The Church Thanks God for Youth!

1. The Church
Thanks God
for Youth!
What Church Leaders are
saying about the Gifts of Youth

2. Thank God for Youth!
The Church and
world need the
faith, gifts, energy,
and fresh ideas of
young people.
United States Catholic
Bishops. Renewing the
Vision, pg.50)

4. Thank God for Youth!
The faith experiences of
adolescents enrich our own
sense of the continuing
presence of Christ’s
Spirit in the world and
give us hope.
National Federation of Catholic
Youth Ministry From Age to Age 1997 pg. 2

6. Thank God for Youth
Parish life is enriched
by the energy,
enthusiasm, and gifts
of young members.
Tom East, Dir of the Center for Ministry
Development in Effective Practices in Youth Ministry, 2004

8. Thank God
for Youth!
Youth challenge the rest of the
church not to become settled and
sedentary, never to experience
itself as fully established or
absolutely complete.
National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry; United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops
From Age to Age 1997 pg. 6

10. Thank God for Youth!
Youth bring to the parish
community youthfulness,
energy, vitality,
hopefulness and vision
United States Catholic Bishops
in their Message to Youth

12. Thank God for Youth!
Youth
engage us
in a sense
of wonder and awe about the
present that evokes a joy and
hopefulness for the future.
National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry, From Age
to Age 1997 pg. 6

14. Thank God for Youth!
…Young people can be the
hands, arms, and mouthpiece of
God to their generation.
Jim Burns, Pres. National Institute
of Youth Ministry

16. Thank God for Youth!
Youth give active witness
that in these new
generations Christ is still
proclaiming his gospel and
the people are still
responding to God…
National Federation of Catholic Youth
Ministry,
From Age to Age 1997 pg. 2

18. Thank God for Youth!
Historically, our Catholic
heritage boasts of childhood
saints and adolescent
martyrs. Today’s youth are no
different. They still possess that
contagious enthusiasm and
refreshing idealism. They are
capable of serving Christ in a heroic
manner… (
Frank Mercadante, Trainer and Founder of Cultivation
Ministries, Growing Teen Disciples 1998 pg. 14)

20. Thank God for Youth!
Adolescents assist our
faith communities by
calling us to the
youthfulness and vitality
of the Spirit
National Federation of Catholic Youth
Ministry
From Age to Age 1997 pg. 3

22. Thank God for Youth!
Youth who are called, trained, and
supported in leadership roles serve
with great passion and energy.
They develop amazing abilities to
share faith, witness their
relationship with God through
the decisions they make, and
pursue good works into
adulthood.
Ann Marie Eckert , Center for Ministry Development, Total
Youth Ministry: Youth Leadership vol. 1 2004

24. Thank God for Youth!
More teen Church leaders
today could mean more
adult church leaders
tomorrow.
Lisa Marie Calderone-Steward, Trainer &
Founder of Today’s Promise, Changing Lives:
Transformational Ministry and Today’s Teens 2004 pg.27

26. Thank God for Youth!
A community that comes
to know and treasure the
youth in their midst will
experience new ways of
praying, celebrating, serving and
learning…Youth and the community
learn together and are transformed
in the process.
Tom East, Dir. Center for Ministry Development, Effective
Practices in Dynamic Youth Ministry 2004

28. Thank God for Youth!
The church should
invest a great deal of
attention, creativity, an
d institutional resources
into its young
members… Undeniably
the future of the U.S.
Catholic Church vitally
depends on it.
National Study on Youth and Religion pg.
194

30. Thank God for Youth!
Youth – in their
vitality, their
questioning and
exploration, their stretching, … –
in all of these things, youth mirror
for us the face of a church with a
youthful heart.
National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry, From Age to
Age 1997 pg. 6