Diocese of Cleveland - Office of Youth Ministry

LOVE THOSE WHO LOVE OUR TEENS!

Catholic youth ministry empowers young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in the world today, draws young people to responsibly participate in the life, mission and work of the Church, and fosters the total personal and spiritual growth of each person.

The Office of Youth Ministry is committed to drawing young people, grades 6-12, into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and the mission of our Catholic faith. We accomplish this primarily by providing formation for those who minister to the teens of our diocese, equipping them to accompany our young people and create missionary disciples.

“Each young person's heart should thus be considered 'holy ground,' a bearer of the seeds of divine life, before which we much 'take off our shoes' in order to draw near and enter more deeply into the Mystery.”Pope Francis, Christus Vivit, 67

The average salary for a Youth Minister/Pastor in Cleveland is $35,618 according to ZipRecruiter. Many youth ministers in our diocese rely on second jobs or spouse's income in order to make ends meet. The most common reason that youth ministers leave active ministry is for financial reasons. 

The Office of Youth Ministry hopes to provide training and enrichment to our youth ministers at little to no cost. We believe in formation of the whole person and accomplish the four pillars of formation through our events, Spiritual (Desert Day Retreat and One on One Prayer), Human (Date Night with Spouses and One on One Meetings), Intellectual (Blessed Carlo Institute and Current Events Book Clubs), Pastoral (YM Bootcamp, Fostering a Heart for Teens, and Pastor and Youth Minister Gathering).

Every dollar raised through #WeGiveCatholic will be used to provide formation events to youth ministers for free or significantly reduced cost. The Office of Youth Ministry already subsidizes many of our offerings, but would like to do so even more. As we can keep formation opportunities free or at reduced rates, youth ministers will have more support and greater retention. In ministering to our youth ministers, we minister to the teens they serve.

Will you help our youth ministers by donating today?

• Fostering a Heart for Young People (one day training for youth ministers and volunteers) 
  • $25- Cost Charged
  • $26- Actual Cost
• Pastor and Youth Minister Gathering (annual meeting with presentations and guided discussions for pastors and youth ministers)
  • $0- Cost Charged 
  • $38- Actual Cost
• Desert Day Retreat (day long self-guided retreat opportunity with opening talk, confession, spiritual direction, and silence)
  • $60- Cost Charged
  • $83-Actual Cost
• Blessed Carlo Institute (4-day institute with classes by seminary professors and workshops by ministry leaders)
  • $400- Cost Charged
  • $991- Actual Cost
• First Things First Cohort for new youth ministers
  • $0- Cost Charged
  • $150 Actual Cost