Our Parish Youth Activities
"Adults ought to engage in such friendly discussion with young people that both age groups, overcoming the age barrier, may become better acquainted and share the special benefits each generation can offer the other. Adults should stimulate young persons first by good example to take part in the apostolate and, if the opportunity presents itself, by offering them effective advice and willing assistance. By the same token young people should cultivate toward adults respect and trust, and although they are naturally attracted to novelties, they should duly appreciate praiseworthy traditions."
(Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity Apostolicam Actuositatem 12)
(Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity Apostolicam Actuositatem 12)
We are conscious, as Pope Francis has stated several times, that young people are not just the future of the Church but are its present. As such, it is important that they are recognised as such and are offered more opportunities to participate in the life of their Church in ways that speak to their age and cultural experience.
At the heart of our youth ministry program is a desire to offer and invite young people into a more personal and shared encounter with Jesus. Through the Sacraments, prayer, devotion, sharing of life, community, personal growth, fun, the Word of God, opportunities for service, the lived - long held and deep faith of this Faithful Community, peer encouragement and accompaniment, this offering is made.
in 2015, we took the decision to invest more heavily in youth ministry and to employ a youth minister (25 hours per week) and a youth music minister (5 hours per week) and to begin to take advantage of the resources and methodology of Life Teen in an effort to broaden and intensify our offering to our young people.
As a result,a stategy has emerged seeking to support the devotion of our young people at P3 and P4 stages as they begin to confront the reality of the sacrament of Penance and First Holy Communion and then again building up better relations with our young people in P6 and P7 as they prepare for Confirmation so that they might have the possibility of taking part in our Life Teen resourced Edge Program when they arrive at S1 - S4. The hope is that in time these young people will graduate to Life Teen proper in S5 and beyond.
We have an ongoing outreach to young adults (16-35) offering faith, devotion and scripture sharing opportunities, retreats and pilgrimages, social and fun events.
Our youth groups are able to meet at St Margaret's hall, St Margaret's presbytery and at OHR House.
Our parishes Catholic schools, Our Holy Redeemer Primary school (P1-P7) and St Peter the Apostle High School (S1-S6), allow us the opportunity to engage with our young parishioners on a daily basis and to support our Catholic teachers with prayer and devotion, liturgy and
We also have a regular Sunday Mass Children's Liturgy programme to help our young parishioners make the most of Our Lord's teachings in the Gospels read at Sunday Mass.
At the heart of our youth ministry program is a desire to offer and invite young people into a more personal and shared encounter with Jesus. Through the Sacraments, prayer, devotion, sharing of life, community, personal growth, fun, the Word of God, opportunities for service, the lived - long held and deep faith of this Faithful Community, peer encouragement and accompaniment, this offering is made.
in 2015, we took the decision to invest more heavily in youth ministry and to employ a youth minister (25 hours per week) and a youth music minister (5 hours per week) and to begin to take advantage of the resources and methodology of Life Teen in an effort to broaden and intensify our offering to our young people.
As a result,a stategy has emerged seeking to support the devotion of our young people at P3 and P4 stages as they begin to confront the reality of the sacrament of Penance and First Holy Communion and then again building up better relations with our young people in P6 and P7 as they prepare for Confirmation so that they might have the possibility of taking part in our Life Teen resourced Edge Program when they arrive at S1 - S4. The hope is that in time these young people will graduate to Life Teen proper in S5 and beyond.
We have an ongoing outreach to young adults (16-35) offering faith, devotion and scripture sharing opportunities, retreats and pilgrimages, social and fun events.
Our youth groups are able to meet at St Margaret's hall, St Margaret's presbytery and at OHR House.
Our parishes Catholic schools, Our Holy Redeemer Primary school (P1-P7) and St Peter the Apostle High School (S1-S6), allow us the opportunity to engage with our young parishioners on a daily basis and to support our Catholic teachers with prayer and devotion, liturgy and
We also have a regular Sunday Mass Children's Liturgy programme to help our young parishioners make the most of Our Lord's teachings in the Gospels read at Sunday Mass.
16-35 groups
At present this age group are not meeting on a regular basis (though that could change quickly should they decide they want to do so) but rather plan and undertake social events and formational activities, remaining in contact through the use of social media and by attending social and devotional events generally or organised by themselves in the parishes. A group of 8 are going to spend a week with the Taize community in France, in July 2019.
World Youth day, a festival of Catholic Youth that takes place somewhere in the world every three years, has been and is a useful tool for gathering and galvanising our young Catholic adults, and much formation and activity are designed in the 18 months before and after this event, whether the young people are able to go to it or not, allowing a deep and purposeful engagement with their Church and socially with each other, as well as a chance to examine their personal faith and devotion as young adults living in a highly secularised culture.
World Youth day, a festival of Catholic Youth that takes place somewhere in the world every three years, has been and is a useful tool for gathering and galvanising our young Catholic adults, and much formation and activity are designed in the 18 months before and after this event, whether the young people are able to go to it or not, allowing a deep and purposeful engagement with their Church and socially with each other, as well as a chance to examine their personal faith and devotion as young adults living in a highly secularised culture.
Edge (S1-S4)
Edge allows our young people to spend time together, enjoy themselves in a safe environment, to experience and know their faith in a formative and creative way while building up relations with each other, seeing their place in the parish as essential.
This has required considerable commitment from parishioners broadly as we have established a core team to deliver the program and a support team to help with its preparation and smooth running.
A group of 15 are going, once again, to Life Teen summer camp in the Netherlands in August 2019.
This has required considerable commitment from parishioners broadly as we have established a core team to deliver the program and a support team to help with its preparation and smooth running.
A group of 15 are going, once again, to Life Teen summer camp in the Netherlands in August 2019.
Younger Youth Groups (P6-P7)
Our youth ministry to younger youth takes the form of building friendly and supportive relations with them through the school and through parish activities specifically aimed at them. A more intense engagement begins in P6 and 7 as we begin to offer the pre confirmation program and the idea of our youth program for them.
Children's Liturgy (P1-P7)
At the beginning of 12 noon Mass in St Margaret's each Sunday during the school term the priest will ask a particular young person to come forwards and receive a book with bible readings specially adapted for children. He will then invite all the other young people to follow the book out of the church and into the hall where our volunteers and helpers will read the Gospel to the children and explain by words and activities what Jesus was saying. At the end of Mass the young people can come forwards again and play instruments to support the music group.
Pre-Sacramental Catechesis
Our primary schools do us a great service in preparing our young people to receive the Sacraments. Currently children make their First Confession in March/April P3, their Confirmation in January P7 and their First Holy Communion in May P4.
We are continuing to develop our small programme of parish-based catechises to supplement what is provided by the school. If this applies to your child you will be informed via the school and your child will be expected to attend if they are to be allowed to make their Sacraments.
We are continuing to develop our small programme of parish-based catechises to supplement what is provided by the school. If this applies to your child you will be informed via the school and your child will be expected to attend if they are to be allowed to make their Sacraments.
Safeguarding
All our volunteers are subject to Disclosure Scotland (PVG) screening and are required to undertake regular on-going formation in safeguarding issues. More details of our policies can be found at:
https://www.bcos.org.uk/Portals/0/In%20Gods%20Image%20WEB.pdf
https://www.bcos.org.uk/Portals/0/In%20Gods%20Image%20WEB.pdf