High School Youth Ministry
Youth Ministry Staff
Joyce Swietlik, Director of Religious Education - jswietlik@stme.church
Helena Dziadowicz, Associate Director of Youth Ministry - hdziadowicz@stme.church
Juliette Anderson, Administrative Assistant - janderson@stme.church
WHO CAN ATTEND?
Intended for High Schoolers attending public OR Catholic schools to have ongoing religious education, formation, and prayer opportunities!
9th & 10th Grade will meet back to back on the same Sunday nights, Confirmation (mostly 11th Grade) will meet on opposite Sunday nights, 12th Grade times will vary based on the student's schedules.
9TH GRADE
We are so lucky that Pope John Paul II wrote all about Life, Love, and the Theology of the Body! I'm most excited to teach this course because it is so different from the basic doctrine we learn in religion class, and yet so Catholic & immediately relevant to our daily lives and choices.
Freshmen Curriculum: You. Life, Love, and the Theology of the Body (Ascension Press)
When: Sunday 5-6:30pm (12 classes); First class on September 29, 2024
Where: St. Monica Parish - Donovan Hall
Mandatory Orientation for parents: September 29, 2024 @ 5pm
FRESHMEN PARENTS ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO WATCH THIS VIDEO
10TH GRADE
If your teen would like to be Confirmed at the end of their junior year, please sign them up to begin preparation during their sophomore year. We will learn what the Catholic Church believes and discover how to explain what perhaps we've been taught to believe about our Catholic faith our whole lives!
Sophomore: Chosen - Part One of the Journey to Confirmation (Ascension Press)
When: Sunday 7-8:30pm (12 classes); First class on September 29, 2024
Where: St. Monica Parish - Donovan Hall
Mandatory Orientation for parents: September 29, 2024 @ 7pm
CONFIRMATION (MOSTLY 11TH GRADE)
We will continue to spend time learning how to pray, learning what Confirmation is, and why the Holy Spirit is the key to it all! We will also continue discussing how our Catholic worldview applies to every area of our lives, especially asking for the grace to live virtuous lives that lead us to happiness.
When: Sunday 7-8:30pm (12 classes + Retreat Day + Service); First class on October 6, 2024
Where: St. Monica Parish - Donovan Hall
Mandatory orientation for parents: October 6, 2024 @ 7pm
Mandatory Retreat for Confirmation December 7, 2024 @ St. Monica
Confirmation: Tuesday, May 20, 2025 @ St. Eugene @ 7pm (5:45pm Rehearsal for Sponsors & Candidates)
CONFIRMATION REQUIREMENTS:
At least one parent must attend our Orientation or make an appointment with Helena Dziadowicz.
In the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Confirmation is celebrated at approximately the age of 16 or when candidates are in the 11th grade.
We ask that students (and their families) are striving to commit to their faith in an authentic way by developing regular prayer habits, attending Mass regularly, and have a desire to continue to grow within the Catholic Church.
Parents may decide for their children that they will be instructed for Confirmation, however, the decision to be confirmed rests with the young person. The Candidate must be willing to take ownership of their faith and their commitment to the preparation and make the final YES to being confirmed.
Candidates agree to be on time & present for every class. They must plan to be active participants in their small group, during prayer, discussions, and talks.
Candidates need to choose a Sponsor and commit to meeting with them at least three times which includes attending a Sponsor Night together.
Candidates agree to attend the STME Confirmation Retreat or an approved alternative.
Candidates agree to doing a minimum of 5 service events. At least 2 of these events must be in service of the Parishes.
12TH GRADE
I would love to meet your senior, hear how they'd like to get involved in leadership, and/or their desires for ongoing formation!
NEW: Optional Thursday Night Community Nights 7-9pm
We humans are desperate for authenticity, belonging, and freedom. As a teenager, it’s all the more dramatic, chaotic, and confusing. Thursday Nights we will gather, 9th-12th graders all together in the Upper Room/Church of St. Monica to grow in community, friendship, identity--becoming flourishing humans loved into freedom by God!
If your teen would like to help me know what they'd enjoy coming to and/or what they need in their life, you can pass them THIS SURVEY:
HOW TO REGISTER FOR CHILD AND YOUTH MINISTRY CLASSES
Child and Youth Ministry Registration will once again be completed online through ParishSoft (click to begin) our parish database. While registering for classes, please take the time to review your information and update any emails, phone numbers or anything else that may have changed.
PARISH REGISTRATION – If you are new to St. Eugene and St. Monica – welcome! Please begin the parish registration process by filling out the online form (links below). We will contact you to complete parish registration so you can then register for classes.
YOUTH MINISTRY VOLUNTEERS AND SMALL GROUP LEADERS
SAFE ENVIRONMENT
St. Eugene and St. Monica Parishes are committed to providing a safe environment for all. In compliance with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, all volunteers over the age of 18 MUST attend a (free, one-time) Safe Environment Education Session, pass a criminal background check and read and sign the Code of Ethical Standards for Church Leaders.
In addition, it is our goal to have ALL parents attend this class to increase awareness and safety. This would also qualify parents to volunteer with child and youth ministry in any capacity. To register for a class, please go to www.archmil.org/offices/safe-environment.htm
DETAILS ABOUT OUR HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
MAKING THE FAITH COME ALIVE AND RELEVANT TO THEIR LIFE.
We know that our teens are well-rounded with many high academic goals and competitive extracurricular activities. With this in mind, it is our goal to work with them and to support them, and show them how their faith can help create the balance they need to successfully achieve their academic and extracurricular goals. We don’t aim to compete as just another activity, but we aim to offer them solid, Catholic teachings that will help them understand things such as who they are and why they were created; how to manage themselves and recognize the beauty in true, authentic friendships; and most importantly, how to deepen their relationship, and have a personal encounter with, our Lord. It is our aim to meet them where they are and to reveal to them all the beauty our Catholic faith holds and how they too, can share and grow within it.
PARENTS ARE THE FIRST EDUCATORS OF THEIR CHILDREN.
It is also our aim to support you, the parents, in passing along this treasure of faith. We believe ourselves to be a partner with you in this mission. We ask you to help us, by making sure your child commits to attending every class. Their presence at each class is invaluable to us, their leaders, as well as to the other students within their small groups. In addition, each class is solidly packed with awesome information and activities that would be difficult to recreate in a make-up setting.
We also aim to provide you with all the necessary tools to journey with us in your child's learning. Our curriculum includes you! We have booklets and online videos so that you may also follow along with us in our lessons. Our hope is that the discussions we have in our groups will carry into your home and you will be well-equipped to take them deeper. You will have full access to everything your child will be learning.
CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
To the Catholic high school 9th & 10th grade families, we acknowledge and support your commitment to Catholic education and the absolute blessing that it is. While we are aware that your child is receiving a solid, faith education each day, we still invite you to commit to the 9th & 10th grade program as well. Their junior year they will be required to do their Confirmation prep with us and receive the Sacrament through us.
It is vital to impart on the teens that parish life is their community too. Our life in our parishes begin when we are born and end when we die. It is so important that they become comfortable in helping to create a unique community life with other teens in the parishes.
SMALL GROUPS
We can offer your child an opportunity to go even deeper within the small groups that they will be a part of, and to build friendships and connections within our parish communities helping them to realize the impact they have on others.
We witness that when the teens break into their small groups they build strong relationships with each other, which naturally allows for them to grow personally as well as together as a group. The small groups that thrive and have fun are those that put in the time and make a commitment to themselves and their group.
FAQ: WHAT IS SUMMER CONFIRMATION?
Summer Confirmation classes are unique to our parishes. It is a wonderful way for rising 11th graders to complete their confirmation prep before the start of their junior year and then be confirmed in the fall of their junior year. Firstly, we can only offer this program if we have volunteer catechists staff to lead the program. If we have the staff support then we will open registration in the spring. Class size is very limited. Since the program is very accelerated, the students must commit to the prerequisites and attendance requirements.
Basic Summer Confirmation Prerequisites
Be a member of the parishes of St. Eugene or St. Monica
Must have successfully completed the 10th grade program and/or attend a Catholic High School
Commit to the requirements: attendance, retreat, service, Mass attendance
Be ready to take their faith life seriously
Priority registration will be given to those 10th graders who are currently enrolled in our 10th grade program. If space permits, first-come enrollment will open to Catholic High School students who indicate interest in our program. If your child hasn’t been in our Religious Education programming then please make sure you are signed up on our Youth mailing list so you receive information regarding all our Youth events.