Monitor Mag Aug 2025 InFocus Youth

YOUNG Pilgrims

Don’t settle for less; God is waiting to transform your life, Pope tells youth

BY CAROL GLATZ  Catholic News Service

ROME • The fullness of life depends on how much one joyfully welcomes and shares in life while also living with a constant yearning for those things that only come from God, Pope Leo XIV told young people.

“Aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less. You will then see the light of the Gospel growing every day, in you and around

you,” he said in his homily during Mass concluding the Jubilee of Youth Aug. 3.

The outdoor Mass, held in Rome’s Tor Vergata neighborhood on the outskirts of the city, marked the culmination of a week-long series of events for the Jubilee of Youth.

More than 1 million people were estimated to be gathered across the 130 acres that had been prepared for the morning Mass, the prayer vigil the evening before, and for the hundreds of thousands of people sleeping overnight.

After touching down by helicopter less than 12 hours after leaving the evening vigil, the Pope rode in the popemobile throughout the open areas – dotted with tents and tarps, and filled with young people, cheering, waving their nation’s flag, and sometimes launching at him shirts and gifts.

“Good morning!” he said in six languages from the massive stage set up for the Mass.

“I hope you all rested a little bit,” he

Continued on 11

Pope Leo XIV elevates the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament while presiding over a prayer vigil with hundreds of thousands of young people in Rome’s Tor Vergata neighborhood Aug. 2, 2025. CNS photo/ Vatican Media

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Pope Leo inspires youth at Jubilee

said in English. “We will shortly begin the greatest celebration that Christ left us: his very presence in the Eucharist.”

He said he hoped the concluding Mass would be “a truly memorable occasion for each and every one of us” because “when together, as Christ’s Church, we follow, we walk together, we live with Jesus Christ.”

In his homily during the Mass, the Pope again highlighted the importance of the Eucharist, as “the Sacrament of the Lord’s total gift of himself to us.”

It is Christ, the Risen One, he said, “who transforms our lives and enlightens our affections, desires and thoughts.”

“We are not made for a life where everything is taken for granted and static, but for an existence that is constantly renewed through the gift of self in love,” he said.

Much like a field of flowers, where each small, delicate stem may dry out, become bent and crushed, he said, each flower is “immediately replaced by others that sprout up after them, generously nourished and fertilized by the first ones as they decay on the ground. This is how the field survives: through constant regeneration.”

“This is why we continually aspire to something ‘more’ that no created reality can give us; we feel a deep and burning thirst that no drink in this world can satisfy,” he said. “Knowing this, let us not deceive our hearts by trying to satisfy them with cheap imitations!”

Pope Leo urged the young people to listen to that yearning and “turn this thirst into a step stool, like children who stand on tiptoe, in order to peer through the window of encounter with God,” who has been “waiting for us, knocking gently on the window of our soul.” Continued from 9

“It is truly beautiful, especially at a young age, to open wide your hearts, to allow him to enter, and to set out on this adventure with him towards eternity,” he said.

Speaking briefly in English, the Pope said, “There is a burning question in our hearts, a need for truth that we cannot ignore, which leads us to ask ourselves: what is true happiness? What is the true meaning of life? What can free us from being trapped in meaninglessness, boredom and mediocrity?”

“Buying, hoarding and consuming are not enough,” he said. The fullness of existence “has to do with what we joyfully welcome and share.”

“We need to lift our eyes, to look upwards, to the ‘things that are above,’ to realize that everything in the world has meaning only insofar as it serves to unite us to God and to our brothers and sisters in charity, helping us to grow in ‘compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience,’ forgiveness and peace, all in imitation of Christ,” he said.

Evoking St. John Paul II’s words during the XV World Youth Day prayer vigil held in the same spot 25 years ago, Pope Leo reminded the young people that “Jesus is our hope.”

“Let us remain united to him, let us remain in his friendship, always, cultivating it through prayer, Adoration, Eucharistic Communion, frequent Confession, and generous charity, following the examples of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Blessed Carlo Acutis, who will soon be declared saints,” he said.

Wishing everyone “a good trip home,” he encouraged the young people to “continue to walk joyfully in the footsteps of the Savior and spread your enthusiasm and the witness of your faith to everyone you meet!”

For expanded coverage of the Jubilee of Youth, visit TrentonMonitor.com and click on: NEWS>YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS.

Mission: Jersey encourages teens

BY CHRISTINA LESLIE  Correspondent

Faith in action, fun with friends and philanthropic works were the watchwords for the eighth annual “Mission: Jersey” summer service retreat days sponsored by the diocesan Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries for teens in grades 8 through 12.

A total of 95 young Catholics participated in separate community-based

service projects arranged and supervised by adult leaders and representatives from the three partner organizations: Seeds of Service, Brick, on July 8; Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton, on July 22, and Rising Treetop Camp, Oakhurst, on July 24. Each of the events began with orientation, icebreakers and prayer at designated parishes before arriving at the different project sites.

GIFT OF SELF

Teens working at Seeds of Service aided staff and members of Visitation Parish’s St. Vincent de Paul Society in stocking food pantries, organizing clothing donations, tending community gardens

Preparing toiletry packets to be given to people in need was another task teens participated in during their Seeds of Service visit.

and preparing blessing bags and sandwiches for homeless persons.

In Sacred Heart Parish, the youth worked with the parish’s food basket programs to sort donations, prepare baskets and frozen goods, and assist with guest intake and distribution.

At Rising Treetop Camp, participants led recreational activities such as arts and crafts, sports, music and nature studies for disabled adults and teens.

Teens at Seeds of Service relished the chance to meet new friends while helping others.

“Doing this helps me grow closer to God,” said Luca of St. Theresa Parish, Little Egg Harbor Twp., who helps at his parish’s food pantry. “Service feels good. I like that, instead of [staffers] telling me what to do, they are here with us.” Referring to the homemade greeting cards he tucked into each client’s food donation, Luca added, “It would be uplifting if they see it.”

Luca’s fellow parishioner, Nicholas, also was happy to help assembling blessing bags with personal sized toiletries for those in need. “It was a lot of fun to meet new people,” Nicholas said. “Service is a great way to grow a

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to serve community

loving relationship with God.”

Ashley of St. David the King Parish, Princeton Junction, had learned of the Mission: Jersey project through her father. “We talk a lot about people in need,” the teen said. “It opened my eyes to hear how many people are in need and how many we helped. Every time I help with little things, I know I will make them smile. You don’t know what they are going through. It deepens my faith.”

 “You don’t know what they are going through. It deepens my faith.”

St. Dominic Parish, Brick, member Vincent admitted, “My mom is always pushing me to help. This was cool to see how much we can do for a community, see all people and give to those in heed. We are doing what God wants us to do.”

A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE

Youth working in Sacred Heart

Parish assisted with many aspects of the parish’s food basket programs –sorting donations, preparing baskets and frozen goods, and aiding with guest intake and distribution.

Alan of St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton, came to help as a member of the parish youth group. The exercise proved to be more than spending time with his friends, he noted. “When I help someone, I feel closer to God,” he said. “Some people are not fortunate enough to go to the grocery store every week for food. I hope when they get the food they smile and know someone is looking out for them.”

Evan, a fellow St. Joan of Arc member, added, “We talk a lot in youth group about helping others and being part of community and support them in giving what they need. I feel lucky I have the food that I need, and hope it all turns out well for them. It’s nice to work with the community and help others.”

This was the second time Caitlin of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish, New Egypt, attended Mission: Jersey and reflected this year’s program was more hands on. “I helped with intake for food, met clients, got their

names. The experience is humbling; it was great helping people and showing them there is hope. We had a profound impact, we get to help others and see how much more fortunate you are. Knowing you are helping people and that they are going to get food today is really amazing.”

Dan Waddington, director of the diocesan Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, expressed his pleasure about the teens’ energy, good will and eagerness to aid their neighbors in need. He explained how this eighth year of the program differed from the past.

“They are not just doing prep work, but are handing items off directly to people in need,” Waddington began. “They can get a chance to meet the face of Christ in the faces of those they are serving. One of the blessings of Mission: Jersey is we have created the opportunity to put their faith into action… There is excitement and joy in their hearts, for they can serve God as they serve others. They learn how they can help with their family and friends on their own.”

He added, “During this Jubilee

Connection & Identity Parish youth ministry programs thriving, bring real value to young Catholics

Across generations, the Church has been intentional in its outreach to youth, creating programs and activities that have kept teens connected and able to grow in their understanding of the faith. Many of today’s adult parishioners recall their own youth group experiences when growing up.

Youth ministry programs have been a mainstay in many parishes but face

an ever-growing number of distractions that draw on teens’ time and attention. Major setbacks such as the coronavirus pandemic from 2020 to 2022 have also presented challenges to youth programs, requiring ministers and advisers to rebuild flagging memberships.

But indicators in recent years point to positive trends in parish youth ministry programs. In May, Terry Ginther, executive director of the Diocese of Trenton’s Office of Pastoral Life and Mission, reported to the curia that seven parishes have launched or were about to launch new or renewed youth programs.

Dan Waddington, who has been at the helm of the Diocese’s efforts to support and cultivate vibrant parish youth programs since 2017, acknowledges the upswing in parish programs and other markers of growing youth participation. Having served as youth minister and pastoral associate for 20 years in St. Barnabas Parish, Bayville, Waddington brings a wealth of experience and a deep sense of mission to his work as director of the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

Waddington recently sat down with The Monitor to share some of his thoughts about ways that youth groups continue to offer vital experiences for young Catholics.

What is your response to the growth in youth ministry programs and what does it say about the importance of youth ministry overall?

Daniel Waddington, director of the diocesan Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, smiles for a photo during the Mission: Jersey event in Sacred Heart Church, Trenton. Mike Ehrmann photo

the lingering effects of COVID-19.

However, in the last year or so, several parishes have begun or renewed a youth ministry effort and seen very positive responses. Efforts to involve young people (including Confirmation candidates) in parish life beyond class, to form or rejuvenate youth groups, and to participate in diocesan events like the Diocesan Youth Conference and Mission: Jersey are all positive examples of this increased interest.

What challenges has youth ministry faced over the past decade and how has it adapted in response?

The impact of COVID and the primary characteristics of Gen-Z and Gen Alpha have challenged youth and young adult ministry to evolve over these past several years. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has also responded to this need by publishing a new guide to support families and pastoral ministers in the accompaniment and evangelization of youth and young adults called “Listen, Teach, Send.” This pastoral plan is modeled after the “Road to Emmaus” and emphasizes the need to “walk with” young people in faith.

It is truly wonderful to see that so many parishes in our Diocese are placing an importance on youth ministry efforts in their communities. Some of our parishes have had a strong, consistent effort for many years with great success while others have struggled for a variety of reasons, including Continued on

While youth ministry has been called to advance in how we best serve young people and their families, the foundations and goals of youth ministry remain the same.  To help a young person experience and live

YOUTH

Discipleship is at heart of youth ministry in Millstone parish

BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

Matt Zabrosky is totally OK with saying that the two youth ministry groups in St. Joseph Parish, Millstone Township, do not have any “members.”

That’s because when a person is baptized, he or she automatically becomes a member of the Catholic Church. “They’re already in, they’re already here,” he said.

So Zabrosky’s youth ministry approach is to emphasize discipleship, that the young people are called to be disciples of Christ, and participating in the youth ministry can be a way for them to live out that call through fun, fellowship, service and faith.

The Middle School Youth Group is open to youths in grades six through eight, and the High School Youth Group is open to those in ninth through 12th grades. Each program has its own dedicated coordinator, with Zabrosky overseeing the entire program and serving as

the liaison between the groups and the pastor, Father Michael Lang, “who give us his total support.”

The program has 30 adults, a mix of catechists, parents, empty-nesters and retired parishioners, “who have been called by the Holy Spirit to get behind us and help make this work.”

Because the parish’s Men’s Guild and Ladies of St. Joseph provide the financial support needed for both groups, the young people do not have to deal with fundraising activities, Zabrosky said.

He explained that the middle school group – which has 60 registered youths, of whom 18-24 regularly participate –has an advantage over the high school group, since the parish’s “very strong” religious education program serves as a natural pool from which to draw middle schoolers. The high school group has contact information for 30 youths, but only eight to 12 of them participate regularly.

However, the youth ministry has been working hard to expand the High School Youth Group as the middle-schoolers feed into it.

“A lot of times the thinking is that once a youth is confirmed [in eighth grade] and they go on to high school, they’re done with going to church,” Zabrosky said, “and we want to change that thinking.”

The offerings the youth groups have organized and enjoyed the most are those that involve the entire parish. The “All Saints Candy Swap,” which takes place after Mass on All Saints Day, Nov. 1, is open to all, no matter what their age, and participants are invited to bring their trick-ortreating candy and swap their treats with others. The Living Stations of the Cross during Lent also has been successful, with the support of the entire parish.

People also enjoy the annual “Outdoor Family Movie Night,” which this year was scheduled for Aug. 9, Zabrosky said. The evening begins with games and activities for the entire family at 7 p.m., with the movie starting at sunset. A large screen is set up outdoors, and everyone is asked to bring lawn chairs or blankets and snacks.

“You don’t have to be a parishioner or even Catholic to attend the Family Movie Night,” Zabrosky said, noting that the mantra he tries to emphasize is “Come as you are, come when you can.”

“We are Catholic and are open to everyone,” he said.

Service, speakers, invites: Maple Shade parish works to expand youth group

BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

Several ideas are in the works to attract young parishioners to the high school youth group at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Maple Shade.

John Napoli, faith formation pastoral associate, said one idea is to invite eighth graders to join the group. Having youth group members visit their younger counterparts during religious education classes, he said, offers opportunities for “casual conversations where the eighth graders get to know what the youth group is all about.”

Another way to generate youth involvement in the parish

is through service projects, Napoli said. He identified several opportunities in which the young people are actively involved: the clothing drives held each spring and fall; the bake sale; and the “Drop ’n’ Shop” event, in which families attend Mass together and, afterward, the parish members watch the children while the parents go shopping, out to dinner or enjoy another activity.

He said speakers that have addressed youth group members have made an impact on the young parishioners. Speakers have included a person dealing with an addiction who struggled, then decided he wanted to return to church.

Napoli said he shared his own conversion story following his experience with epilepsy. In his prayer with God, Napoli said he asked “to see my kids grow up; that one day I want to walk my daughter down the aisle,” and if it’s meant to be, “I want to meet my future grandchildren.”

“I haven’t had a seizure since that conversation,” he said.

like to think collaboration might work ...”

Local bankers have taught young people about financial responsibility, he said, and two of his own children spoke about their career goals and college experiences.

Napoli said he hopes to have Our Lady of Perpetual Help’s youth group join with other parish youth groups from around Burlington County.

The idea is an offshoot of the recently formed Southern Burlington County Young Adult Group, for those who are between 18 and 39 years old, he said.

“It’s my hope to try and do something similar,” he said, adding that if parish collaboration “worked for the young adults, I’d like to think it would work for the youth group, too.”  “I’d

New model of collaboration helps youth in Colts Neck, Holmdel parishes

BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

Awork of the Holy Spirit: that’s how Rose Farrow describes the collaboration between St. Catharine Parish, Holmdel, and St. Mary Parish, Colts Neck, in offering a unique and effective way to provide ministry for young people.

Farrow, pastoral coordinator for faith formation in both parishes, explained that it had been several years since St. Mary Parish had a youth ministry program. While there were some requests for a program, “considering the busy lives our families live, there was not enough promise of consistent participation to warrant our own group.” As a way to have some outreach for youth, she said that when she was the parish’s Confirmation prep coordinator, she reached out to St. Catharine Parish to see if members would be open to including teens from St. Mary’s in their program “that was already alive and active.”

Farrow said that in 2024, she saw an increase in young people seeking to become Catholic, and the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults/Youth Ministry collaboration “was born out of a need to better serve this section of inquirers by working together toward the common goal of accompanying young people into a deeper relationship with Christ, the Church, the parish community and forming disciples.”

“This youth ministry collaboration provided the OCIA youth an opportunity to become integrated in the parish with parishioners their own age and the youth ministry group an opportunity to be models of faith and companions on the journey.”

Farrow maintains that the benefits of the youth ministry model are rooted in the willingness and support of the pastor and youth minister, who allowed her to

make changes.

“Audrey Krastins, the coordinator of youth ministry in St. Catharine Parish, wanted to add a faith component that she needed help with, and I wanted a group of teens to accompany and witness to the OCIA teens on their faith journey,” Farrow said.

“It made sense to share our blessings,” she added. “We each brought our unique gifts, experiences and resources to this collaboration.”

Farrow said now OCIA/YM Sundays include a faith-sharing component rooted in the catechumenate model based on the Lectionary, liturgical calendar and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The ice breakers are rooted in that Sunday’s Scripture, and a service

component allows the young people to put their faith into action, she said.

During Lent, a mini-retreat challenged participants to reflect on their relationship with Christ, finding Christ every day and getting to know Jesus in the Eucharist. Youth ministry teen leaders were trained to lead the group in faith sharing, and a panel of teens shared personal witness stories about their own faith journeys.

“In this fledgling year, whatever successes we had came to us through hard work and trust from the pastor and youth ministry leadership team, but mostly because we worked with the understanding that we are merely the instruments and God would provide the necessary tools and graces for the work,” Farrow said.

by hundreds of other attendees, St. Mary teens participate in Eucharistic Adoration during the July

‘Radically Changed’ DOT youth join participants from around the nation in Steubenville Conferences’ transformative experience

BY SIMONE ORENDAIN  OSV News and Staff Reports

For 50 years, summer Steubenville Conferences have been forming teens in the faith and deepening adults’ faith journeys.

Sprouting from a single priests’ retreat in 1975, the conferences have made a measurable impact on service to the U.S. Church in parishes, dioceses and national apostolates.

Fifty-five high school teens from St. Mary Parish’s Life Teen youth ministry, Middletown, journeyed to Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio for the July 11-13 youth conference. The week drew thousands of Catholic high school teens from across the country into a weekend of Eucharist-centered worship, teaching and fellowship.

“To see our teens worship, pray, and encounter the Eucharistic Lord so deeply is one of the greatest joys of my priesthood,” said Father Jeff Kegley, pastor of St. Mary’s. “This generation is hungry for God, and they’re discovering that only Jesus can truly satisfy. We are witnessing the beginning of a revival among Catholic youth.”

Gez Ford, newly appointed youth minister in St. David the King Parish, West Windsor, has worked with youth for years and has taken groups to the conferences for

decades, both to Ohio and Steubenville East in Springfield, Mass.

“It has always been a life-changing event for those who attend,” said Ford, who is on track for ordination to the diaconate in November. “We are rebuilding our youth and young adult program, and we WILL be going to Steubenville next year!”

RAISING THE BAR

 “…we

WILL be going to Steubenville next year!”

Four youth conferences, and all six of the adult conferences this year, are on the campus of Franciscan University of Steubenville, where the series started. The rest of the 15 youth meetings are happening across the country and in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Between 600 and 4,500 attend these, according to organizers.

A three-day program for high schoolers is built around the person of Jesus Christ, said Franciscan Father Dave Pivonka, who directed the conferences for 30 years. Father Pivonka, president of Franciscan University, also speaks at the conferences.

He said young people come to know the love of God in the proclamation and preaching of the Gospel, raising awareness of the Real Presence at Mass and Adoration, “and that’s the extent of it. God does really great works in the power of the Holy Spirit.”

“Young people love to have the bar raised for them,” he told OSV News. “We’re not compromising. We speak about eternal realities, we speak about sin, and we speak about mercy. And when presented with the entire Gospel, our experience is the young people actually respond quite beautifully. So, you’ll find … (people) that are in their 60s that 45 years ago had the encounter with the Lord that radically changed their lives.”

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Surveys in 2024 by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate show 15% of seminarians to be ordained that year had attended a Steubenville youth conference, and 14% of religious who made solemn professions of vows then also attended a conference.

Brian Kissinger, executive director of Steubenville Conferences, said this year’s theme, “Consumed,” is a take on God’s all-consuming love as found in Deuteronomy 4:24.

The conferences explore what young people are consumed by nowadays: social media, too much “screen time” and seeking popularity, said Kissinger. And at the conferences, participants find the antidote is God, who “wants to consume us in a way that doesn’t take away our freedom or individuality but really makes us fully alive.”

REAL TRANSFORMATION

Matej Živković, St. Mary’s new Life Teen Youth Minister, accompanied the teens and helped lead small group discussions.

“This was my first Steubenville Conference with our group, and I am truly in awe of what God did in our youth,” said Živković. “Many experienced personal healing, deeper understanding of their identity in Christ, and a passion for living the Gospel. This is revival among our youth – and it’s just the beginning.”

“I had never experienced Jesus like that before,” said Abby Kistler, a rising senior. “During Adoration, I felt peace and love that I can’t even describe.”

Ben Constance, a recent graduate, added: “This trip changed my life. I now know God is real! I realized faith is about a relationship with Jesus who is alive and powerful. I want to live for Him.”

“When teens travel and see thousands of their peers worshipping the Lord together, they are changed,” Ford said of past conference trips. “Witnessing vibrancy through the liturgy, the Sacraments and the teachings of

the Church, they are often inspired to share that encounter with others. Steubenville provides a platform from which true, authentic discipleship can springboard!”

Teens honored with diocesan St. Timothy A

Twenty-nine high school teens have been extolled for their service and witness to the Catholic faith with the Diocese of Trenton’s 2025 St. Timothy Awards.

Given by the diocesan Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, the St. Timothy Award recognizes youth in grades 9-12 who have demonstrated outstanding acts of charity, ministry and additional outreach to their parishes and wider communities. The teens are nominated by parish youth ministers, pastors and catechetical leaders.

The young Catholics have enriched their communities in various ways, including serving as readers, sacristans and altar servers and sharing their musical talents at Mass; assisting with parish religious education; volunteering at parish and school fundraisers and community building events; helping with meal preparation at local food banks; involvement in youth ministry, faith formation and much more.

The St. Timothy Award is named for the disciple, St. Timothy, a close associate of the Apostle Paul who played a vital role in early Christian communities by spreading the faith. He is often invoked as a patron saint for young people, students and those seeking guidance in their studies and careers.

WINNERS FOR 2025 AND THEIR NOMINATING PARISH OR SCHOOL ARE AS FOLLOWS:

 Zachary Adamski, St. Isidore the Farmer Parish, New Egypt • Sophomore, Allentown High School

 Gabrielle Bosco, Holy Eucharist Parish, Tabernacle • Senior, Shawnee High School, Medford

 Matthew Brueggemeier, St. Joseph Parish, Millstone Twp. • Sopho-

wards for Catholic witness

more, Allentown High School

 Gianni Buffalano, St. Leo the Great Parish, Lincroft • Junior, Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft

 Shannon Calsetta, St. Monica Parish, Jackson • Senior, Jackson Memorial High School

 Naidelyn Samantha Vicente Cifuentes, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Lakewood • Junior, Toms River North High School

 Ben Constance, St. Mary Parish, Middletown • Senior, Middletown North High School, Middletown

 Nicholas Daisey, St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, Medford • Junior, Burlington County Institute of Technology

 Grace Florentino, Holy Family Parish, Keyport • Junior, Raritan High School, Hazlet

 Julia Hammer, St. Catharine Parish, Holmdel • Junior, Trinity Hall, Tinton Falls

 Lena Hogg, Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Moorestown • Senior, Moorestown High School

 Mallory Lepore, Visitation Parish, Brick • Senior, Toms River North High School

 Lena Marie Little, St. Pius X Parish, Forked River • Freshman, Lacey Township High School

 Kareem McGrath, St. Joseph Parish, Toms River • Senior, Central Regional High School, Bayville

 Ava Minall, St. Rose of Lima Parish, Belmar • Senior, Wall High School, Wall Township

 Francesca Schiano Moriello, St. James Parish, Pennington • Junior, Hopewell Valley Central High School, Pennington

 Sofia Napolitano, St. Gabriel Parish, Marlboro • Senior, Marlboro

High School

 Antonio Caio Silva Neto, Jesus, the Good Shepherd Parish, Beverly • Junior, Burlington County Institute of Technology

 Emma-Grace Olson, St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton • Senior, Camden Catholic High School

 Sophia Philip, Sacred Heart Parish, Mount Holly • Freshman, Rancocas Valley Regional High School, Mount Holly

 Catherine Prioli, St. Aloysius Parish, Jackson • Senior, Prioli Academy (Homeschool)

 Michelle Salvatore, St. Justin the Martyr Parish, Toms River • Junior, Donovan Catholic High School, Toms River

 John Peter Schatzle, St. Mary Parish, Colts Neck • Junior, Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft

 Caeley Smith, St. Barnabas Parish, Bayville • Junior, St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel

 Elizabeth Toppi, St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, Bradley Beach• Senior, Ocean Township High School, Oakhurst

 Kristopher Del Toro Urbina, St. Mary Parish, Barnegat • Senior, Southern Regional High School, Stafford Twp.

 Nicholas Usmiani, St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square • Sophomore, Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville

 Alexandria Veltri, St. Barnabas Parish, Bayville • Senior, Central Regional High School, Bayville

 John Vota, St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold • Senior, Colts Neck High School

To view personal profiles of the award winners, visit TrentonMonitor. com > News > Youth and Young Adults

MISSION: JERSEY

Year, Mission: Jersey has created the opportunity to put their faith into action. The theme is sharing hope; we see hope that lives in them and in every project. It is a prayer experience, an opportunity to see how God’s love lives in them and how to inspire that hope.”

“The excitement is high,” Waddington concluded. “It is inspiring how young people are willing to work and put their faith in action. This is not a generation that wants to sit back.”

Video interviews produced by the diocesan Department of Multimedia Production, were used for this story.

PARISH YOUTH MINISTRY

Continued from 14

Continued from 13 their faith in a way that is real to them and applicable to their everyday lived experience … “today.” Accepting and meeting a young person “where they are” and then helping them to grow as we accompany them on their faith journey is crucial to helping them embrace our faith as their own. In also helps them to know how much they are loved by and needed in our Church.

How would you say that a youth ministry background equips young Catholics for the moral challenges they will face in today’s difficult climate?

Through youth ministry we are directly supporting a young person to develop a personal relationship with Jesus, and a strong sense of Catholic identity. This identity and sense of belonging equips them with a foundation they stand on as they negotiate the many challenges our world throws at them. A strong youth and young adult ministry effort can be a powerful mechanism that serves these goals in a significant way.

–Submitted by Rayanne Bennett Associate Publisher