Participation in youth ministry is on the rise at St. James Church in Elizabethtown, Ky.
This year, about 80 high school students from the parish are participating in small groups divided by age and gender. They complete various book studies, learn how to pray using lectio divina, participate in service projects and have volunteer mentors.
It’s an imitation of Jesus’ model for ministry, said Olivia Dvorjak, associate director of faith formation at St. James Church, during a recent interview. The small groups help students share their experiences and participate in intentional conversations with a mentor, she said.
“We live in a post-Christian world right now,” said Dvorjak, explaining that Christian principles are no longer the foundation of society, as in previous centuries. Thus, she aims to help teens “see that their life is better with Christ at the center of it,” she said.
But how the parish ministers to teens matters, Dvorjak noted. Dvorjak built the small-group model on her previous experience in youth ministry.
She began her career at St. James School as a teacher in 2014 and stepped into part-time youth ministry in 2015, while continuing to teach full-time. In 2021, she transitioned into full-time faith formation after a particularly fruitful prayer, she said. In that prayer, she heard the words, “Cast my net further,” she said.
She felt called, she explained, to leave the school setting for parish ministry as a way to widen her reach, extending it to children in the parish who don’t attend Catholic school.
Most high school students in the Elizabethtown and the Hardin County area attend public schools, so their source of religious education comes from the parish, noted Dvorjak.
“Nobody wants to be invited to be a warm body.”
— Olivia Dvorjak, St. James Church in Elizabethtown, Ky.
Shortly after she transitioned into full-time ministry, Dvorjak began questioning why so many of the youth she had ministered to as a part-time youth minister, were no longer practicing Catholics.
That question led her to two books that helped her develop her new approach: “Forming Intentional Disciples” by Sherry Weddell and “The Art of Forming Young Disciples” by Everett Fritz.
So, she set out to create a small-group model of youth ministry at her parish with a focus on discipleship.
Dvorjak begins each year by meeting with the parents of the teens to learn about each family’s needs, including practical things like the best time and location for their teen’s small group to meet.
Working with families’ availability enables more teens to get involved, especially those with busy sports schedules, noted Dvorjak. Teens should not have to choose between sports and faith, Dvorjak added. She wants the teens to know that there can be a “both/and with sports,” meaning that students can be successful athletes and faithful Catholics.
With the families’ information, Dvorjak creates small groups, each led by two adult mentors, whom she oversees and equips with resources.
Dvorjak said that expanding her ministry to include mentors was challenging. At first, she said, her pride “didn’t trust other people to do it,” and she had difficulty accepting that she would not be able to accompany each student herself.
Ultimately, adding more mentors helped humble her, she said, teaching her that “it is not about me.” She reflected that the disciples of Jesus didn’t minister to hundreds on their own, and “I’ve seen my ministry change since I accepted that.”
That shift in thinking also yielded more willing volunteers, she said.
“Nobody wants to be invited to be a warm body,” Dvorjak noted.
With that shift in thinking, she said, it hasn’t been hard to find intellectually and pastorally adept mentors to lead the groups. When people are invited into a mission and shown a vision, she said, they become invested.
Dvorjak has also transitioned the parish’s two-year confirmation preparation to reflect the small-group model.
These gatherings for the students don’t end after confirmation, said Dvorjak. “Newly confirmed” meetings are built into the process of preparation. She hopes this helps them understand that confirmation is a continuation of Catholic faith formation, not the end of the process, she added.
Congratulations to you, for thinking outside the box. Your story aligns with mine, altho’ I am probably 3times your age. Since you are familiar with Sherry Wedell, you might want to look into her Called and Gifted program. It would benefit the mentoring aspect of your ministry.