Our Mission and Vision

Our Mission

"To assist the Parish Directors of Youth Ministry (DYM's) in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington to fully incorporate young people into the life of their parish."

To accomplish this, we provide all of the following activities while remaining 100% in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church, and following the framework for Catholic Youth Ministry as set forth by the USCCB in their 1997 document, Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry.

Vision for Parish Youth Ministry

"As Jesus with the disciples of Emmaus, so the Church must become the traveling companion of young people."
-Saint John Paul II

One of the goals of the Office of Youth, Campus, and Young Adult Ministries is to encourage all of the youth workers of the Diocese to work together from the same understanding, or vision of youth ministry. Below are the key points that we would like all to be working towards:

• Each parish will hire a full-time, paid Director of Youth Ministry (DYM).
• The DYM will oversee the formation of all high school aged young people within their parish. In addition, they will work with the Director of Religious Education to provide activities and to build relationships with the young people during 7th and 8th grades.
• The DYM will work to catechize the young people of the Church using the Secondary Religion Guidelines of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington as the curriculum. The young people should also be provided with experiences of all major Catholic devotions and prayers and given a firm understanding of the traditions of the Catholic Church.
• The DYM will work to fully incorporate young people into the life of the parish using the framework that the USCCB has outlined in Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry. The focus should not be on a “youth group,” rather upon inclusion of young people into all groups and ministries within the parish.
• The DYM will work to offer whatever programs are necessary so that all young people from all cultures feel welcomed and valued by the Church.
• The DYM will emphasize parental involvement and offer family-based programs. Parents should be empowered and educated in their role as the primary catechist of their children.
• The DYM will work to educate their parish about each person’s role in ministering and welcoming young people. They will enforce all Diocesan and parish regulations regarding the safety of young people.
• The DYM will work to become certified in Youth Ministry within the first three years of ministry, and will continue to attend training and formation throughout their entire career.
• The DYM will practice a deep prayer life, rooted in a regular participation in the sacraments. They will attend an annual spiritual retreat. A visible relationship with Christ will encourage the young people to seek the same.
• The DYM will encourage participation at Diocesan, national, and international events to expose young people to the larger, universal Catholic Church.