APPEAL FOR STRENGTHENING CATHOLIC YOUTH MINISTRY
To the US Catholic Bishops' AD HOC COMMITTEE TO OVERSEE THE USE OF THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH:
Over 80% of Catholic youth do not attend Catholic schools. They are catechized mostly by parish youth ministry.
Textbooks for such a fluid, voluntary group are costly, difficult to use, easily misplaced, and unlikely to be read. Yet this is the only catechetical format you accept for evaluation.
As parents, youth ministers and other concerned Catholics, we petition the Ad Hoc Committee to STRENGTHEN YOUTH MINISTRY:
1. Establish realistic catechetical goals that incorporate both the Catechism and the Bible
2. Offer guidelines of content and approaches
3. Evaluate Catechetical materials:
(a) In the form of teacher manuals, student handouts, internet downloads
(b) Designed specifically for youth ministry
(c) That will attract and develop the Catholic faith in young Catholics not attending Catholic schools.
I have been staring at my inbox trying to figure out how to parse all these notes from youth ministers because the stories of people struggling to find resources that actually work for their kids are just piling up. It is becoming so clear that the current approach is missing the mark for almost everyone I talk to and honestly I think the bishops really need to see these specific struggles if they ever expect things to change.
January 10, 2009
I honestly did not think this would gain this much steam but here we are and it is wild to see so many people who get why the current setup just is not working for our kids. It feels like we are finally starting to be taken seriously by the people who actually need to hear this, which is just such a massive relief when you spend all day worrying about how we are teaching the faith.
Reached 100 supporters
January 10, 2009
6 Comments
M
Mike Huang
17 years ago
Featured
The current textbooks are just too expensive and the kids never open them anyway. We need something that actually works for a parish youth group setting.
S
Sarah Cole
17 years ago
Featured
PLEASE listen to us. My kids are struggling to connect with the faith and the current materials are just not engaging them at all.
J
Jennifer Holmes
17 years ago
Featured
Digital downloads would be a game changer for our parish. We dont have the budget for full sets of books that just end up getting lost.
D
David Fox
17 years ago
Featured
About time. Youth ministry is completely different from a classroom setting and the bishops need to realize that.
M
Maria Adeyemi
17 years ago
Featured
Keep the faith alive for the kids who aren't in private school. They deserve better resources!
T
Tom Henderson
17 years ago
Featured
Need real guidance here. Being a youth minister is hard enough without having to fight with materials that dont even fit the program.
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APPEAL FOR STRENGTHENING CATHOLIC YOUTH MINISTRY
To the US Catholic Bishops' AD HOC COMMITTEE TO OVERSEE THE USE OF THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH:
Over 80% of Catholic youth do not attend Catholic schools. They are catechized mostly by parish youth ministry.
Textbooks for such a fluid, voluntary group are costly, difficult to use, easily misplaced, and unlikely to be read. Yet this is the only catechetical format you accept for evaluation.
As parents, youth ministers and other concerned Catholics, we petition the Ad Hoc Committee to STRENGTHEN YOUTH MINISTRY:
1. Establish realistic catechetical goals that incorporate both the Catechism and the Bible
2. Offer guidelines of content and approaches
3. Evaluate Catechetical materials:
(a) In the form of teacher manuals, student handouts, internet downloads
(b) Designed specifically for youth ministry
(c) That will attract and develop the Catholic faith in young Catholics not attending Catholic schools.
I have been staring at my inbox trying to figure out how to parse all these notes from youth ministers because the stories of people struggling to find resources that actually work for their kids are just piling up. It is becoming so clear that the current approach is missing the mark for almost everyone I talk to and honestly I think the bishops really need to see these specific struggles if they ever expect things to change.
January 10, 2009
I honestly did not think this would gain this much steam but here we are and it is wild to see so many people who get why the current setup just is not working for our kids. It feels like we are finally starting to be taken seriously by the people who actually need to hear this, which is just such a massive relief when you spend all day worrying about how we are teaching the faith.
Reached 100 supporters
January 10, 2009
6 Comments
M
Mike Huang
17 years ago
Featured
The current textbooks are just too expensive and the kids never open them anyway. We need something that actually works for a parish youth group setting.
S
Sarah Cole
17 years ago
Featured
PLEASE listen to us. My kids are struggling to connect with the faith and the current materials are just not engaging them at all.
J
Jennifer Holmes
17 years ago
Featured
Digital downloads would be a game changer for our parish. We dont have the budget for full sets of books that just end up getting lost.
D
David Fox
17 years ago
Featured
About time. Youth ministry is completely different from a classroom setting and the bishops need to realize that.
M
Maria Adeyemi
17 years ago
Featured
Keep the faith alive for the kids who aren't in private school. They deserve better resources!
T
Tom Henderson
17 years ago
Featured
Need real guidance here. Being a youth minister is hard enough without having to fight with materials that dont even fit the program.
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach
250 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
or sign with Email
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
The current textbooks are just too expensive and the kids never open them anyway. We need something that actually works for a parish youth group setting.