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Youth and Young
Adult Ministry
Current Activities
Our teams
We aim to:
GATHER young Catholic adults from across the diocese in a spirit of welcome, hospitality and inclusivity
AFFIRM them as individuals as people who are graced, gifted and called by God
ALLOW them to explore issues of life and faith with one another and with members of the wider community
FACILITATE an experience of the mystery and paradox of the spiritual and transcendent that permeates life and faith in our time and place in history
CONNECT them to Catholic Tradition and Spirituality as a source of inspiration and direction, and hope and enthusiasm for life
EMPOWER them to active discipleship with connections to one-another and their local Catholic communities as agents for the Kingdom of God on Earth.
Backpacker Weekends form the backbone of our ministry to young adults in this Diocese. The Weekends are Thematic and use the framework of Acts2:42-47 to facilitate experiences that promote a Living Catholic Spirituality that is both relevant and meaningful for our times. Young adults gather to camp as pilgrims, touching base with one another and “wisdom’ people to swap stories, compare notes and glean insights, before moving on.
Backpacker Weekends are offered on a monthly basis providing continuity and a foundation for young adults to be introduced to a wide range of initiatives that promote:
- fellowship and social interaction, prayer and worship
- education and formation, generosity, service and mission.
These initiatives may be parish based activities which serve to link young adults to local parishes or they can link young adults to movements, projects or programs that are local, national or international. These include:
 Antioch
Antioch is a parish-based youth to youth ministry for 16 to 25 year olds, which begins with a weekend experience. Groups are currently running in Muswellbrook, Maitland, Forster, New Lambton and Windale. Antioch is a movement where young people are encouraged to walk together and share their faith in a non-threatening environment. It is a very alive celebration with loads of music and fun.
Luke 18
Luke 18 is based on the Scripture reference of Luke 18:16-17 – ‘let the children come to me and do not stop them.’ It is a parish-based youth to youth ministry. A youth group for young people in Years 6, 7 and 8 at school and its main focus is to promote leadership and self-reliance in an environment of Christian values.
St Vincent de Paul Youth Conferences
The St Vincent de Paul society offers a form of personal assistance in its Conferences that provide active, spiritual and social fulfilment for both those they assist and the members themselves. These three factors blend together to provide a type of youth involvement that is enjoyable, necessary and fulfilling. The Society’s main aim is to provide active service.
The active aspect of the Society gives us a break from textbook learning and opens us to the world – its needs, its people and in doing so makes us fuller people. In youth conferences especially we can provide a place to meet other people our age, our beliefs and our interests.
For more information, contact Simon Goode at:
PO Box 64, Islington 2296
Phone: 02 4967 6277
Small Christian Community Living
Many young people are required to move to Newcastle in search of employment, apprenticeships, TAFE courses and university. Finding accommodation is one of the many issues that they face with their families. There is also the issue of suitable companionship. Expenses and survival can create stress for the young at this time of transition. Places are available for 2007. Click here for more details.
This project is designed as a way to provide support accommodation to this group of people. The idea would be for us as church to approach some real estate agents and act as guarantor for three of four young people to live in the same house. We would provide a mentor for this group whose role it would be to visit the household once a week to deal with living issues that the young people might be facing e.g. living arrangements, cleaning, food, study, money concerns, part-time work, relationship issues etc. There would also be time for prayer, formation and reflection. This community would then be expected to provide some community service. This could be volunteering time to the Van, mentoring some young people, outreaching to the refugees, working with Young Vinnies, being part of an Antioch group. Perhaps on a monthly basis all the members of these various communities could come together for an organised social gathering.
The aim of this project is to give young people support while providing them with a sense of community, which has its essence in giving and receiving.
The Night Care Van Team
This is an already existing outreach to the communities of Islington and Civic Park. This outreach occurs on Saturday afternoon/evening. There are several volunteers who assist with the preparation, serving and chatting to the people who utilise the services that the van provides. Newcastle City Council assists with the sponsorship of this initiative. Parish Youth Teams
Parishes across the diocese have started social interaction groups for youth and young adults. Individual needs and energies need to be assessed and focus given to these areas when starting these groups.
Young Adult Ministry Team
This proposal would see a group of people who would form a support team in the area of Young Adult Ministry. The idea would be for them to meet on a regular basis to discuss issues and suggest ideas for this ministry across the diocese. They would form a link into the Diocesan Pastoral Support Unit (DPSU), the Diocesan Pastoral Council (DPC) and the Commissions. It is envisaged that they would be advisory in nature and that they would attempt to facilitate, co-ordinate and create ways of being church for those young adults who are connected and disconnected from the church. This structure would create a collaborative, consultative body with the aim of building a sense of community for young adults who share a passion for ministry and a desire to make a difference.
The YAM Team exists to:
- Provide advice to the Bishop through the Diocesan Pastoral Support Unit and the Diocesan Pastoral Council.
- Listen to the voice of young adults and to then give expression for that voice.
- Be visionary in thought, word and action.
- Enable others to be involved in church.
- Meet on a regular basis.
- Inform the members of the DPSU of proposed ideas and activities.
- Communicate with the diocesan community.
- Form specific task groups as required, providing them with guidelines and support.
- Participate in formation and prayer.
- Be and enthusiastic example to the wider church community of what it means to belong to the Catholic Church.
- Make links with other organisations in the Hunter and Manning areas.
- Connect with other networks in the Australian Catholic Church.
- Be aware of the needs of young adults in our present context and attempt to make practical suggestions to address those needs.
It is possible to form the team as the visionary group and to form focus groups who are more task aligned
Backpackers Spirituality Team
In our society people are searching for a deeper meaning to their lives. The initial thinking for this project is to provide people with a relatively cheap way of tapping into the wisdom of people in a relaxed and spirit filled environment. The Sisters of St. Joseph, Lochinvar have expressed an interest in exploring this idea with the Diocese. The proposal is to open up the grounds of Lochinvar to those who would like to spend a quiet weekend camping, while being exposed to a range of spiritual experiences. Some of those experiences might be: Taize prayer, Liturgy of the Hours, silence, singing, the Rosary, Meditation, Massage, talks and discussion, movement/dance, Exposition, Benediction. Those people, who are invited to present the talks, could choose their own topics and be prepared for a 30 minute presentation and then be open to questions and discussion, this would provide people with a way of exploring their thoughts in a safe and friendly setting.
The weekend experience will begin on Saturday morning and finish on Sunday afternoon at 3pm. Participants are free to join in on any of the experiences offered and be very respectful of all participants. The nature of the weekend means that such things as alcohol, drugs and loud personal music would not be allowed and mobile phone use should be minimised.
Participants are expected to provide their own camping equipment and food. The kitchen and bathroom facilities will be provided by the sisters. These types of basic facilities are provided in backpacker style accommodation. A minimum cost, say $10, is anticipated in order to cover the cost of electricity, maintenance and cleaning. A cleaner will need to be employed after each weekend.
Initially the plan is to offer this weekend once a month on the third weekend of the month. Lochinvar has an appeal because of its rural setting, its beautiful facilities, and its vicinity to Maitland Railway Station. People could access it by rail and arrange a lift to Lochinvar.
It is hoped that such an experience will attract people from all age groups, but the target group is the 18+ age group.
Vitallink: Young Connections
At the beginning of 2000, the Diocesan Pastoral Council commissioned a diocesan-wide consultation to discern the needs and feelings of the entire Church community regarding youth ministry.
To read a summary of the outcomes of this consultation click here OR if you'd like a copy of the report, please email us with your request. NB Write "Email me the Vitallink Report" in the subject line. |
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Contact Us
If you'd like more information about any of the above groups please contact:
Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office
Street: Diocesan Centre 841 Hunter Street Newcastle NSW 2300
Postal: PO Box 756 Newcastle NSW 2300
Ph: (02) 4979 1150 or Fax: (02) 4979 1159 or via Email
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