Monday, July 4, 2011

Director of Youth Ministry

St. Benedict’s Parish
1317 Eggert Road
Amherst, NY 14226
716.834.1041

email - rectory@saintbenedicts.com
Address to Ms. Denise Karpinski

website - http://www.saintbenedicts.com/

RESUMES ARE ACCEPTED THROUGH 22 JULY.
EMAILS WITH RESUME ATTACHMENTS ARE ENCOURAGED

TITLE - Director of Youth Ministry & Religious Education
FULL TIME POSITION – 40 hours     $25 to 30+ K
[depending on experience and/or education, the title may be “Coordinator” instead of “Director.”]
The services of a secretary are included in this position.
We have approximately 1500 registered families.


1. General Description
The Director of Youth Ministry & Religious Education (“DYM”) coordinates all parish efforts in ministry to young people. This includes catechesis, activities, and all preparation for the sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation. The DYM must be self-motivated and open to creative approaches to catechesis and youth ministry.. We desire an integrated, comprehensive youth ministry, modeled on the1997 USCCB document, Renewing The Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry.


2. Accountability
The DYM reports directly to the pastor or his delegate.


3. Responsibilities
The DYM general responsibilities include:
• Attend and participate in staff meetings
• Communicate often to parish staff, and seek their input, when planning youth ministry.
• Be a resource person to parish staff and parish council on issues related to catechesis and youth ministry
• Remain personally in compliance with the diocesan “Protecting God’s Children” requirements and continually monitor compliance of ALL volunteers in our youth program.
• Continual education in Catholic theology, catechesis, and early childhood/adolescent development.
• Most importantly, spiritual growth through constant prayer and participation in the sacramental life of the Church.


The DYM’s program responsibilities include:
• Initiating and Facilitating a Parish Youth Leadership Team(s), responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive youth ministry program. Receptivity and creativity in ministry is encouraged.
• Staffing, training, evaluating and directing catechists. Evaluating and expanding present catechesis.
• Recruiting, training, supporting, and evaluating all volunteers in the entire youth ministry program.
• Utilizing standard and emerging forms of communication with youth – social media platforms, email, parish website, etc. The Recommended Technology Guidelines for Pastoral Work with Young People from the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, 2010 is to be adhered to. Also, fostering creative apostolates that utilize modern forms of communication
• Coordinating the Confirmation program and exhorting our young parishioners to participate in the sacramental life of the Church, especially through Sunday Mass involvement.
• Being routinely present at our weekend and holyday liturgies.
• Fostering the involvement of young people in the life of the parish. We expect that there will be at least one active adolescent participant on the Parish Council and one on all parish committees.
• Coordinating the outreach to and evangelization of all young people in the parish.
• Faith in Action components - Service projects and mission trips are to be given high priority. We expect that some of our youth will participate in the annual Diocesan Youth Convention, Young Christians at Work, and papal World Youth days.
• Providing appropriate catechesis for, and frequent communication to, parents.
• Serving as the liaison with the diocesan offices of religious education and youth ministry.

4. Relationships – we pledge our assistance along the way.
• Pastor, other parish clergy (priests and deacons), the principal of the school, school religion teachers, catechists, volunteers.
• Parish Council–attend meetings regularly and provide a youth ministry report
• Parish Committees–communicate and collaborate with appropriate committees, i.e., liturgy, social justice, evangelization, technology, etc.
• Parents and Parishioners–regular two-way communication and frequent updates in parish media.

Program Goals and Objectives
Goals - Youth ministry is based on the USCCB document, Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry. The goals of youth ministry are to:

• Call young people to be disciples of Jesus Christ

• Draw young people into the life, work, and mission of the faith community

• Foster the total personal and spiritual growth of young people



Objectives - Specifically, youth ministry has the following objectives:

• To enable young people to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ

• To connect young people with the life of the parish community and to make them more visible in parish life

• To enable young people to know and understand the teachings, traditions and practices of the Catholic Church, deepening their Catholic identity

• To connect young people with caring, believing adult role models

• To provide young people with service opportunities

• To provide a safe environment and a place where young people share and grow together in faith, learning more about being Catholic

• To develop an outreach to uninvolved and unchurched youth

• To involve young people in prayer and worship

• To enable our young people to become happy, healthy and holy adults.