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Youth Ministry

 Please see the high school or middle school pages for more infomation about those age groups.

Youth Ministry at St. Edward supports the efforts of parents, caring adults, and all ministers of the church to encourage young people to develop healthy, faith-filled relationships with Jesus Christ, with their families, and with the community. These endeavors have as their end the following three goals: (1) to empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today, (2) to draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community, and (3) to foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person. (Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, pp. 9 – 18.) With these goals in mind, St. Edward Youth Ministry focuses the parish’s efforts to minister to the youth (grades 6 – 12) of the St. Edward community with programs structured around the eight components of youth ministry: advocacy, catechesis, community life, evangelization, justice & service, leadership development, pastoral care, and prayer & worship.

 

Youth Ministry has one goal:

Leading teens closer to Christ!

 

Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, we want our teens to know that God is always there for them and will continue to desire and fight for them for their entire lives. Jesus Christ wants us to know and love Him the way that He knows and loves us (culminating in His Passion, Death, Resurrection, and ultimately the Eucharist), and He wants us to share that with the world! We hope to inspire our teens with this message of Good News so that they have the tools to continue deepening their relationship with Christ as they become young adults as well as know how to spread & defend their faith with our modern culture. Our goal is to help them draw closer to Christ and share in this Truth of His Love through the events & sacraments we offer and the community & relationships we foster.

Looking for more information about St. Edward Youth Ministry?
Contact Andrew McCarthy at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (804) 864-4715 if you are looking for:

• Life Teen Information
• Confirmation for 10th-12th grade teens
• Weekly Wednesday HS Youth Group meetings
• High School Youth Ministry events
• Combined HS and MS events
• Edge Information (registration)
• Middle School Summer Service & Fun Opportunities
• Middle School Youth Ministry events

SUMMER TRIPS & EVENTS FOR YOUTH

• High School Activities
• Middle School Activities

WEEKLY ACTIVITES FOR YOUTH

• Middle School Youth Group - Youth Ministry for middle school students is twice per month gatherings on Thursday evening from 6:30-8pm in the Bosco Center and other times it's events off campus.  Rachael sends out periodic emails with upcoming activities.  Email her to be added to that list.
• High School Youth Group - meets every Wednesday all year from 6:30-8pm in the Youth Room. We focus our ministry on community, prayer, and service - so we do everything from movie nights, apologetics debates, and make meatloaves and brownies for a local soup kitchen.
• EDGE and LIFE TEEN - meets as our evening religious education for middle school (EDGE) and high school (LIFE TEEN) from September-May. Email Andrew to register and be placed in a small group

  

ANNUAL SCHOOL-YEAR EVENTS FOR YOUTH

• End-of-Summer Lock-In - In August, all youth are invited to Laser Quest for 8 hours of bouncy fun!
• Virginia Catholic Youth Day at Busch Gardens - A fall Saturday enjoying Howl-O-Scream with Catholic kids from the Dioceses of Richmond and Arlington. Travel by bus early morning, enjoy rides, shows and fun, attend Mass, have dinner, get scared and ride the bus home.
• Diocesan Middle School Rally - A day-long event in October that gathers middle school youth for a ton of fun, fellowship, and faith!
• Confirmation Retreat - A weekend long retreat for that year's Confirmation candidates. 
• Thanksgiving Dinner Day of Service - High school teens cook a Thanksgiving meal for 3 underprivileged families as well as participate in other service projects the day before Thanksgiving.
• Winter High School Retreat - Over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, we retreat into the mountains for a weekend away from our normal lives in order to focus on God's presence - plus, we have a great time getting to know each other even better! 
• March for Life - A 2-day trip to celebrate life in Washington, DC!
• Diocesan Youth Conference - High school teens from across the diocese gather at a Convention Center to reignite their faith! 
• Middle School Stations of the Cross - An opportunity for teens to participate in Stations through narration or acting.
• Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, & Other Holy Days - Though continued throughout the year, we make it a priority in Lent to attend special Masses (for both obligated days and other holy days in the Church calendar) as well as Reconciliation Services at St. Edward together as a youth community.
• Confirmation Liturgies - Celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime sacrament with this year's Confirmation candidates!
• Summer Trip Fundraisers - From bake sales to luncheons, we'll raise money to pay for gas, snacks, and scholarships before we head out for the summer!

 

 

 

CATHOLIC RESOURCES FOR YOUTH

Looking for a new app or song to put on your iPhone? Not sure how to defend you Catholic faith? Want to try something new for your prayer time? Check out these awesome resources for Catholic youth!

APPS
Laudate - This is a comprehensive (and free!) Catholic app. It has the Bible, daily readings, the Order of the Mass, the Rosary, and so much more!
40 Days Spiritual Workout - Try some strength-training exercises, Catholic-style!
Youcat - Check out this "Youth Catechism" addition. It makes browsing for Catholic questions and answers even easier and more convenient!
Catholic Mass Times - Going to an away soccer tournament or a family vacation? Download this app to find the nearest Catholic church and its Mass times!

BLOGS & WEBSITES

Life Teen
Bad Catholic blog
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Diocese of Richmond's Office of Evangelization
Vatican Insider

FACEBOOK PAGES
Diocese of Richmond's Office of Evangelization
Life Teen

TWITTER ACCOUNTS

Pontifex - Follow Pope Francis! (Yes, he is actually the one who tweets on this acount!)

CATHOLIC MUSIC ARTISTS
Matt Maher
Audrey Assad
Jackie Francois
Sarah Hart
Paul Kim
Cooper Ray
Steve Angrisano
Jesse Manibusan