Youth Ministry Brings the Faith Alive for Our Young Parishioners

Pope Francis has urged young people to be involved by sharing their faith with one another. “The Church needs your momentum, your intuitions, your faith,” he wrote after the 2018 Synod on Youth. “And when you arrive where we have not yet reached, have the patience to wait for us.”

In turn, we are blessed to have youth in our parish who are committed to living the faith and sharing the Good News.

The COVID-19 pandemic ended in-person youth group meetings, at least for the time being. Youth Minister Johann Rubia-Miller says it’s been difficult for the youth, but at the beginning of the pandemic, they adapted by meeting over the Zoom videoconferencing platform. However, when school started this last fall, the youth said being on Zoom at school all day was enough and wanted another way to connect. So, Johann has connected with our youth in a variety of ways, whether through social media or with outdoor, socially distanced visits. She focuses on different topics and uses videos, articles, and questions to engage the youth. She hopes to do more in-person visits and events in the future, once it’s safe to do so.

“It’s hard because we can’t replace the time physically together,” Johann says.

Before the pandemic, Johann was using the EDGE program for the seventh and eighth-grade students and Lifeteen for the high school students. The mission of the Youth Ministry program is to “engage and transform the lives of our modern youth culture through the sacramental life of the Catholic Church, providing leadership and adult ministry opportunities.”

A major part of our Youth Ministry program is service. Over the years, the program has performed many projects to benefit our community — think of a service project, and they have probably done it! As Johann says, the youth always desire more service projects. Before the pandemic, the youth were offering child care during the 9:30 a.m. Sunday Mass. They also collect soap and personal care products for the St. Vincent de Paul food locker. Also, they’ve gone to downtown Sacramento to bring food to the homeless, and collected coats and socks to be distributed. The youth group members also serve in most of the ministries for the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass.

“We just really try to make sure that service is at the forefront of everything we do,” Johann says. “It’s important, to us, to get out in the community.”

When Johann’s children were in high school, she saw the need for a youth ministry program. So, she helped get the program off the ground and, eventually, began overseeing it. She says being involved with the youth has strengthened her faith and has positively changed her life. Some weeks, she wonders if she’s getting more out of the program than the youth.

“This is my calling,” she says. “This work fulfills me so much. It’s just so awesome to see that, still among the most evil things in the world, we still have so many young people that want to make a difference. They believe in the good and they want to help. It’s inspiring.”

Johann looks forward to being able to safely meet in-person again. For now, she urges parents of youth to discuss involvement in our Youth Ministry with their teen — the program provides many wonderful opportunities for youth to socialize and grow in faith with their peers. And, as Johann points out, many teens leave the church in high school and college — so, involvement in a program like our Youth Ministry is a way to keep our young people interested and actively engaged in their faith.

“This is a safe place to share ideas and support one another,” Johann says. “Youth encounter fellowship, brotherhood, and sisterhood. This can pave the way for lifelong friendships.”

If you would like to learn more, you may connect with Our Lady of the Assumption Youth Ministry on Facebook at @olayouthgroupcarmichael or on Instagram at @olayouthministry. You may also stay up-to-date with our Youth Ministry by checking the bulletin and connecting via Flocknote. Please contact Johann Rubia-Miller at youth@olaparish.net for additional information.

High School youth group Catholic HEART Workcamp mission trip to Montana

High School youth group at an evening of OLA Taize Prayer

High School youth group meeting

Middle School youth group meeting

Middle School youth group outing at laser tag