TYM and Junior High Youth
Young adolescents are "on the edge"; beginning to undergo rapid physical, social, emotional, and intellectual changes; growing more rapidly than at any other time in their lives since birth. They begin to understand the deeper meaning of life, and search for membership in a community where they can trust, contribute, and be themselves.
Junior High is an important time of faith-building in young teens. Helping them to reason morally and understand their faith is a primary focus of youth ministry.
Junior High Minstry respects and supports:
→ the role of parents as the "primary educators" of their children
→ family time and family structures
→ the sanctity of the family and the challenges families encounter
in today's culture
Ministry to Junior High youth seeks to:
♦foster a transforming spiritual experience of Jesus through the liturgy,
which will allow early adolescents to experience the Word of God
and the Eucharist in a deeper and more profound way.
♦create a positive experience of the Catholic Church for early
adolescents.
♦assist young adolescents in gaining an understanding and appreciation
of what the Catholic Church teaches and believes
♦incorporate the Catholic church's vision of social justice and peace
into the spiritual life of youth
♦develop an identity in young teens that they are a vital and visual
presence within the parish community.