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March 11, 2022BY MARIA LEDOUX
CFP INTERN
Timothy Messenger, 33, spent his youth and young adult life immersed in Catholic ministry.
“In high school, I had a really positive experience with the youth ministries in my parish and different retreats and youth programs that I think helped shape, not just my job choice, but really shaped my vocational calling and wanting to be a practicing Catholic,” he said.
These experiences were so profound that Mr. Messenger said he found the calling to devote his life and career to Catholic youth programs. Since 2017, he has been the director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese of Worcester. (He gained more than a decade of experience in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). This diocesan department provides resources for students in middle school through high school and young adults ages 18-39. The office fosters development opportunities and events that help to give individuals a chance to share in the ministry of Christ and be witnesses to his love, according to Mr. Messenger.
The programs allow boys and girls, and young men and women, to connect in community with one another, ask questions about their faith, talk in a natural way while revealing a piece of God’s plan for their lives and evoking the Holy Spirit to guide them in their journey with friends, he explained.
The Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry is funded by Partners in Charity. According to the diocesan Office of Fiscal Affairs, the ministry received $98,907 last year. The Partners appeal is underway with a goal of $5 million. Through the support of the 96 diocesan parishes and three missions, the appeal promotes charity, education, and ministry. The theme of this year’s appeal is “Be the Face of Christ.”
As Bishop McManus said recently, “People are struggling in so many ways beyond dealing with the ongoing COVID pandemic, experiencing a hunger of the body, a hunger of the mind and a hunger of the soul.” The youth ministry office seeks to “meet people where they are at” and show them how to live a life as a disciple of Christ.
Mr. Messenger said that “the word to sum up best the mission in our office is discipleship… And so, what I mean by that is approaching ministry through a multi-layered lens and looking at it the way you know Christ would have ministered when he was on the earth.”
The office has a strong focus on discipleship and works to guide individuals on their social and spiritual journey.
In discussing the Youth Retreat scheduled in May, Mr. Messenger said, “It’s really centered on the sacraments and that encounter with Christ … if you’ve accompanied a teen into that encounter with Jesus, it’s empowering them to live their life out as a disciple, which is what Christ did.”
Mr. Messenger said there are many programs that are geared toward people who have various goals. He states that the goal of the social events is to be like Christ, “to meet the teens where they’re at and just try to, in some very simple way, get their foot in the door, whether it is literally the church or figuratively, like the community of the Church.” He also notes the great success of summer programs, such as the basketball and volleyball leagues, at building community.
The youth ministry office also offers individual meetings with youth ministers, directors of religious education, and pastors to provide resources to “empower discipleship.”
From athletic leagues and rallies for youth, to Theology on Tap and Ascend for Young Adults, to retreats and volunteer opportunities, the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry is committed to evangelizing and making disciples of the people of God. The work of the office is shaping the whole person into being a “Face of Christ.”
– For more information about the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry events or to sign up for email or text message updates visit neworcester.org.
Donations to Partners in Charity can be made through parishes, by visiting Partners-charity.net or by calling 508-929-4366.
