Celebrating our Faith with Adolescents

From age to age you gather a people to yourself, so that from east to west a perfect offering may be made in your name. From one generation to the next it is always Christ who gathers us and is present when the church prays and sings. Each age has a responsibility to pass on the tradition of gathering to break the bread and recall the Lord's presence.

 

This passage found in From Age to Age: The Challenge of Worship with Adolescents (NFCYM, 1997, p. 2.) well reflects the responsibility youth ministry leaders have as they form young people and prepare them for worship within the faith community. The U.S. bishops explain that the ministry of prayer and worship with adolescents "celebrates and deepens young people's relationship with Jesus Christ through the bestowal of grace, communal prayer and liturgical experiences; it awakens their awareness of the spirit at work in their lives; it incorporates young people more fully into the sacramental life of the Church, especially eucharist; it nurtures the personal prayer life of young people; and it fosters family rituals and prayer. (Renewing the Vision, p. 44)

The following information, prayer and educational resources, and links are provided to assist youth ministry leaders learn more prayer and worship and to assist them in leading communal prayer and liturgical experiences with adolescents in parish and school settings.

 

Resources for Prayer and Worship