At a recent gathering of the board and staff for the Center for Ministry Development, leaders were sharing stories of their first contacts with CMD. My story begins in 1986 when I began work as a Consultant for Youth Ministry in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Sister Edith Prendergast, who was the Director of Youth Ministry at the time, had arrange...

November 1: Honoring the Saints A Cloud of Witnesses: The Church is a Communion of Saints by Jennifer Haman (High School) All Saints Day: A Feast Day for All by Catherine Brunell (Middle School Fifth Night) Communion of Saints: Among Holy People, Of Holy Things by Therese Brown (High School) Do You Have to be Dead to be a Saint? Called to be Holy b...

The V Encuentro was an awesome and humbling experience. I had the opportunity to participate in the local and national events over the last two years. The national gathering took place over September 20-23, 2018 and was comprised of 3,000 ministry leaders from across the country. This most recent national event is the culmination of a two-year proc...

"Maybe next time!" "Sorry your grades just weren't good enough!" "Sorry you're having family problems." "Too bad you didn't make the team." There are many everyday conversations and situations in the life of a teenager that can cause pain and struggle.  As youth ministers, we accompany young people in their joys and sorrows.  &n...

Dear friends, I was in a conversation yesterday with a ministry leader who said that this moment is like waiting in the tomb. It's September, but it feels like Good Friday. The continuing reports of sexual abuse with children, youth, and adults, and the cover-up of abuse are alarming and disturbing. This crisis impacts our ministries with youth and...

"When we meet Christ and accept His Gospel, life changes and we are driven to communicate our experiences to others. …the Church needs genuine witnesses: men and women whose lives have been transformed by meeting with Jesus, men and women who are capable of communicating this experience to others." Saint John Paul II, World Youth Day (Toronto, 2002...

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As you are nearing the end for this year's Confirmation preparation, many of you may already be looking forward to next year! You may be wondering how to energize and enhance your current process for preparing youth for Confirmation. You may also just be wondering where you can find easy-to-use and reliable materials to help prepare young disciples.

Look no further! Youth Ministry Access is just what you need!

I have frequent discussions with parish and diocesan leaders about how to use Youth Ministry Access (YMA) to provide adolescent catechesis. Clearly, there’s a need for affordable and solid Catholic resources in sharing faith with youth.  There is also a need for allowing for the creativity and flexibility of the ministry leader. YMA is a great option for many of these communities because it provides flexible and engaging resources that can be used in a number of settings.

Editor's Note: Rosy Hartz is a Catholic youth ministry leader in the Diocese of Las Vegas.  In this post, she shares personal reflections and feelings about the tragedy that occurred on October 1, 2017 . ​I was sleeping and it was the good kind of sleep.The kind that makes five minutes of sleep feels like eight hours. It was just that though. ...