Featured Article: The Legacy of Cardinal Joseph Ritter continues on Indy's West Side - At the conclusion of mass, these students were dispatched to their sports practices where they will represent the Cardinal Ritter Community in contests throughout the fall. Students at Catholic High Schools all across the country participate in similar masses, but what may catch you off-guard at a Cardinal Ritter celebration is the way this congregation represents the real world. | Read Full Story

Rejuvenate the Spirit
By Joyce Lombard
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Youth Article Index

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Youth Article Index

Youth Directors, Coordinators and Volunteers….When was the last time you attended a youth conference, training or even read a book on youth ministry? Think about it. Evangelization is a very important part of youth ministry. So often, we become so involved with our parish life that we overlook opportunities to network or build a relationship with the diocese or archdiocese in our area.

However, I attended the 31st National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry (NCCYM) for the first time. It was held in Las Vegas, Nevada the theme was "And the Desert Shall Bloom" from November 30th through December 3, 2006. The National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) also celebrated its 25th year anniversary. It was the largest adult Youth Ministry conference with over 2,600 Catholics in attendance. The Diocese of Las Vegas, the fastest growing diocese in the United States hosted the conference. Approximately 50 attendees were black Catholics from different dioceses and about 37 were first time attendees. However, I wondered why more black Catholics were not present at the NCCYM? At the event the black Catholic ministers who served the youth had an opportunity to meet and network with each other. The NFCYM is the catalyst for the Catholic youth ministry on the diocesan and parish level.

The conference provided over 40 workshops including information on WYD 2008 in Sydney, Australia, and regional network gatherings. It promoted youth sports through the National Center for Catholic Youth Sports and National Catholic Committee on Scouting. There were over 90 Catholic Youth Ministry Resource Expositions present. The conference was informative, educational and spiritually driven. The National Catholic Youth Conference is scheduled for November 8-10, 2007 in Columbus, Ohio and NCCYM will meet in Cleveland, Ohio December 4-7, 2008. This is only a snapshot of the multitude of information and resources that was available at the conference. Go to www.nfcym.org for more information.

My brothers and sisters in youth ministry, let's seek out the available information and resources for our youth through the diocese or archdiocese. Begin attending meetings, hosting events, and submitting youth names to the youth diocese council/board. We must promote our creative ideas, culture, and music. Let us be part of the next planning team. If we don't who will?

Joyce Thomas Lombard is the Youth Director for Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Beaumont, Texas. In 1999, she received her Certificate in Youth Ministry from The Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University in New Orleans, La.

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