Youth Group
“Father, will we ever have a Youth Group here at the parish?”
Yes! In fact, next Sunday, the 25th, Natalie Niemann and I will be hosting a Meet & Greet in the Siena Room following the 12 PM Mass for young adults who are interested in belonging to a team of youth ministers for the teens of the parish.
“Who is Natalie Niemann?”
Natalie is a parishioner. She’s the mother of Lila and Sophie. Her husband is Kirk. You would recognize them from Mass. That’s Natalie in the middle.
“Can you tell me more about Natalie?”
Sure. She was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1970. She and her family moved first to California and then New York when Natalie was 7 years old. Her daughter, Sophie, is one of our cantors. That’s Sophie.
Back to her mother, Natalie. She has been teaching Architecture at Suffolk Community College for 18 years. Many of her students remain in close contact with her after their graduation, a sign of her ability to connect with young people and to befriend them.
“Do we need a Youth Group?”
Well, I’d say the teens need it. It’s never been easy to be a young person, but it’s arguably harder now than ever. Here are what are sometimes called “The 5 Cries of Modern Youth:”
Anxiety
Belonging/Community
Purpose/Vocation
Family/Mentors
Navigating Loneliness
“Will the Youth Group begin right away?”
We’re hoping that some of the young adults of our parish will come together first informally, and then more formally, to be built up with me and Natalie into a Youth Ministry Core Team, and then reach out together to the high school teens of the parish when the Spirit moves us to do so.
“What will the Youth Group look like?”
Well, it’s hard to say. We do have a vision. And we do have a lot of combined experience with youth and young adult ministry. But as for “how it will look,” that remains to be seen. Right now, we’d like to come together with the young adults, to listen to one another, to pray, and to listen to what God will say to us through our friendship as a Core Team. We’ll start there. +