Resources

Things are shutting down, but there are still opportunities for our hearts and homes to open us to Jesus. Please take a minute to read the latest updates from Youth Ministry here at St. William Catholic Church. Our hope is that it will empower you to continue to dynamically meet the spiritual needs of your youth during this time. Know that we are here to serve you, and while it may look very different on how that is done, we are still here for you. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

All on-site ministry gatherings are canceled until further notice.

• This includes SWYM, Triumph, Spanish Middle School, J-Squad, Going Deeper Events, Confirmation Super Sundays and all on-site faith formation activities.

• Sacraments, like Confirmation, will be postponed if they are not able to happen on their scheduled date and time. To be clear, our parishioners will still be able to receive sacraments like First Holy Communion and Confirmation, it just maybe at a later date. We will be posting updates on these details as more information is available. See the list of links below.

• Ministry is not canceled. God still desires to draw you and our youth ever closer to his heart. It will look different for a time and we have some resources to help you share the faith dynamically with the youth in your family. Even Mass will be streamed so that your family can still participate in this way.

• The attendance requirement and attendance points for those receiving sacraments will be reduced to reflect the shorter semester. If the at-home materials are utilized, a half attendance point will be added for each session completed. However, no attendance points will be lost if your family chooses a different path for your at-home experience during this time.

The family is referred to as the domestic church. The family is the primary experience of God’s love and this must be embraced now more than ever. Below are some resources for at-home faith formation. Note that these resources are appropriate for use with anyone in your family in 6 ^th – 12 ^th grade. This will give you an opportunity to form your youth together.

• Log in to Formed.org. if you don’t already have an account, follow the guide here.

• Once logged in, click the drop-down menu “Programs” -> “Youth Programs” then click "YDisciple".

• There are a number of studies in YDisciple and you are free to find one that interests you, however, I am recommending that we as a parish dive into “The Invitation: 4-part series on Discipleship”.

• Click on the drop-down link to find “The Invitation: 4-Part Series on Discipleship” – It is an introduction to a “Discipleship Group”, but for the purpose of the study, I want you to lead with the mentality of a “Discipleship Family”, so when it asks ‘What do you want to get out of this group?’, replace it with ‘What do you want to get out of this family?’.

• Each session is made to be about an hour-long session. This includes an introduction, activity, video, prayer, and discussion.

• First, click to download the PDF Leader Guide (if you have both a High School student and a Middle School student joining, then use the High School guide).
• Read through the guide for the session you are leading (each session is about 8 pages).

• Gather the supplies and your youth/family and then begin the study. Note that the study will need to be adapted to the size of your family. Replace the word ‘group’ with ‘family’ throughout the study.

• Note that the video will have a pause screen for each clip. This will allow you to discuss the content with your youth before returning to the video.

• Bonus Tips: The Teen study guide is a great overview of the session and is just one click. There is also a parent overview in Spanish for families that share multiple languages. Silence is o.k. The goal is not to get through the material quickly or get all the right answers, but to simply journey with your children in the faith. It might feel a little weird, but that is how conversations get going with young people.

Decision Point is a free video-based program that covers a variety of topics. It was originally created as Confirmation Prep, but the content showcases many aspects of the faith. You can access the topics and session guides at the following Link.

There is also an app you can download for Android or IOS.

• Find a session from the program view that interests your teen(s) and then use the leader guide and videos to process through the material.

• For those who complete sessions with their youth, please email me and let me know how it went and which sessions you completed. If they are in High School, I’ll add ½ an attendance point to your teenager's attendance total for each session completed.

We’re here to help. If you have any questions, please let me know.