We all know there are two types of youth when it comes to their Faith: those who want to be involved and those who are forced to be involved.
I was one who wanted more and when I wasn’t finding more, I found it outside of the Catholic Church (began attending non-Denominational Youth Groups on Wednesday nights).
If someone wants to start another thread to discuss whether we should focus more on those who are being forced to be involved than those who want to be involved could be a good discussion too, but for this thread, I simply want ides on how we can share what is good, true & beautiful with young people who long for community & purpose (and creative charity made fun).
Here are a few things that I have found beneficial in my own walk:
- A Week Long Christian Music Festival, where you camp out all week (Our Youth Group used to attend the Alive Festival, which became the highlight of my Summer!)
- I was a Delegate at the National Libertarian Convention last year and a group of Catholic Delegates organized a trip to Mass the Cathedral in the City where the Convention was being held. We also met up with other Christian delegates to Pray each morning before business was called to order. There is a National Catholic Youth Convention and something like this would be a great way to ignite young people’s walk with our Lord.
- A Steubenville Youth Conference is another great way to inspire young individuals.
- Go on a Retreat.
- Take a tour of your local Cathedral.
Here are some ideas that I had never experienced personally, but would also be fun:
- World Youth Day (begun by Pope John Paul II)
- Tour a Convent or Friary (maybe even make it an overnight thing, so young people can see what joining a Religious Order might be like).
- Hang out with Seminarians. Ask them about their faith-journey and their discernment process.
- Visit the home of young and old Married Couples for dinner. Ask them about how they met and how God has been a part of their Marriage. What has been a struggle and what has been a joy.
- Tour the local Catholic or Christian Music Radio Station (I know Yes FM within listening distance of me gives tours and sometimes even lets some youth be on the air!)
- Weekly Youth Bible Study. Have a meal and then open the Word of God or talk about the upcoming Liturgical Readings.
- A Canoe or White Water Rafting Trip (depending where you live).
- Start a Put-Put League where you travel to various courses in your State and attend Confession & Mass nearby.
- Food Cooking Challenge (We Pray before we eat heathens! ; )
- Catholic Answers Cruise (how cool and impactful would that be).
- Spend the afternoon visiting a Catholic Cemetery (pack a lunch).
- A Pilgrimage to the Catholic places of Japan (This would cost a lot of money, but maybe with some creative FUNdraising you could make it happen : )
- Help with a local soup kitchen.
- Make care packaged for those serving in the Military (a quality Rosary, Beef Jerky, a Catholic Bible, a book by C.S. Lewis or Fulton J. Sheen, etc.)
- Movie Night (“The Passion of Christ” or a movie on Formed or Angle Studios streaming services). You could have a Popcorn Bar.
- Funniest Family Videos (have people in the Parish submit funny home videos they have captured over the years than have a night where you create a live episode of “Funniest Home Videos” at your Parish. The youth should know how to figure out how to digitize the clips and write a script (Keep it respectful kids : )
- Pray the Rosary.
- Pray a Novena
- If you have a nearby Shrine, plan a miles-walk to the Shrine, no casual conversation until you arrive at the destination, but instead sing hymns and Pray The Rosary, Devine Mercy Chaplet, Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, etc along the journey. Offer up your journey in Prayer for someone enslaved by addiction or for soul of someone who has recently passed.