Youth Office Contact
Director of Youth Ministry
Maureen Quinn
573-635-9127, ext. 233
Assistant Director of Catechetical Formation
Mary Madelyn Mertes
573-635-9127, ext. 228
Administrative Assistant
Moderator of Youth and
Young Adult Ministry
Fr. Joseph Luzindana
573-635-7991
Alphonse J. Schwartze
Memorial Catholic Center
2207 West Main St
Jefferson City, MO 65109-0914
Mary Madelyn Mertes is now serving our office as Assistant Director of Catechetical Formation and Maddie Gramlich has joined our team as the Administrative Assistant.
With new changes throughout the Faith Formation Office, we are working this fall to divide roles and work to better serve our parishes. Stay tuned for more information as we work together to serve each of you!
Parish Visits
beginning this fall
As many of you know, Mary Madelyn Mertes is now the Assistant Director of Catechetical Formation. In this new role she is assiting Marriage Ministries and the Religious Education office. Her primary goal will be helping form catechists down the road but we first want to give her time to get to know our parishes and begin and the best way to do that is to come to you.
Mary Madelyn has been preparing and is now ready to begin making parish visits to get to know our DREs and PSR coordinators. She wants to listen and learn about what is going on in your parishes and get to know your programs better. We want to learn how we can help support you and your parish. If you would like to schedule a visit soon, please let us know.
Catechist Workshops
When discussing the best ways to continue providing ongoing catechetical formation in lieu of Franciscan at Home, we want to provide in-person opportunities to gather. If your parish is interested in hosting a speaker, please let us know!
We are hoping for 4 workshops with visiting speakers in the upcoming year. 2 will be on weekdays and 2 will be on weekends. Dates and speakers TBA, if there's a topic you would love to have us cover, let us know!
YDisciple
YDisciple is a toolbox of training resources for adults and teaching resources for teens specifically designed with small groups in mind. This is not a program but instead a toolbox to equip the adult and teach the teen as we work to build up disciples! YDisciple is powered by NET Ministries and backed by their nearly 4 decades of ministry with young people.
In our first year partnering with YDisciple, we will be offering up to 26 parishes a free account and if we reach 15, we plan to provide in person training. Currently we are sitting at about 10 parishes! This is a gift, not a requirement, so if you are interested please let me know!
Prayer Intentions:
Pope Francis October Prayer Intention is for a shared mission. We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestle, as a sign of coresponsibility, promoting the participation, the ocmmunion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.
Bishops October Prayer Intention is for a greater conversion of herats to God who loves us so much; that in living the stewardship way of life, we may avoide any sense of entitlemeent in our relationships with God and one another.
Our office Prayer Intentions: for peace and unity in a very divided world and for clarity and direction as we lay the plans for summer 2025. For those suffering in big and small ways while they serve the church, many of our DREs, Youth Ministers and Catechists included.
Protect Young Eyes was a SUCCESS and making plans for future
Our Workshops for teachers, DREs and Youth Ministers and our parent presentation all proved to be successful again! Protect Young Eyes does a phenomenal job and we want to keep this partnership going. This visit pointed out some opportunities we needed to explore. We are working on the following:
- A page on our website that is dedicated to equipping the domestic church. We want this page to be a resource page we can send families that are looking for resources. This page will start with tech resources and should be up before November. If there is a topic you would love to see on the domestic church page please let us know.
- A desire to test out hybrid presentation opportunties. This has been discussed a few times to help us cover more ground and Chris with Protect Young Eyes has agreed to work with us on this. We plan to do a Zoom parent presentation but ask small groups to gather at different parishes to participate. The parish would host the group. Our Faith formation team plans to travel to different locations and facilitate the discussions (but if we have more than 4 parishes interested we may recruit others.) If your parish is interested in this opportunity please let us know.
CONFIRMATION
Confirmation Retreat
We are offering at least 3 Confirmation Retreats. Also we have a few parishes that are opening up their retreats to others that may be needing to make up a retreat or a small parish group needs to add on. We will add these opportunities to the website as they come in.
Please Checkout Confirmation Retreat Options HERE https://diojeffcity.org/event/2024-2025-confirmation-retreat/
Fall 2024 Calendar
November 1
Totus Tuus Registration Opens & Summer Applications Available
November 3
Diocesan Youth Rally
November 9
Confirmation Retreat (Monroe City)
November 19
Fall DREYM Workshop
November 23
Confirmation Retreat (Wardsville)
2025 Calendar
January 31
Camp Dates and Registration Published
February 25
Spring DREYM Workshop
March 1
Confirmation Retreat (Tipton)
April 28-May 2
End-of-year Deanery Gatherings
NCYC 2025 Registration
deadlines and cost will be posted later this fall!
Registration will open before the end of 2024.
Opportunities for Youth
Youth Rally 2024
The Youth Rally is geared toward 7th-12th grade this year but all ages, youth groups and families, are welcome! It should be a great day with inspiring (and funny) talks from Fr. Leo plus great music from the Vigil Project! I highly suggest following the Vigil Project on spotify.
NEW there will be a breakout session for youth led by Fr. Joseph and for adults led by Fr. Leo.
Cost for Youth is $10, no cost for adults. Youth should not be dropped off for the day, but instead come with a parish group or family.
Ongoing Formation
DRE & YM Workshops
Fall Workshop is Tuesday, November 19 at the Chancery in Jefferson City from 9:30am to 2:30pm. breakfast snacks will be set out by 9am. If we are able to provide mass during the workshop, we will send an email out to those that register.
TOPICS will include:
- Steps for Discipleship are always the same: comparing the new OCIA and new Guidelines for Pastoral Ministries with Youth and Young Adults
- Overview of Canon Law pertaining to Sacramental Prep: will include common scenarios
- Pastoral Perspectives on LGBTQ Topics
- Check in on the year thus far with opportunity to reflect, share and discuss
- Introduction to Year of Jubilee with the theme "Pilgrims of Hope"
Mark your calendars...Spring Workshop is Tuesday, February 25 at the Chancery in Jefferson City.
DREYM Team Chat
(NEW TIME FOR FALL 2024)
- Mark your Calendars for Upcoming Dates: 2nd Tuesday each month at 12noon
- Tuesday, October 8 at 12noon (Topic: Celebrating All Saints & All Souls)
- Tuesday, November 12 at 12noon (Topic: Advent & Christmas)
- Tuesday, December 10 at 12noon
- Tuesday, January 14 at 12noon
- Tuesday, February 11 at 12noon
- Tuesday, March 11 at 12noon
- Tuesday, April 8 at 12noon
- Tuesday, May 13 at 12noon
These DREYM Team Chats are a way for us to check in with one another on a regular basis. Time will include diocesan opportunties and updates, special topic presentation (new this semester), followed by time to share successes and challenges in parish ministry. This is a great place to bring questions, concerns and get updates.
Make sure to click the link above to add these meetings to your calendar! No calendar invite will be sent out this year.