a disciple.
Therefore, the OLG YM focuses on all aspects of discipleship. In addition to catechesis, young people will grow in their prayer
and worship; learn about justice and carry out acts of service; build authentic Christian community; and learn and develop
other skills to help them grow throughout their lives on their individual journey of faith.

A CULTURE OF MATURE LEADERSHIP

We are always striving to develop mature leadership for a new generation. Our youth are an important part of our Church today.
They are the young leaders, many not yet fully initiated, who will carry on the message of the Gospel through the lived mission
of this parish. We must cultivate in our youth a passion for leading the Church, and help them to discern how their
gifts and talents can be used in the service of the mission.

The youth ministry gives young people the opportunity to do this by practicing leadership skills through direct experience
in leadership roles.  We allow young people the room to try out their gifts and talents; to fail and to succeed; to learn and to grow.
By practicing leadership skills, we hope to form our young Church into mature leaders who
will one day take our place as mature leaders who are better than we are today.