2025-2026 Youth Ministry Year
The Church of the Nativity High School Youth Ministry Program fosters the spiritual, intellectual, and social growth of young people and empowers them to serve as disciples of Jesus while drawing them to responsible participation in the life of the Church.
The Church of the Nativity High School Youth Ministry Program involves 4 components and is based on these church documents: A Vision of Youth Ministry, Renewing the Vision, and Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum Framework for the Development of Catechetical Materials for Young People of High School Age - USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops).
The 4 components of our Youth Ministry Program are:
1. Educational/Catechesis
This is the most important component and is accomplished mainly through our Sunday Topic Nights from September to June. Sunday Topic Nights are about ongoing Faith Formation and challenging teens to apply and live all aspects of their Catholic faith in everyday life. Our Sunday Topic Night topics come from the documents listed above, our 4 year curriculum from St. Mary's Press, and our Topic Survey of the most requested topics from the parents and teens that is given at the start of each year. This method allows for both a Catechetical systematic structure and the flexibility to cover current events. Attending our Sunday Topic Nights for 2 years also provides teens with the faith formation background to become eligible for the Confirmation Immediate Preparation Classes.
2. Service Projects
There are regularly scheduled Service Projects as well as many other pop-up service projects offered to the teens during the year.
3. Social Events
We do Social Events about every other month and the teens vote on what to do.
4. Confirmation Immediate Preparation Program
The Confirmation Immediate Preparation Program runs from February through May every year. The “Confirmation Immediate Preparation Class” is specifically and only education on the Sacrament of Confirmation for eligible (those who have been in our program for 2 years) sophomores, juniors, or seniors and is in addition to our Sunday Topic Nights. It involves classes, a Retreat, small homework assignments, and successfully completing a Final Interview. Confirmation is only 1 of the 4 parts along a teen’s Faith Formation journey within the Nativity Youth Ministry Program, not the end or “graduation” from Faith Formation and Youth Ministry. It is important to remember it’s place in the bigger picture of the overall and ongoing Youth Ministry Program. Teens are expected to continue with their Youth Ministry involvement after Confirmation as part of their lifelong education in our Catholic faith and to live out their Confirmation commitments. “There is more to parish youth ministry than preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation and it's celebration which is only one component or part of the total process of catechesis and faith development for adolescents”. (Diocesan Policy #310)
For more information on Confirmation go to our Confirmation page.
If you would like more information on the Nativity High School Youth Ministry Program please contact Mike James, Director of Catechetical Ministry, at mjames@nativitycatholic.org.
Registration for the 2025-2026 High School Youth Ministry year will begin in late August 2025.